REVEALING IMPERIALISM THROUGH SYMBOL AND IMAGERY …

REVEALING IMPERIALISM THROUGH SYMBOL AND

IMAGERY FOUND IN RUDYARD KIPLING’S

“THE WHITE MAN’S BURDEN”

AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra

in English Letters

By

ASRI DAMARA

Student Number: 144214140

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS

FACULTY OF LETTERS

UNIVERSITAS SANATA DHARMA

YOGYAKARTA

2021

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

ii




AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra

in English Letters

By

ASRI DAMARA

Student Number: 144214140

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS

FACULTY OF LETTERS

UNIVERSITAS SANATA DHARMA

YOGYAKARTA

2021


iii

iii


iv

iv


v

STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY

I certify that this undergraduate thesis contains no material which has been

previously submitted for the award of any other degree at any university, and that,

to the best of my knowledge, this undergraduate thesis contains no material

previously written by any other person except where due reference is made in the

text of the undergraduate thesis.

Yogyakarta, July 18, 2021

Asri Damara


vi

LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH

UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS

Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma

Nama : Asri Damara

Nomor Mahasiswa : 144214140

Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan

Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul




beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan

kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan,

mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data,

mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di internet atau media

lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin kepada saya maupun

memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai

penulis.

Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya.

Dibuat di Yogyakarta

Pada tanggal 18 Juli 2021

Yang menyatakan,

Asri Damara


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For

the special one, Aci.


ix

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Jesus Christ for

the blessing, to Mother Mary for the guidance, and to Saint Mikhael for the

protection throughout the whole process so that I can finally finish this thesis.

Next, I am also very grateful for Dr. Gabriel Fajar Sasmita Aji, M.Hum. as

my thesis advisor and Drs. Hirmawan Wijanarka, M.Hum. as my thesis co-advisor

for their advices, guidance, and support during the writing process of this thesis. It

is also because of their encouragement that I can continue and complete this thesis.

My biggest gratitude I give to my parents, Andreas Nurwarsita and Florince

Silaban for their endless patience, support, and encouragement every day. I also

give a special gratitude for my two siblings, Giovani Agnes Utami and Galih

Dewanto and also for my six dogs Nato, Momo, Oscar, Teddy, Sophie, and Loki.

Thank you for the amazing distraction in every time I need a break time. They are

really the best home companions for me during my hardest time in order to finish

this thesis.

For the last, I would like to give my gratitude to my college friends at

SWIRRAM: Stev, Wika, Rani, Riska, and Melur, also Nena, Dini and Acha. I want

to thank you all for sharing many college moments together. In addition, I send a

special thanks to my close friend, Isti. Thank you for your advices and your endless

support in your chat whenever I need a friend to talk to in my hardest time.

ASRI DAMARA


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE ......................................................................................................... i

APPROVAL PAGE ............................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

ACCEPTANCE PAGE ........................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY .................................................................... v

LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH .. vi

................................................................................................... vii

DEDICATION PAGE ........................................................................................ viii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................... ix

TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................................................... x

ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................... xi

ABSTRAK ............................................................................................................. xii

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................ 1

A. Background of the Study ................................................................................ 1

B. Problem Formulation ...................................................................................... 4

C. Objectives of the Study ................................................................................... 5

D. Definition of Terms ........................................................................................ 5

CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE .................................................... 8

A. Review of Related Studies .............................................................................. 8

B. Review of Related Theories .......................................................................... 12

1. How to Understand Poetry ......................................................................... 12

2. Review of Imperialism............................................................................... 19

C. Theoretical Framework ................................................................................. 21

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY .................................................................. 23

A. Object of the Study ....................................................................................... 23

B. Approach of the Study .................................................................................. 25

C. Method of the Study ..................................................................................... 28

CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS ............................................................................... 30

A. Imperialism in Rudyard Kipling’s “The White Man’s Burden” .................. 30

B. Symbol and Imagery as the intrinsic elements of “The White Man’s

Burden” to deliver imperialism ..................................................................... 40

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION .......................................................................... 45

REFERENCES .................................................................................................... 47

APPENDICES ..................................................................................................... 49

Appendix 1 : The White Man's Burden ............................................................. 49

Appendix 2 : Biography of Rudyard Kipling .................................................... 51


xi

ABSTRACT

DAMARA, ASRI. (2021). Revealing Imperialism through Symbol and Imagery

Found in Rudyard Kipling’s “The White Man’s Burden”. Yogyakarta:

Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Universitas Sanata Dharma.

Colonization era has presented throughout history and still existed until late

nineteenth century. The purpose of colonization developed with the times, not only

to conquer a new country but also to civilize the native people. Civilization

happened because it was related with imperialism. Imperialism can be stated as a

value, policy or as a doctrine. Imperialism can be found in a history book but it

could be written in a form of a poem. It can be seen in the content of a poem.

This study analyzed imperialism in a poem entitled “The White Man’s

Burden” which is written by Rudyard Kipling. Hence, this study has a purpose to

answer two problems. The first is how imperialism is delivered in Rudyard

Kipling’s “The White Man’s Burden” and the second is how symbol and imagery

deliver imperialism in Rudyard Kipling’s “The White Man’s Burden”.

In order to answer the two problems, this study applies the library research

method. The main data that is used is a poem entitled “The White Man’s Burden”

by Rudyard Kipling. Furthermore, there are three theories and one review that are

applied in this study. The three theories are how to understand poetry, theory of

symbol, and theory of imagery. Next, the review is about review of imperialism.

This study applies new criticism as approach of the study.

Based on the analysis, there are two findings in this study. The first result is

imperialism is described differently in each stanza. In the first stanza, the

description is about what the white men should do to the native people in the new

island in order to bear the duty or the responsibility. The second stanza, it is about

the white men have to work for the native people’s profit and gain. The third stanza

is about a warning to the white men during their service in the new island. The

fourth is about the way of how the white men see the duty or the responsibility. The

fifth stanza is about the way the native people react to the service of the white men.

The sixth stanza is about the warning to the white men. They have to hide their pain

during their service. The seventh stanza is about the other warning to the white men

who bear the duty or the responsibility. They have to leave behind their childhood

to become a manhood. It has to be done in order to bear the duty or the

responsibility. Imperialism is used as the ideology or value for encouraging the

white men to take up their responsibility during the acquisition and civilization in

the new island. The second result is three symbols and three imageries which can

be found in the poem. Those are white man, burden, and Half-devil and Half-child.

Next, the imageries that can be found are Kinesthetic Imagery, Visual Imagery, and

Organic Imagery.

Keywords: The White Man’s Burden, Imperialism, Symbol, Imagery.


xii

ABSTRAK

DAMARA, ASRI. (2021). Revealing Imperialism through Symbol and Imagery

Found in Rudyard Kipling’s “The White Man’s Burden”. Yogyakarta: Program

Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma.

Era kolonisasi telah disajikan melalui sejarah dan masih ada sampai akhir

abad 19. Tujuan dari kolonisasi berkembang seturut perubahan waktu, tidak hanya

menaklukkan negara baru tetapi juga untuk memperadabkan penduduk asli.

Peradaban tejadi karena relasinya dengan imperialisme. Imperialisme adalah

sebuah nilai, kebijakan atau sebuah doktrin. Imperialisme dapat ditemukan di buku

sejarah tetapi dapat tertulis dalam bentuk sebuah puisi. Hal ini dapat dilihat dari isi

puisi tersebut.

Penelitian ini menganalisa imperialisme dalam sebuah puisi berjudul “The

White Man’s Burden” yang ditulis oleh Rudyard Kipling. Oleh sebab itu, penelitian

ini punya dua pertanyaan penelitian. Pertama, adalah bagaimana imperialisme

dijelaskan di dalam puisi “The White Man’s Burden” dan kedua adalah bagaimana

simbol dan pencitraan menyampaikan imperialisme di puisi “The White Man’s

Burden”.

Dalam rangka menjawab dua pertanyaan penelitian tersebut, penelitian ini

memakai metode data kepustakaan. Data utama adalah puisi berjudul “The White

Man’s Burden” oleh Rudyard Kipling. Ada beberapa teori dan satu resensi yang

digunakan di penelitian ini. Teorinya yaitu teori bagaimana memahami puisi, teori

simbol dan teori pencitraan. Lalu, resensi tentang resensi dari imperialisme.

Penelitian ini memakai pendekatan New Criticism.

