The Irony Behind ImperialismDuring the nineteenth century, Britain was one of the richest countries in the world; the English were able to colonize numerous countries and make profits from each of them. With brutality and torture, the English entered these countries to civilize the native populations and to obtain goods and services from the hard work of the local people. Rudyard Kipling was a British writer born and raised in Bombay, India. Kipling saw aspects of colonization that other Western people were unable to see. “The White Man's Burden” is a satirical poem written by Kipling that ridicules this Victorian concept known as imperialism. Imperialist nations during the Victorian period believed that it was their duty to enter uncivilized countries and create a better place for the natives. Great Britain was a major imperialist nation; it certainly had a great impact on the world as we see it today. One of the main concepts of imperialism was that the natives would appreciate Britain's effort to civilize the country. The Western world not only attempted to civilize savages, but also established means of using the labor of savages to gain profit for themselves. For example, the British East India Trading Company was the world's largest exporter at the time. Most of the company's products originated in India, but the British sold it to countries such as the United States as British items. Unfortunately, by forcing the natives to provide free labor and accept British culture and customs, the English were setting themselves up for disaster. Rudyard Kipling shows this kind of irony behind imperialism in one of his most famous works, "The White Man's Burd... middle of paper... however, why are people just listening to what they have been?" told by society without noticing what is really happening? “The White Man's Burden” served as a message to the Western world to no longer accept imperialism as its “burden.” With his mixture of sarcastic and ironic language, Kipling shows how imperialism harms both the colonizer and the colonized. The vile actions carried out by Westerners on natives for labor were brutal, while the colonized often violently rebelled against the colonizer. This poem could have been seen as an encouragement for Westerners to go against the norm and create a better world to live in; a world without imperialism. Works Cited Kipling, Rudyard. “The White Man's Burden.” The Norton Anthology: English Literature. Ed. Reidhead, Julia. 8th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2006. 1821-22. Press.