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“The Poor Man’s Burden” and “The Burden of Profit” Poems Essay (Critical Writing)
The poem The Poor Man’s Burden by Howard S. Taylor can be treated as the response to Kiplings poem. The white mans burden, which was taken in society rather contradictory and was considered to be racist. That is why Howard created his own poem, contradicting Kipling. The author in the poem underlines the catastrophic state in which the poorest layer of society was. With a causticity, he says that these people can cope with everything and the burden of a new war is not a big deal for them. The author says that common people will be the victims of the military ambitions of Great Britain. He protests against Kipling’s appeal to enter the war and against the government of the United Kingdom, which does not think about its own people, trying to add new problems and make the life of their people harder.
The Burden of Profit by C. E. D. Phelps is another poem that appeared as a reaction to Kiplings The White Mans Burden. This poem reflects another side of the protest. The author underlines the racist character of Kiplings poem, protesting against the division between black and white people. The sarcastic title of the poem underlines the unfair character of existing society and Kiplings appeals. He states that white people batten, while black people have to do all jobs for them. He also says that white people do not take into account the peculiarities of the culture of black people, though they still explore them and want to add a new burden of approaching war.
It is possible to say that these two poems can be taken as the authors protest against racial and social prejudices. Written in a strong and sarcastic manner, these poems try to enlighten people.