Berdasarkan penelitian, terdapat dua hasil. Hasil pertama adalah

imperialisme dijelaskan secara berbeda di setiap stanza. Stansa pertama,

imperialisme menjelaskan tentang apa yang akan orang kulit putih lakukan terhadap

penduduk asli di pulau baru dalam rangka menanggung tanggung jawab sebagai

kulit putih. Stansa kedua, imperialisme menjelaskan tentang apa yang harus orang

kulit putih lakukan kepada penduduk asli. Stansa ketiga tentang peringatan kepada

orang kulit putih selama pelayanan di pulau baru. Stansa keempat, tentang cara

orang kulit putih melihat tanggung jawab. Stansa kelima, tentang reaksi penduduk

asli terhadap pelayanan orang kulit putih. Stansa keenam, tentang peringatan

pertama kepada orang kulit putih. Mereka harus menyembunyikan sakit selama

pelayanan. Stansa ketujuh, tentang peringatan lain kepada orang kulit putih. Mereka

harus meninggalkan masa kanak-kanak untuk menjadi orang dewasa. Hal itu harus

dilakukan dalam rangka untuk menanggung kewajiban atau tanggung jawab.

Imperialisme digunakan sebagai sebuah ideologi atau nilai untuk mendorong orang

kulit putih untuk mengangkat tanggung jawab mereka selama akuisisi dan pradaban

di pulau baru. Hasil kedua adalah ditemukan tiga simbol dan tiga pencitraan. Ketiga

simbol itu adalah white man, burden, dan Half-devil and Half-child. Lalu,

pencitraan yang dapat ditemukan adalah Kinesthetic Imagery, Visual Imagery, dan

Organic Imagery.

Kata Kunci: The White Man’s Burden, Imperialism, Symbol, Imagery.


1

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

Colonization era has presented throughout history and it is the time when

people from one country would either discover some new and empty territories or

establish settlements in the countries of less advanced races. The country would

conquer the territory and civilize the native people. In sixteenth century, a great

irruption of European explored and took place other continents following the

discovery of the great ocean routes to India and the Americas. They colonized the

other continents with imperialism policy. (Atiyah, 1954, pp.8-9).

Colonization era still existed until late nineteenth century and the purpose

of colonization developed with the times, not only to conquer the new countries but

also to civilize the native people. It is because European belief that they were

superior ethnic group rather than other ethnic groups. They belief that their culture,

science, technology and their life style are more advanced rather than other ethnic

groups. On the other side, they believed that other ethnic groups are less advanced.

It is because other ethnic groups different from them in many ways.

This belief is known with a term called ethnocentrism. As stated in

www.interserveusa.org, ethnocentrism is a belief that an ethnic group is superior

and the others will be stamped as inferior. In oppressive conditions, ethnocentrism

enables inferior groups to follow the superior group’s culture over extended periods

of time known as colonialization era. The downside of ethnocentrism is that it


2

causes people from superior ethnic group to look down on those who are from other

ethnic groups.

Moreover, colonization happened because it was related with imperialism

policy or it can be called as doctrine of imperialism based on the book entitled

Doctrines of Imperialism by A.P. Thornton. As stated in the following citation,

Thornton explains imperialism is

“less a fact than a thought. At its heart it is the image of dominance, of

power asserted; and power is neither used nor witnessed without

emotion. The colonizer who triumphed over nature and circumstance

takes his place in the national story as a hero of his time; but the

imperialist, forever using others for ends of his own, has bequeathed to

his posterity the controversies that pursued him through life.

Imperialism is therefore more often the name of the emotion that

reacts to a series of events than a definition of the events themselves”

(Thornton, 1965, pp. 2-3).

In addition, there are three doctrines of imperialism mentioned in the book. They

are The Doctrine of Power, The Doctrine of Profit, and The Doctrine of Civilization.

Those doctrines used by European man until the last colonization era and it had

spread in U.S.

Rudyard Kipling, a British writer, wrote his poems and stories set in India

during the period of British imperial rule. Of all his poems, he wrote a poem which

was originally entitled “The White Man’s Burden: The United States and the

Philippine Islands". Lately, the poem is mostly known as “The White Man’s

Burden”. In 1898, Rudyard Kipling wrote the poem during U.S.’s war declaration

toward Spain. The war between U.S. and Spain was to free Cuba from Spain, though

that was not how the Cubans saw it. The peace negotiations led U.S. to be awarded

with Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.


3

At that time Rudyard Kipling tried to introduce his version of imperialism

belief to U.S. by sending a copy of the poem to Theodore Roosevelt, U.S. senator

who forwarded it to Henry Cabot Lodge before the poem was published. In a letter

of 10 January 1899 to Robert Barr Kipling told him to look in the next issue of

McClure’s Magazine for: ‘a poem about expansionism that will make you rejoice.’

Through this poem, Rudyard Kipling wanted to urge the U.S with the background

at the time US civilize the Philippines. Moreover, he also give a warning to the

people who civilize the native people (Hamer, 2009, para 4).

Imperialism is not only can be found in a history book but it could be written

in a form of a poem. It can be seen in the content of a poem. This study is created

for revealing the content of the poem as mentioned before. Analyzing the poem in

the way of only focus in the poem itself. Moreover, in the poem, imperialism is

described by particular elements of poem. The next analysis is about the intrinsic

elements of the poem especially on symbols and imagery.

This study will enrich the researches that had be done before through the

poem. The poem itself mostly known as a medium for the author to deliver his belief

about imperialism and also about civilization, as stated below:

… they believed in the absolute superiority of certain racial types. They

lived in a world in which the British and the Americans were immeasurably

the most progressive of nations; in which their standards of conduct

prevailed wherever civilization spread; in which they were in fact spreading

those standards all over the world. (Carrington, 1970, p 335)

Symbol helps the readers get a picture of imperialism. Therefore, symbol is

chosen as one of the main objects of the study. Moreover, the poem describes the

imperialism through several symbols. In the poem, white people are the superior


4

ethnic group who want to civilize native people in the Philippines and to invade the

land that they colonized. The purpose of civilization is to impose the white people’s

culture to the native people because they believed that their culture was better than

the culture of the native people.

Symbol is one of intrinsic elements in poetry. It is an object that represents

a certain idea. It is used in order to create certain imagination and invite the reader’s

engagement and comprehension about something that a poet wants to said. In

addition, symbol is used in order to clue the readers toward imperialism that is

implicitly described in the poem.

Another intrinsic element is imagery. Imagery relates to the word image.

According to Abrams & Harpham (2012) an image is a picture made out of words

and it is used “to signify all the objects and qualities of sense perception referred to

in a poem” (p. 169). Imagery also is classified into several types. There are Visual

Imagery, Auditory Imagery, Tactile Imagery, Thermal Imagery, Olfactory Imagery,

Gustatory Imagery, and Kinesthetic Imagery.

By analyzing the poem through the two intrinsic elements, the study uses

new criticism approach to analyze the poem. The study uses library research as the

method which involve the poem as the primary sources and the secondary sources

comes from theory books and some relatable academic journals.

B. Problem Formulation

Based on the background of the study explained above, the writer has

formulated two questions as follows:


5

1. How is imperialism delivered in Rudyard Kipling’s “The White Man’s

Burden”?

2. How symbol and imagery, as intrinsic elements, are functioned as the tools

to deliver imperialism in Rudyard Kipling’s “The White Man’s Burden”?

C. Objectives of the Study

According to the problem formulations as stated above, there are two

objectives of this study. The first, the study aims to describe how imperialism is

delivered in Rudyard Kipling’s “The White Man’s Burden”. The second, the study

aims to find out symbol and imagery, as the intrinsic elements, functioning the tools

to deliver imperialism in Rudyard Kipling’s “The White Man’s Burden”.

D. Definition of Terms

In this definition of terms, there are three terms which will be explained in

order to reduce misinterpretation, which are:

1. Imperialism

According to Nadel and Curtis (1970), imperialism is the expansion of

sovereignty or control by one government, nation or society over another together

with the ideas justifying or opposing this proses. The expansion can be done by

whether direct or indirect also political or economy. Furthermore, the main point

from all forms of imperialism is the belief that adhere to the imperial agent or nation

in an inherent right. This belief based on moral superiority and material might, it is

to enforce its pre-eminent values and techniques on the inferior indigenous nation


6

or society (p. 1). Another explanation about imperialism comes from Said (1994)

which stated that imperialism means the domination of the practice, the theory, and

the attitudes from a metropolitan center that rule a distant territory (p. 9).

2. Symbol

Based on Abrams & Harpham (2012) “the “symbol” is applied only to a word

or phrase that signifies an object or event which in its turn signifies something, or

has a range of reference, beyond itself” (pp. 393-394). In other words, symbol in

literature is different from symbol term in other fields. The difference is in

literature, symbol is only limited to words that depicts object or event in literary

works. Meanwhile, in general symbol is “anything which signifies something; in

this sense all words are symbols” (p. 393).

Meanwhile, Madden (2002) states that “a symbol is something that

represent more than itself”. It includes every word that we speak. In an

interpretation of a symbol, a symbol is a subject that can be interpreted personally

(p. 66). Hence, the symbol does not only talk about the denotation meaning of words

or phrases but it also speaks about the meaning beyond the words or phrases

themselves or in other words the connotation meaning.

3. Imagery

The term of imagery has the applications from the “mental picture” that are

experienced by the reader of a poem to all of the poem’s components. For example,

the statements by the poet C. Day Lewis in his Poetic Image, that an image “is a

picture made out of words,” and that “a poem may itself be an image composed


7

from a multiplicity of images” (Abrams & Harpham, 2012, p. 169). In other words,

imagery is a vivid form of description that appeal through the poem readers’ senses.

