Question

Explain how the authors of “The White Man’s Burden” and “The Black Man’s Burden” have different perspectives on European imperialism.

Answer 1

To begin, the White Man's Burden was written in 1899 by Kipling while the Black Man's Burden was written in 1920 by Morel. In the White Man's Burden, the author justifies imperialism mentioning that Europeans ruling over underdeveloped nations is their responsibility. In the other hand, the author of the Black Man's Burden believes that the justifications mentioned in White Man's Burden are nothing but a lie. He believed that the colonization of these underdeveloped nations was only for the Europeans to gain access to their natural resources and take advantage of them. The author mentions all of the different ways in which colonialism damaged the people of these nations.

Answer 2

Sample Response: Both Kipling and Johnson describe imperialism, but from different perspectives. Kipling writes as an imperialist and uses his belief in European superiority to defend imperialist practices. Johnson, however, takes the position of native peoples and shows imperialism as an abuse of power.