The imperialists were not evil, but their attitude of cultural and racial superiority cannot be mistaken for anything but what it was. Rudyard Kipling, George Orwell and Mark Twain demonstrate the prevalent attitudes and ideas of this time through the following works of fiction – The White Man’s Burden, Shooting an Elephant, and The War Prayer, respectively.
Rudyard Kipling’s The White Man’s Burden clearly demonstrates the prevalent attitude of the time, and shows how the imperialists were able to justify their actions. In it, he suggests that the presence of the imperialists had a positive impact on the native people. His description of the natives is laden with racism, and furthermore, he pronounces them ungrateful in the face of what the
Rudyard Kipling’s The White Man’s Burden clearly demonstrates the prevalent attitude of the time, and shows how the imperialists were able to justify their actions. In it, he suggests that the presence of the imperialists had a positive impact on the native people. His description of the natives is laden with racism, and furthermore, he pronounces them ungrateful in the face of what the