On the other side, according to Madden (2002) “an image is a mental picture

prompted by words”. The images that appeals to the readers’ senses from concrete

language (p. 62).


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CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

A. Review of Related Studies

In the review of related studies, the writer uses one research and one

academic article that is related to this study. The first is a research conducted by

Indah Lestari from English Language Education Department at STKIP PGRI West

Sumatera in 2019. The title of the research is An Analysis of Imageries on the

Rudyard Kipling's Poem. In this research, she analyzed imageries found in two

poems written by Rudyard Kipling. Those are “The White Man’s Burden” and

“Mandalay”. The purpose of this research is to analyze the types of imageries and

their function in the two poems.

She used two theories to analyze the imagery in the two poems. The first is

the theory of imagery based on Edgar Robert’s theory in 1995 in order to determine

the types of imagery. According to the theory, there are six types of imagery which

are visual imagery, auditory imagery, kinesthetic imagery, tactile imagery,

gustatory imagery, and olfactory imagery. The result of this research is there are

four types of imagery found in the two Kipling’s poem entitled “The White Man’s

Burden” and “Mandalay”. Those are visual imagery, auditory imagery, kinesthetic

imagery, and olfactory imagery. Specifically, visual imagery is the most frequent

imagery appeared in the two poems. However, tactile imagery and gustatory

imagery cannot be found in the two poems. The second is theory of the function of

imagery referred to Hassanudin (2012). Based on the theory, the function of


9

imagery is to create clear and realistic description of the author’s experience. As

the result of the research, realistic describe is the most function of the imagery that

can be found in the two poems.

The research which was conducted by Indah Lestari has two similarities

with this study. The first similarity is the poem used for the study which is entitled

“The White Man’s Burden” written by Rudyard Kipling. The second similarity is

this study also analyzed the types of imagery found in the poem. However, this

study only analyzed the types of imagery which is related to Imperialism as the

main concern of this study.

There is also an academic article which was taken from Pacific Historical

Review which is published by University of California Press in 1976

(ww.jstor.org). The article is entitled Humanitarian Imperialism: David Prescott

Barrows and the White Man’s Burden in the Philippines. This article is written by

Kenton J. Clymer, a member of the history department in the University of Texas,

El Paso. This article explains about Humanitarian Imperialism which can be seen

from David Prescott Barrows, an American imperialist educator who came to

Philippine in order to elevate the native and improve Philippine society along

Western lines. In other words, Barrows was there “to shoulder the White Man’s

Burden” in the Philippines (Clymer, Nov., 1976, Vol. 45 No. 4, p 498).

The focus of this article is to look beyond the American acquisition of the

Philippine Islands. It included assessing imperialism during the annexation of the

Philippine Islands or examining the motivations and attitudes from Americans who

actually wanted the new colonial possessions. In addition, it investigates deeply into


10

the American colonial mentality. It is about what motivated them and what their

perceptions about the Filipinos, or other American colonials, or the actions of the

government in Washington. There were several motivations and attitudes, but the

main focus is to “enlighten” Philippine society through education which is done by

Barrows during his service to the Philippines around in 1900 until 1909 (Clymer,

Nov., 1976, Vol. 45 No. 4, pp 495-499).

Barrows went to the Philippine in 1900 based on his interest toward

imperialism after the Spanish American War. For the first time, he studied the

various peoples of the Philippines. However, in the late 1903 he was in charge of

the school system for the entire Philippines. In the end, Barrows’s interest on the

islands changed to be academic. Therefore, Barrows had showed a sympathy to the

Filipinos, as the native in the islands (Clymer, Nov., 1976, Vol. 45 No. 4, pp 499-

500).

Barrows has his own opinion about the acquisition of the islands. From the

Filipinos’ side, it should be done “for the sake of the Philippine people themselves”.

Briefly, the Filipinos needed a help because they were “backward”. However, most

of the Filipinos were “civilized” in an anthropological sense. Furthermore, Barrows

persisted that they were "by no means mere savages in culture." In sum up, even

the Filipinos were civilized but they lived at a low level of civilization, thus, only a

few of them could be trusted to handle their own business. Hence, Barrows believed

the American’s acquisition enlightened the Philippines. Furthermore, it was not

only enlightening the Philippines but also for over long period of time could


11

transform human and social aspects. Clymer, Nov., 1976, Vol. 45 No. 4, pp 501-

505).

From the American’s side, he gave his opinion based on his experiences

during in Philippine. The acquisition was seen as a service. It is because of

Barrows’s background of humaneness and his theory of history that led him to

choose for service rather than oppression. As he later wrote, ". . .in the social and

spiritual transformation of the Filipinos themselves: the pains to make them better

men." This perspective and motivation are similar with the sense of the White Man's

Burden. Along with his main goal which is the social transformation, Barrows

concentrated with education especially the teaching of English. (Clymer, Nov.,

1976, Vol. 45 No. 4, pp 507-511).

This article concluded that Barrows’s work in the islands could be stated as

humanitarian imperialist’s work. It could be seen from his services in order to

achieve the glory purpose, which is social transformation as stated below:

Before them lay the White Man's Burden, but if the Filipino could be

enlightened, as these colonialists fervently hoped, they were obliged to

persevere, whatever the burden. As the initial excitement passed, however,

those with exalted ideals increasingly controlled policy, and Barrows

countered obstacles in his efforts to educate the masses, prevent

exploitation, and control economic development. (Clymer, Nov., 1976, Vol.

45 No. 4, pp 517).

In addition, this article stated that Barrows’s work in the islands did help to

confirm that “humanitarian paternalism” (conveniently summarized by Kipling's

phrase, the White Man's Burden) became “a major-perhaps even the most

important--element in the early imperial impulse”. (Clymer, Nov., 1976, Vol. 45

No. 4, p 517).


12

This article shares the same topic with this study. The similarity is in the

looking for imperialism in the object. However, the article and this study have

different objects of the study. The article uses David Barrows Prescott’s effort

through education in order to achieve social transformation. In addition, this article

focused on humanitarian imperialism, the motivations, and attitudes. On the

contrary, this study analyzed imperialism based on the object of the study which is

a poem. In this study, the description about imperialism will be found in content of

the poem itself. Then, the description about imperialism will be supported with the

analysis of the intrinsic elements of the poem which are symbol and imagery.

B. Review of Related Theories

1. How to Understand Poetry

There are four steps that can be done in order to understand poetry. The first

step is knowing about the definition of poetry. The second step is reading a poem.

The third step is responding to a poem. The forth step is analyzing a poem

specifically the intrinsic elements of a poem. In the first step, it is about the

definition of poetry. According to Kennedy and Gioia (2002) in their book entitled

An Introduction to Poetry, there are several definitions of poetry from different

experts in order to answer the classic question which is “what is poetry?.” Robert

Frost made a definition: “A poem is an idea caught in the act of dawning.” Another

definition comes from Dante stated that poetry is “things that are true expressed in

words that are beautiful.” The last definition about poetry was made by W.H. Auden

said that poetry is “the clear expression of mixed feelings” (pp. 377-378). Hence, a


13

poetry is a form of expression which contains of mixed feelings and those are

delivered in beautiful words or phrases.

A poem has some differentiations from prose in several ways. A poet writes

a piece of writing in order to be read as a poem, and it is “more perceptively,

thoughtfully, and considerately, with more attention to sounds and connotations”

(Kennedy & Gioia, 2002, p 378). Hence, the poem readers regard that the poem

may use certain enjoyable devices such as rime, alliteration, meter, and rhythms in

approaching the poem. Another differentiation can be looked through the way of

looking for the meaning in a poem and also in a prose. As the readers of prose, they

might seek no more than meaning in the using such as figurative language, allusion,

symbol, and imagery. They can paraphrased without serious loss of all those

“extras” as resources of meaning. Otherwise, in poetry all those “extras” is

important as much as the content that can be paraphrased (Kennedy & Gioia, 2002,

p 378). Therefore, a poem must be seen as a whole, not to be seen as a confederation

of form, rime, image, metaphor, tone, and theme. In addition, it may be that a poem

can show beyond words to something still more essential. It is because in a poem,

every single word is important in order to find the meaning of the poem (Kennedy

& Gioia, 2002, p 379).

The second step is about a first approach to poetry, it is reading a poem.

According to Madden (2002), the poem readers’ engagement and involvement are

important to read a poem in order to create the literary experience, which is to evoke

the poem readers’ emotion and judgement. Hence, it is important to make a

connection to the poem based on the poem readers’ background such as


14

personalities and the knowledge of literature and the world. Those all will become

the sources for making meaning in the process of reading a poem. It becomes the

poem readers’ personal response when reading a poem for the first time (p. 2).

Reading a poem will not be able to escape from facing with some unfamiliar

words. In this case, the using of a dictionary is necessary in order to search its

meanings. It is because a word has two meanings which are denotation and

connotation. A denotation is a word meaning from the dictionary definition and a

connotation is a word meaning from the reader’s own definition. Furthermore, a

word may has a different connotation and effect on each of the poem readers.

Hence, paying attention to word choices and patterns of language helps giving a

better understanding about using the words and the patterns effectively and how it

affects people who read (p. 19).

In addition, Kennedy and Gioia (2002) have a few suggestions on how to

reading a poem. It begins with reading the poem for the first time by reading the

poem once straight though, without particular expectations. Do not give any

attention to a troublesome word or difficult passage. There will be the second

reading for looking some difficult words in the poem. In this reading, people who

read a poem usually need a dictionary to find out the meaning or the exact sense of

all the difficult words. Even better if reading a poem aloud in order to sound the

poem’s words, either by reading in the poem readers’ mind or by hearing on another

people who read the poem (p.6).

After that, the poem readers can try to paraphrase the poem as a whole or

just the more difficult lines. The paraphrase consists of the understanding from the


15

poem, repeating ideas that seem essential, and stating what the poem may only

suggest. Furthermore, it creates from the poem readers’ own words. The purpose of

making paraphrase is to see the central thought of the poem. In other word, it is

called theme, “themes can be stated variously, depending on what you believe most

matters in the poem”. A highlight for paraphrasing a poem, “a paraphrase, of course,

never tells all that a poem contains; nor will every reader agree that a particular

paraphrase is accurate.” It is because every reader has their own interpretations and

it is possible that the total meaning of a poem different from the author’s itself

(Kennedy & Gioia, 2002. pp. 6-8).

The third step is about responding to a poem. A deeper level of reading a

poem is responding to the poem itself. Madden (2002) suggests that the response

can be done by describing and comparing the poem. Both of them have the same

goals which are showing and telling the poem reader’s voice. It means to show what

he/she wants to say about the poem with the support of relevant details from the

poem. Comparing is an ordinary way to express the poem’s response. The

comparison of reading experiences or elements of the poem between the previous

poems that had been read before with the new one. In the other side, writing an

engaging description had already covered the poem reader’s voice, impressions and

feelings, and also the relevant details. In addition, the purpose of giving important

details in the description helps readers imagine what the description is about and

clarify the reason from a certain feeling that is felt in the poem (pp. 25-33).

Vendler (2010) in Poems, Poets, Poetry: An Introduction and Anthology

adds that, there are several ways of describing poems. One of them is the basic way.


16

It is categorizing the poem based on types of poetic forms. It is useful to find things

worth describing in a poem (p. 111).

Furthermore, Kennedy and Gioia (2002) differentiate types of poetic forms

into four kinds. First is lyric poetry, it is a kind of poem that expressing the thoughts

and feeling of a single speaker. A lyric can “describe an object or recall an

experience without the speaker’s ever bringing himself or herself into it” (p. 10).

Second is narrative poetry, it is a kind of poem that telling a story becomes its main

purpose. This kind of poem invites the skill of a writer such as “the ability to draw

characters and setting briefly, to engage attention, to shape a plot” (p. 12). Third is

dramatic poetry, it is a kind of poem that convey the voice of an imagery character

(or characters) speaking directly, and with no additional narrations by the author.

Fourth is didactic poetry, it is a kind of poem that be written in order to assert a

message or teach a body of knowledge (pp. 15-17).

The forth step is analyzing a poem specifically the intrinsic elements of a

poem. Furthermore, the specific intrinsic elements that will be discussed are only

focus on symbol and imagery.

a. Theory of Symbol

Poem as one of literary works has several intrinsic elements that

differentiate it with other literary works. Those also have its function to create and

describe the value or message as a whole with other elements in a poem. Symbol

becomes one of the intrinsic elements in a poem. According to Madden (2002), “A

symbol is something that represents more than itself” (p. 66). In a poem, every word


17

or every phrase can be a symbol as long as it represents something beyond its

meaning. Furthermore, Madden (2002) gives some examples of symbol outside

literary works such as government flags, religious objects, and logos on college

sweatshirts. Commonly, there are two types of symbol which are personal symbols

and conventional symbols. Personal symbols can be found in meaningful objects or

special songs, it means that any kinds of object as long as it is special only for

specific person. In the contrary, conventional symbols represent the meaning of

something that most people in common can relate with the meaning. For example

a road as the journey of life and seasons to represent the stages of our lives (p. 66).

Another expert, Abrams & Harpham, in A Glossary of Literary Terms,

defined a symbol as anything that signifies something. Symbol can be a word or a

phrase that contains deeper meaning of the word and the phrase (Abrams &

Harpham, 2012, p. 393-394). Symbol is categorized into two types, they are

conventional or public symbol, and private or personal symbol. Conventional or

public symbol is signs that can be understand by many people. Private or personal

symbol is a sign that is created by someone and only that person who understands

perfectly what the meaning is. This kind of symbol is usually used in literary works

especially in a poem (Abrams & Harpham, 2012, p. 394).

After some definitions of symbol and the types of symbol, the next is how

to recognize or read a symbol. Kennedy and Gioia (2002) in their book mentions a

brief definition about symbol, it is taken from a poet John Drury which stated that

symbol is “an image that radiates meanings” (p. 276). Hence, the meaning of a

symbol often differs from poem to poem. It depends on the way a symbol has been


18

used by earlier writers. Therefore, it affects the way of readers grasp the image

today. That is why the same image can often deliver different meanings in different

poem, whether the poems are written by contemporaries or not. In order to write

about the meaning (or meanings) of a symbol, the step is “follow the image through

the poem and give it time to establish its own pattern of associations” (p. 276).

Meanwhile, Stanton (1965) mentioned the usual clue in order to know that

a detail is symbolic. It is obvious for some reason other than its factual importance.

It may be obvious because it repeats or resembles certain other details. Furthermore,

the author may also make a detail obvious by some methods such as describing it

more fully than its factual importance deserve, making it unusual for no apparent

reason, and mentioning it in the title. After that, the next step is to discover what it

symbolizes. In order to interpret symbols, there are some methods that can be used.

The methods are noting the symbol’s connotations, comparing it to its context, and

comparing its context to one another (pp. 32-33).

b. Theory of Imagery

Imagery is one of intrinsic elements which make up a poem. This term really

close with the word image. It is sometimes claimed, are experienced by the reader

of a poem. Based on Abrams and Harpham (2012), that an image “is a picture made

out of words,” and that “a poem may itself be an image composed from a

multiplicity of images” (p. 169).

Furthermore, imagery divides into seven types of imagery. The first is

Visual Imagery, which is the imagery produced by the sense of sight. The second


19

is Auditory Imagery that is the imagery produced by the sense of hearing. The third

is Tactile Imagery, it is produced by the sense of touch. The fourth is Thermal

Imagery which can describe the sensations of heat and cold. The fifth is Olfactory

Imagery that can be produced by the sense of smell. Gustatory Imagery as the sixth

type of the imagery can be produced by the sense of taste. The last one is Kinesthetic

Imagery which describes the sensation of movement (Abrams & Harpham, 2012,

p. 169).

In addition, imagery has three applications that is said to make poetry

concrete. First, imagery is used to signify all the objects and qualities of sense

perception referred to in a poem or other literary work. It can be done by literal

description, by allusion, or in the vehicles of its similes and metaphors. Second,

imagery is used, more narrowly, to signify only specific descriptions of visible

objects and scenes, especially if the description is vivid and particularized. Third,

imagery in current usage signifies figurative language especially metaphors and

similes (Abrams & Harpham, 2012, pp. 169-170).

2. Review of Imperialism

Colonialization era happened during the 16th century until the middle of 20th

century. It is the time when several European countries established their colonies in

the other countries in the continents of Asia, Africa, and America. They wanted to

take control of the new lands that they had conquered. Ania Loomba’s

Colonialism/Postcolonialism stated that colonialism is the conquest and control of


20

other people’s island and goods. It has been a recurrent and widespread feature of

human history (Loomba, 2005, p. 8).

During the colonialization era, Imperialism can be stated as the doctrine for

the white people. Thornton’s book of Doctrines of Imperialism states the definition

of doctrine based on two dictionaries. The first is the Shorter Oxford English

Dictionary which states doctrine is as true concerning a particular department of

knowledge. The second is based on Webster’s that states “doctrine is a principle or

position, or the body of principles in any branches of knowledge” (Thornton, 1965,

p. 1).

Thornton (1965) divides three doctrines of Imperialism. They are The

Doctrine of Power, The Doctrine of Profit, and The Doctrine of Civilization. The

Doctrine of Power is used in monarchy system. That is the structure of an imperial

bureaucracy. It has methods of recruitment and employment that the powers of

imperial officials and the codes they work by and all these can be traced and

pronounced on (Thornton, 1965, p. 47). The Doctrine of Profit is the necessary part

of the imperialists’ task of spreading the ideals of humanitarian civilization. The

important thing from this doctrine is money brings power and only the powerful

can act with success (Thornton, 1965, p. 97).

The next doctrine is The Doctrine of Civilization. This research will use The

Doctrine of Civilization because the focus of imperialism in this research is about

civilization, the colonizers tried to colonize and teach their culture to the native

people or colonized. The doctrine stated that “Imperialism not only depends on

national self-confidence, it is the crown of its achievements.” (Thornton, 1965, p.


21

154) In the colonization European era, the European arrived to new lands and

wanted to discover, exploit, and increase it. They said that the native people could

have nothing of value to say about the future, either their own or anyone else’s.

Then, the European or the white man who were destined to inherit the future are

already bear on their shoulders the burden of the principles with which the interests

of the future are identified (Thornton, 1965, p. 155).

C. Theoretical Framework

In this part, the writer is going to discuss how the reviewed theories are used

in order to answer the problem formulations. The writer analyzes imperialism

which is employed in the poem of Rudyard Kipling’s “The White Man’s Burden”.

Thus, the study of the related theories and studies will be taken as a data to solve

the problems.

Firstly, based on the first problem formulation, it asks about the content of

the poem. The theory of how to understand poetry is used to analyze the whole

poem. The theory has four steps which are knowing about the definition of poetry,

reading a poem, responding to a poem, and analyzing a poem specifically the

intrinsic elements of a poem. Secondly, in order to answer the second problem

formulation, the theory of symbol and imagery are used as functioning tools to

describe imperialism from the poem. The definition of symbol from Madden and

M.H. Abrams & Geoffrey Galt Harpham are used to find symbols in the poem. In

addition, the categorization of symbols based on M.H. Abrams & Geoffrey Galt

Harpham is used to recognize the meaning and the function of the symbols.


22

Furthermore, the theory of symbol from Kennedy & Gioia and also Stanton are used

in order to know the way to find a symbol. Then, the definition and the types of

imagery are taken from M.H. Abrams & Geoffrey Galt Harpham.

Thirdly, the review of imperialism also used in order to limit the symbol and

imagery that are found in the poem. It is because the symbol and imagery which are

studied by the writer is about imperialism. Thornton’s book of Doctrines of

Imperialism is used to limit the symbol and imagery.


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CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

A. Object of the Study

The object of this study is a poem entitled “The White Man’s Burden”. The

poem has the original title which is “The White Man’s Burden: The United States

and the Philippine Islands”. However, this poem is mostly known with the shorter

title than the original title, which is “The White Man’s Burden”. It was written by

Britain’s poet and story writer, Rudyard Kipling.

The poem was written at the time during the Spanish-American War

(period: April 1898 – August 1898). It was in the moment when the U.S. in reversal

of previous policy first became an imperial power. America had declared war on

Spain on 25 April 1898, and after that in October the peace negotiations began. It

ended to the Treaty of Paris which resulted the US was awarded with Cuba, Puerto

Rico, Guam, and the Philippines (Hamer, 2009, para. 4). It was finished at 22

November 1898 and a copy of the poem was sent for the first time to Theodore

Roosevelt as the new Governor of New York State. (Carrington, 1970, p. 337)

After that, the poem was published in several media, such as The Times in

4 February 1899, the New York Sun in 5 February 1899, and McClure’s Magazine

released in February 1899. Furthermore, the poem was published separately in

London and it was reprinted in Santiago de Chile as part of the unauthorized

collection With Number Three Surgical and Medical in 1900. In addition, the poem

was collected in a book entitled The Five Nations I.V., 1919, D.V., 1940, with two


24

different edition which are the Sussex Edition, vol.33 and the Burwash Edition,

vol.26 (Hamer, 2009, para. 1-3). This study use the poem from the book entitled

“The Five Nations” which is published by Fredonia Books in 2001 and reprinted

from the 1903 edition.

The poem consists of seven stanzas and each of the stanzas has eight lines.

In the beginning of every stanza is opened with the sentence “Take up the White

Man’s Burden”. According to Notes by Mary Hamer, the background notes for

readers who want to read the poem, this poem describes several things. The first is

that through the poem, Kipling wanted to embrace the US about the form of

imperialism. Kipling ‘made no allowance for greed and exploitation, or for conflicts

of interest between empire and colony’ (Hamer, 2009, para 6).

The second, the poem represents Kipling’s belief in the western people as

the superior ethnic group, which have the best culture than others, have to bear the

burden to develop the non-western people. It is because they have the best culture

and civilization as the evolved nations. Furthermore, the belief that the non-western

people were waiting to be developed by the western people as stated in the

following quote:

“Kipling’s belief that non-western and ‘primitive’ peoples were waiting to

be developed and improved was shared by contemporary thinkers who took

their lead from Social Darwinism; the ‘more evolved’ nations must guide

those which are ‘less evolved’ into a more ‘civilised’ way of running their

societies. Hence the now insulting references to subject races as children.

There is no doubt that Kipling also shared the assumptions of his western

contemporaries concerning the superiority of light over dark in the matter

of skin tone, notions which received support from the terminology of

religion. Christianity traditionally associated black with sin and the devil

and white with purity. Thus Kipling joined in consigning entire races to

inferiority, even while he might express admiration and respect in the case

of individual non-Europeans”. (Hamer, 2009, para 7)


25

B. Approach of the Study

This study uses New Criticism as the approach of the study. It is also

classified as a type of critical Formalism. The writer chose this approach in order

to analyze the object of the study which is the poem entitled “The White Man’s

Burden”. Furthermore, this approach is chosen because it is suitable to analyze the

intrinsic elements, which is symbol and imagery. Those elements can be analyzed

from the poem by focusing only to the poem itself.

New Criticism was known from the late 1940s until the late 1960s. It was

considered “new” because it offered a way as now becomes an approach of

understanding literature that was different from other approaches it replaced. It is

because a literary critic usually involves the author’s life and time or the personal

impressions based on educated reader of the literary work (Tyson, 2011, p. 38).

According to Abrams and Harpham (2012), New Criticism is made by the

publication of John Crowe Ransom’s The New Criticism in 1941. It came to be

applied to a theory and practice in America literary criticism. The foundation for

New Criticism approach came from the elements in I. A. Richards’ Principles of

Literary Criticism (1924) and Practical Criticism (1929) and from the critical

essays of T. S. Eliot (p. 241).

New Criticism takes the first law of criticism as John Crowe Ransom stated

that “it shall be objective, shall cite the nature of the object” and shall recognize

“the autonomy of the work itself as existing for its own sake” (Abrams & Harpham,

2012, pp. 242). It can also be called as Objective Criticism. It is the critic of a

literature work which only use the intrinsic elements and stands free from the


26

extrinsic elements’ relation to the poet or to the audience or to the environing world

(Abrams & Harpham, 2012, pp. 70). New Criticism states the detailed analysis for

a literary work through Close Reading. It means the proper concern of literary

criticism is in “a detailed consideration of the work itself as an independent entity”

(Abrams & Harpham, 2012, p. 241). The analysis of a literary work avoids using

external references such as the biography and personal experiences of the author,

the social conditions at the time of its production, and also its psychological and

moral effects on the readers (Abrams & Harpham, 2012, p. 242).

Specifically, New Criticism offers a way to analyze a poem in order to find

its meaning. According to Bressler (1994) a poem’s meaning must reside within its

own structure which is called the Organic Unity. It is the concept which “all parts

of a poem are interrelated and interconnected, with each part reflecting and helping

to support the poem’s central idea” (Bressler, 1994, p. 37). In other words, the

poem’s form and content are inseparable because the poem’s characteristic is its

oneness which can reveal its meaning or central idea. It is the New Critics’ job to

ensure the structure of the poem, to see how it operates to achieve its unity, and to

discover how meaning evolves directly from the poem itself.

New Critics must pay attention to their critical practices which will distract

their attention from the poem itself. It is called Intentional Fallacy when it comes

to the false belief that the meaning of a literary work is determined by the use of

authorial intention (Tyson, 2011, p. 38-39). In addition, Bressler explains that every

poem is an object which can also be a public text that “can be understood by

applying the standards of public discourse, not simply the private experience,


27

concerns, and vocabulary of its author” (Bressler, 1994, p. 35). It is called Affective

Fallacy when it comes to the false belief that the meaning of a literary work is

determined by the use of a reader’s impressions (Tyson, 2011, p. 39). Moreover,

Bresseler (1994) mentions that it is an error in judgment when finding the

interpretation of a literary work based on a reader’s emotional response. (p. 36). For

the last, it is called Heresy of Paraphrase when it comes to the false belief that a

poem can be equated with paraphrased prose. A poem cannot simply be paraphrased

in order to find its meaning. Bressler (1994) stated that paraphrases may help the

readers in their first understanding of the poem. However “prose statements must

be considered working hypotheses that may or may not lead to a true understanding

of the poem’s meaning” (p. 37).

New Criticism offers several steps in order to show how this approach

works based on Bressler. These steps become the writer’s guidance in order to apply

this approach in this research. It begins with close reading in order to search a

poem’s meaning inside the text’s structure by paying attention to the poem’s

diction. This step will guide to the finding of Ambiguity or the conflicts between a

word’s denotation and its connotation. The poetic diction often has multiple

meanings, it is important to search a denotation (dictionary meaning) and a

connotation (implied meaning) from the words in the poem. Figurative elements

such as metaphor, simile, and personification can be found while investigating a

poem’s diction. Next, paying attention to the patterns of rhythm and sound such as

rhyme scheme or meter. Finally, the writer do the searching of tone or any imagery,


28

paradox, or irony that seems to unite the entire poem that giving its meaning

(Bressler, 1994, pp. 37-39).

C. Method of the Study

Library research is used as the method of this study. There are two sources

used in this study which are primary source and secondary sources. The primary

source of this study is the poem itself which is Rudyard Kipling’s poem entitled

“The White Man’s Burden”. The secondary sources are stated with their function.

In order to understand the difficult words from the poem, the writer needs a

guidance from a dictionary. Oxford Dictionary Online is chosen in order to find the

meaning of the difficult words found in the poem.

Furthermore, there are several theories are needed in order to analyze the

poem. The theory of how to understand poetry are taken from X.J. Kennedy and

Dana Gioia in their book entitled An Introduction to Poetry, next from Helen

Vendler with the book entitled Poems, Poets, Poetry: An Introduction and

Anthology. The last is from Frank Madden with the book entitled Exploring Poetry:

Writing and Thinking About Poetry. The definition of symbol and the way to find

symbol are taken from several books. The first is from Frank Madden with the book

entitled Exploring Poetry: Writing and Thinking About Poetry. The second is from

Abrams and Harpham’s A Glossary of Literary Terms. The theory of imagery is

taken from “A Glossary of Literary Terms” by Abrams and Harpham’s. Thornton’s

Doctrines of Imperialism and Loomba’s Colonialism/Postcolonialism are used as


29

the sources of review of imperialism. Another sources are from reference books,

journals, articles, and online sources.

There were several steps taken in this study. The first step was reading the

poem, “The White Man’s Burden” for several times. The first and the second

reading were close reading with the guidance from Oxford Dictionary Online to

understand the difficult words. The next step was analyzing the poem in each of

stanzas. After that, the writer focused on the content of the poem that delivered

imperialism. Then, the writer analyzed symbol and imagery as the intrinsic

elements of the poem that showed imperialism. This step was applying the theories

available through the analysis. The final step was drawing the conclusion from the

analysis.


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CHAPTER IV

ANALYSIS

A. Imperialism in Rudyard Kipling’s “The White Man’s Burden”

In order to find out imperialism is described in the poem, the first step is to

read the poem with close reading method. Next, the writer can begin to analyze the

poem by finding the meaning of difficult words in the Oxford Dictionary Online.

Then, the writer writes the result from the reading of the poem into some paragraphs

based on its stanzas. In other word, the writer writes the description about the poem.

It is the way to explain the content of the poem.

The poem entitled “The White Man’s Burden” is categorized as a lyric

poem. This poem expresses the thoughts and feeling of a single speaker.

Furthermore, this poem can describe the appearance of the native people of the

Philippines. The poem consists of seven stanzas, each stanza has its own way to

describe imperialism.

Take up the White Man’s Burden—

Send forth the best ye breed—

Go bind your sons to exile

To serve your captives’ need;

To wait in heavy harness,

On fluttered folk and wild—

Your new-caught, sullen peoples,

Half-devil and half-child.

(Kipling, stanza 1, lines 1-8)

In the first stanza, the writer finds three difficult words that the simple

meaning or the denotation can be found in Oxford Dictionary Online. The first is


31

‘ye’, it is a word meaning ‘you’ and it is used when talking to more than one person.

Next, the word ‘exile’, it is the state of being sent to live in another country that is

not your own, especially for political reasons or as a punishment. The last is

‘harness’ that has two meanings. The first meaning refers to a set of narrow pieces

of leather and metal pieces that is put around the head and body of an animal,

especially a horse. It is for the animal can be controlled and fastened to a carriage.

The second meaning is a set of straps or long narrow pieces of a strong material for

fastening something to a person’s body or to keep them from moving off or falling.

From the two meanings, the word of ‘harness’ refers to someone who tie up

something else, it can be an animal or a person’s body. The purpose of this tie is to

keep the something else so that it can be controlled and also it closes to someone

who carry the tie.

Based on the first stanza, there is a white man, as the speaker in the poem.

The speaker is a white man who has a high status from others. He can be said as a

general who commands units of soldier. He wants to give a command to the soldiers

who also the other white men. In the poem, the soldiers can be said as the listeners

of the command.

He says to take the white man’s responsibility. The speaker tells to other

white men that “You have to send the best men and your son into exile to serve

your captives’ need”. In order to do that, they have to wait their new-caught people,

who are sullen and devilish, in heavy harness. Imperialism is described in the first

stanza from the first line until the fifth line, as a command about a duty or a

responsibility that have to be bear by the white men, or in the poem refers to the


32

U.S people. In order to fulfill the duty or the responsibility, they have to do some

sacrifices such as sending the best men of them and their children to the new island.

Furthermore, their job in the new island are to serve the native people’s need and

to carry the native people so that they can be controlled.

It also describes the way that the white men see the native people in the new

island. It is stated in the seven line until the last line. They are described as gloomy

people and a new kind of hybrid creature who are half devil and half human. The

description of the native people represent that they are very different from the white

men. Even, they are stated as a half human. Because of this point of view, that is

why the white men have to serve and carry the native people.


In patience to abide,

To veil the threat of terror

And check the show of pride;

By open speech and simple,

An hundred times made plain

To seek another’s profit,

And work another’s gain.


In the second stanza, the writer finds some difficult words. There is a

difficult word which is ‘abide’. It means accepting or acting depends on (a rule,

decision, or recommendation). Next, the difficult word is ‘veil’, it means a piece of

very thin material that especially is used by women in order to protect or hide the

face, or as part of a hat. In the poem mentions ‘to veil’ which means to protect or

cover something.


33

In the second stanza, the speaker says to take the white man’s responsibility

patiently. They have to hide the threat of terror and control their pride. In their

service to the native people, they have to keep their attitude. It is because they have

to face the native people who really very different from them. The native people are

less and minor race for the white men, that is why they treat the native people with

different way. The white men have to speak with plain and simple way.

Once again, this statement is addressed to the white men who will bear the

responsibility in the Philippines. Those are what they have to do to the native

people. They have to be patient and speak simple to the native people. It is because

at the white man’s perspective, the native people is less civilized and less educated.

Furthermore, they have to work in order to help the native people to get their profit

and also their gain. In the other side, the white man do not get anything from the

profit even the gain, they only help the native people.


The savage wars of peace—

Fill full the mouth of Famine

And bid the sickness cease;

And when your goal is nearest

The end for others sought,

Watch sloth and heathen Folly

Bring all your hopes to nought.


In the third stanza, the writer finds difficult some difficult words. There are

‘savage’, ‘sloth’ and ‘heathen’. Based on Oxford Dictionary Online, ‘savage’ is an

expression to express something that is aggressive and violent. Next, ‘sloth’ means


34

laziness or reluctance to work or make an effort. The last is ‘heathen’ means a

person regarded as lacking culture or moral principles.

The third stanza, the speaker says again to take the white man’s

responsibility. This is some ways that have to be done by the white men who do the

duty in the new island. First, their goal is to bring peace even if it causes savage

wars. Second, for this goal they have to give food to end a scarcity of food and offer

to do work to end sickness.

When the goal close to the end of others sought, remember to be careful

with Sloth and heathen Folly who will bring all your hope to be nothing. The sloth

and heathen Folly in this stanza refers to the native people in the Philippines. They

really are described as the lazy and fool people, also as a danger to the white men’s

purpose.


No tawdry rule of kings,

But toil of serf and sweeper—

The tale of common things.

The ports ye shall not enter,

The roads ye shall not tread,

Go mark them with your living,

And mark them with your dead.


In the fourth stanza, the writer finds some difficult words. The first is

‘tawdry’ which means to express something that intended to be bright and attractive

but cheap and low quality. In the poem, the word ‘tawdry’ is used to express rule

of kings. Usually, the rule from a king is something important and have a high

quality. It means that the people have to obey the rule. However, in the poem the


35

white men who carry the duty or the responsibility in the new island are not kings

who can give tawdry rule to the native people. It is because what should they do is

a service to the native people. Next, the word ‘toil’ means to work very hard and/or

for a long time, usually doing hard physical work.

The further description of the forth stanza is the speaker repeatedly says to

take the white man’s responsibility. They are not as kings who just give tawdry rule

but as serf and sweeper who work very hard like in daily life story. They will make

the ports that they should not enter and the roads that they shall not tread. It is

because those ports and roads are built for the native people. In the other side, the

white men also build the ports and roads with their money or their living, which

refers to anything that the white men have. The only thing that they can get from

the work is they have to work hard like they mark the ports and roads as their

legacies. This stanza is made for the white men, they came to the new island or

country as a servant not as a landlord. That is why they have to work in order to

make ports and roads for the native people.


And reap his old reward:

The blame of those ye better,

The hate of those ye guard—

The cry of hosts ye humour

(Ah, slowly!) toward the light:--

“Why brought ye us from bondage,

Our loved Egyptian night?”


In the fifth stanza, the writer finds some difficult words. The first is ‘reap’

which has two meaning. The first meaning is to obtain something, especially


36

something good, as a direct result of something that you have done. The second

meaning is to cut and collect a crop, especially wheat from a field. In the poem, the

denotation meaning of ‘reap’ is similar to the first meaning. In the poem is

explained that the white men will get or obtain their old reward after they bear the

duty or the responsibility of the white man. In the contrary, the old reward that

refers in the poem is not a good thing even though they had worked to the native

people.

The second word is ‘hosts’ which means a large number of people or things.

This word refers to the native people. In the denotation meaning, the word ‘host’

refers to a person who invites guests to a meal or a party or who has people staying

at their house. However, in the poem this word has connotation meaning that refers

to the native people. The people who originally have home in the islands but they

did not invite the white men in their land. The third word is ‘bondage’ which means

the state of being a slave or prisoner.

In this stanza, the speaker repeats to bear the white man’s duty or

responsibility. After that, they can reap the white man’s old reward. The old reward

that the white men will get are the blame of the people that the white man tries to

evolve, the hate of the people that the white men try to guard, and the cry of the

people that the white men try to comfort.

In the line 38 of this stanza, the cry comes from the native people. It refers

that the native people do not want to go to the light. The light that from the point of

view from the white men is an upgrade civilization of the native people. However,


37

from the point of view the native people, the light is a new condition that they do

not want to go to there.

In the line 39 and 40 of this stanza, the cry is related to the Israelites who

Moses leads out of bondage in Egypt that can be found in the book of Exodus in the

Old Testament. This is a parable or a short line that can be found in the Bible. This

parable can relates to the cry of the native people that describes in the poem.


Ye dare not stoop to less—

Nor call too loud on Freedom

To cloak your weariness;

By all ye cry or whisper,

By all ye leave or do,

The silent, sullen peoples

Shall weigh your gods and you.


In the six stanza, the writer finds some difficult words. The first is ‘cloak’

which means a thing that hides or covers somebody or something. The second is

‘weariness’ which means the feeling of being very tired. In the poem, those words

refers to a phrase, ‘to cloak your weariness’. This phrase means that the white men

should cover their exhaustion when they bear the duty or the responsibility.

In this stanza, again the speaker says to take up the white man’s

responsibility. They not dare to stoop less nor call too loud on Freedom. It means

that they cannot be free from the duty of the white man. Even, they have to cover

their exhaustion or fatigue during their service to the native people. It is because the

native people who are described as the silent and sullen peoples will consider their

gods and themselves for everything that they do.


38

This stanza states about the first warning to the white men in the new island.

They cannot show their tiredness, it is because the native people will consider the

white men’s work or service. That is why the white men have to cover their

tiredness with their whisper and also their arrival in the new island.


Have done with childish days—

The lightly proffered laurel,

The easy, ungrudged praise.

Comes now, to search your manhood

Through all the thankless years

Cold, edged with dear-bought wisdom,

The judgment of your peers!


In the seventh or the last stanza, there are some difficult words that can be

found in the poem. The word is ‘childish’ means a condition when someone

connected with or typical of a child. In the poem the white men who carry the duty

should finish with their childish days. The days that they spend by playing games

with the protection of their parents in their home. In the contrary, the next difficult

word is ‘manhood’ that refers to the state or time of being an adult man rather than

a boy. This word describes the time that the white men should face when they bear

the duty or the responsibility.

Furthermore, in this stanza the speaker said to take the white man’s

responsibility by ending the childish days, and voluntary go to search their manhood

through all the thankless years and the judgment of their fellows. This stanza

consists of the second warning for the white men. They have to leave their own


39

home and their childhood in order to bear the responsibility in the new island. In

addition, they also get the judgment from their fellow instead of compliments.

From the writer’s analysis in every stanza above, the shorter analysis can be

sum up in several paragraphs. Its purpose is to find out the main content of the

poem. Furthermore, from this shorter analysis, the writer can explain how

imperialism is described in the poem. Based on the poem, the speaker is someone

like a high rank commandant who gives an encouraging ditty to his solders in order

to remember their doctrine or policy of imperialism when it comes to colonize a

new continent or a new island, especially the Philippine Islands. As the people of

white man, they are superior race who have to pick up their responsibility. They

will send the best man of them to carry on this responsibility. Those who are chosen

will go to Philippine islands.

They go to be sent away to do a glory job which is doing a service for the

native people’s need who they meet in Philippine Islands. They have to do that with

high pride even though they are in the new and strange place, they will be honored

to do that. They have to do that because the native people is uncivilized people who

have lower rank than them. Pick up the white man’s responsibility with compliance.

This responsibility is something that they supposed to do. They have to accept this

responsibility with patience. Doing this responsibility without violence but softly.

To sum up, the writer comes to the main content of the poem which is imperialism

is used as the ideology for encouraging the white men to take up their responsibility

during the acquisition and civilization in the new island.


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B. Symbol and Imagery as the intrinsic elements of “The White Man’s

Burden” to deliver Imperialism

A word or a phrase can be stated as a symbol if it represents something more

than itself. Symbol can be found through repetition and also the author may make

a detail by describing a symbol using deep-meaning words. It is because the

repetition gives image that the words or phrases are important and also may have

more than one meaning. One of the ways is by mentioning a symbol in the tittle.

The symbol analysis comes from the poem, Kipling’s “The White Man’s Burden”.

Based on how symbol can be found, the writer finds some symbols which are White

Man, burden, and Half-devil and Half-child. The first and the second symbols,

White Man and burden, can be found in the title of the poem and most of them are

repeated in the first line of each stanzas. The example is in Stanza 1 on the first line.

Take up the White Man's burden--

Send forth the best ye breed--



To serve your captives' need;

The words White Man and burden become the symbols because they are

repeated on certain other details. It is to show the main object of the poem that is

white man’s burden. Next, the symbols may also have a clear detail by describing

them more fully than their denotation meaning.

In the first stanza, the word white refers to a certain race. The white race

means the best and superior group and it is quite different with other race which is

described as captive. The description of the white man in the first stanza stated as


41

the best breed, it wants to say that they are better race than others and also the

burden is always given to the new generation. The white man have to bear the

burden or responsibility to civilize a group of captive.

The symbol of White Man can be classified as conventional or public

symbol. It is because at the time of colonization, this symbol is a sign that can be

understand by many people. It represent the man who have white skin tone and also

the man who comes from Western or American people. However, it is not only

refers to the tone skin, but also more than that. It is also refers to their superior race.

Next, the writer states burden as a symbol, it is because this word can be

found in the title and in the first line of every stanza. It is mentioned repeatedly. It

means that this word is important and can be explained further in the whole poem.

This symbol is explained as an activity to “take up” or “help out” with the burden.

The word burden suggests more than just a something that is heavy. However,

burden symbolize a duty or a responsibility. This symbol can be classified as private

or personal symbol. It is because this word came from the author who stated that

the civilization of the native people is a service that had to done by the white men.

The third symbol, half-devil and half-child represents the native people or

colonized. Half-devil describes the native people or colonized as brutal people, and

half-child because for the white man, those people are uneducated people and they

do not know about modern civilization. The third symbol is only mentioned in the

first stanza, however this word represents the native people and this word is

explained further in the next stanza. It is clear that the native people is describe as


42

the sullen people. This symbol can be categorized as private or personal symbol. It

came from the author himself in order to describe the native people in the poem.

Those symbols help the writer to emphasize the description about

imperialism in the poem. It is because the symbol of white man refers to the U.S

people, the people who acquire a new country or island and colonize the native

people. The symbol burden represents the duty or the responsibility of the U.S

people, the people who embrace imperialism. Next, the symbol Half-devil and Half-

child refers to the native people. There are some description or explanation about

the native people that can be found in the poem, but this symbol is enough to explain

that the native people is less civilize than the U.S people.

After the writer finds three symbols that has a function to deliver

imperialism as the content of the poem, the next step is to find imagery in the poem.

There are some imageries that can be found in the poem. The speaker uses some

images to describe anything that has to be done in order to bear the duty or the

responsibility, which is the white man’s burden. First of all, the writer analyzed the

imagery which can be found in each stanza one by one.





There is Kinesthetic Imagery which can be seen in the line stated above. In

the first stanza, the speaker explains some activities that would the white men do in

the new island. The white men who will bear the duty will do several things such


43

as sending the best men of them, serving the native’s need, and waiting the native.

Those are the description of movement that has to be done by them.



There is a Visual Imagery can be found in the same stanza. It is about how

the white man see the native people. The way they see the native people is described

as the humiliation to the native people. They are look like sullen people and their

appearance is described as ‘Half-devil and half-child’ which does not refer to a

normal human being.


In the third stanza at the third line, the writer finds an Organic Imagery. The

purpose of this imagery is to describe the condition of the native people in the new

island. Based on Oxford Dictionary Online, Famine is a condition which a lack of

food during a long period of time in a region. In sum up, the speaker in the poem

wants to tell to the reader that the native people is lack of food.


There is a Visual Imagery that can be found in the same stanza. It is from

seventh line. In this imagery the reader can imagine to watch or to keep watch to

the sloth and heathen Folly. The sloth and heathen Folly are the description of the

native people.


44

Only some of the stanzas have the imageries and they can be classified as

the types of imagery based on the theory of imagery from Abrams and Harpham.

They are Kinesthetic Imagery, Visual Imagery, and Organic Imagery. Those

imagery has their own function to represent something vividly in order to invite the

reader’s imagination so that they can feel and imagine the content of the poem.


45

CHAPTER V

CONCLUSION

This chapter contains the conclusion from the analysis which has been

described in the fourth chapter. This chapter also includes a suggestion to other

researchers in order to enrich or develop the analysis of the object of the study.

This study is conducted to answer two problem formulations. For the first

problem, this study tries to seek how imperialism is delivered in Rudyard Kipling’s

“The White Man’s Burden”. Imperialism as the content of the poem can be seen in

every stanzas of the poem. Each stanza has their own way in order to describe

imperialism. In the first stanza, the description is about what the white men should

do to the native people in the new island in order to bear the duty or the

responsibility. The second stanza, it is about the white men have to work for the

native people’s profit and gain. The third stanza is about a warning to the white men

during their service in the new island. The fourth is about the way of how the white

men see the duty or the responsibility, they are not like a king who only rule the

native people. However, they are the servants who serve the native people.

The fifth stanza is about the way the native people react to the service of the

white men. The white men will hear the blame, the hate, and also the cry from the

native people. The sixth stanza is about the warning to the white men who bear the

duty or the responsibility. They have to hide their pain during their service. It is

because they think that the native people need their service. The seventh or the last

stanza is also about the warning to the white men who bear the duty or the

responsibility. They have to leave behind their childhood to become a manhood. It


46

has to be done in order to bear the duty or the responsibility. In addition, in the

poem imperialism considered as a value or ideology that is used by the white men.

It is for the acquisition of Philippine and also the colonization of the native people.

The second problem formulation of this study is to analyze how symbol and

imagery, as intrinsic elements, are functioned as the tools to deliver imperialism in

Rudyard Kipling’s “The White Man’s Burden”. In order to emphasis imperialism

in the content of the poem, there are several symbols and imageries found in the

poem. The first symbol is ‘white man’ who refers to the Americans that acquired

the Philippines and colonized the native people there. The second symbol is

‘burden’. In the poem, ‘burden’ is symbolized as the duty or the responsibility for

the Americans. The third symbol is ‘Half-devil and Half-child’. The phrase ‘Half-

devil and Half-child’ is used to describe the Native People in the Philippines.

Meanwhile there are three imageries that can be found in the poem. They are

Kinesthetic Imagery, Visual Imagery, and Organic Imagery.

This study is created in order to enrich the research toward the object of the

study which is a poem entitled “The White Man’s Burden”. Furthermore, it can give

more contribution for the next research which will analyze this poem. This poem

has many intrinsic elements that can be analyzed further with other approaches from

this study. This poem can also be analyzed with biographical or historical

perspectives. It is because of its relationship to its author background and the history

of Spanish-American War. In addition, this poem can also be compared with other

poems. It is because this poem has been frequently criticized and satirized in other

literary works.


47

REFERENCES

Abrams, M.H. & Harpham, G.G. (2012). A Glossary of Literary Terms (10th ed.).

Boston: Wadsworth.

Atiyah, Edward. (1954). What is Imperialism. London: Batchworth Press Ltd,.

Bressler, C. E. (1999). Literature Criticism: An Introduction to Theory and Practice

(2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall College Div.

Carrington, Charles. (1970). Rudyard Kipling: His Life and Work. Harmondswort:

Pelican Books

Hamer, Mary. (18 October 2009). “The White Man’s Burden” (1899) Notes by

Mary Hamer. Retrieved from www.kiplingsociety.co.uk/rg_burden1.htm.

(on 28 May 2021).

Kennedy, X.J. and Gioia Dana. (2002). An Introduction to Poetry (10th ed). New

York: Longman

Kenton J. Clymer. (1976). Humanitarian Imperialism: David Prescott Barrows

and the White Man's Burden in the Philippines. Pacific Historical Review.

Vol. 45, No. 4. pp. 495-517, University of California Press

Kipling, Rudyard. (2001). The Five Nations (reprinted from 1903 edition).

Amsterdam: Fredonia Books.

Krayer, Patrick. (2013, February 22). http://www.interserveusa.org/the-problem-

of-ethnocentrism/. (on 28 May 2021).

Lestari, Indah. (2019). An Analysis of Imageries on The Rudyard Kipling's Poem

(Undergraduate Thesis). Retrieved from http://repo.stkip-pgri-

sumbar.ac.id/id/eprint/6947/.

Loomba, Ania. (2005). Colonialism/Postcolonialism (2nd ed.). London: Routledge.

Madden, Frank. (2002). Exploring Poetry: Writing and Thinking about Poetry.

Boston: Addison Wesley Longman

Nadel, H. George and Curtis Perry. (1970). Imperialism and Colonialism. London:

The Macmillan Company

Said, Edward W. (1994). Culture and Imperialism. New York: A Division of

Random House, Inc.

Stanton, Robert. (1965). An Introduction to Fiction. New York: Holt, Rinehart and

Winston, Inc.


48

Thornton, A.P. (1965). Doctrines of Imperialism. New York: John Wiley & Sons,

Inc.,.

Tyson, Lois. (2011). Using Critical Theory: How to Read and Write About

Literature (2nd ed.). Abingdon: Routledge.

Vendler, Helen. (2010). Poems, Poets, Poetry: An Introduction and Anthology.

Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's

Online Sources

<https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/>

<https://www.interserveusa.org> (1 May 2021)

<https://www.notablebiographies.com/Ki-Lo/Kipling-Rudyard.html>

(10 May 2021)


49

APPENDICES

Appendix 1:

The White Man’s Burden

by Rudyard Kipling






On fluttered folk and wild—




In patience to abide,

To veil the threat of terror

And check the show of pride;

By open speech and simple,

An hundred times made plain

To seek another’s profit,

And work another’s gain.


The savage wars of peace—



50

And bid the sickness cease;

And when your goal is nearest

The end for others sought,


Bring all your hopes to nought.


No tawdry rule of kings,

But toil of serf and sweeper—

The tale of common things.

The ports ye shall not enter,

The roads ye shall not tread,

Go mark them with your living,

And mark them with your dead.


And reap his old reward:

The blame of those ye better,

The hate of those ye guard—

The cry of hosts ye humour

(Ah, slowly!) toward the light:--

“Why brought ye us from bondage,

Our loved Egyptian night?”


Ye dare not stoop to less—

Nor call too loud on Freedom


51

To cloak your weariness;

By all ye cry or whisper,

By all ye leave or do,

The silent, sullen peoples

Shall weigh your gods and you.


Have done with childish days—

The lightly proffered laurel,

The easy, ungrudged praise.

Comes now, to search your manhood

Through all the thankless years

Cold, edged with dear-bought wisdom,

The judgment of your peers!

Appendix 2:

Biography of Rudyard Kipling

Joseph Rudyard Kipling, mostly known as Rudyard Kipling, was a famous

English poet and story writer. He was born in Bombay, India on December 30,

1865. His father was professor of architectural sculpture at the Bombay School of

Art. In 1878, Kipling was admitted to a boarding school in Devon, it was the United

Services College at Westward Ho. In 1882, he returned with his parents in India

and worked as a journalist. He married with Caroline Balestier in 1892 and had two

children. They were his daughter Josephine Kipling, who died in 1899, and his son

John Kipling, who died in 1915.


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During his life, he often moved in different countries such as China, Japan,

and the United States. As the result, he wrote so many poems and short stories

which mostly were inspired from his life experiences. There are several famous

works from Rudyard Kipling such as ‘Mandalay’ (1890), ‘The Jungle Book’

(1894), ‘The Seven Seas’ (1896), and ‘Recessional’ (1897). He received two

awards which are the Nobel Prize in literature in 1907 and also he received the Gold

Medal of the Royal Society of Literature in 1926. Kipling died on January 18, 1936,

and is buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England. Kipling’s autobiography

entitled ‘Something of Myself’ was published in 1937.

(https://www.notablebiographies.com/Ki-Lo/Kipling-Rudyard.html)


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