White Mans Burden
Some westerners felt that it was their responsibility to help
Take up the White Mans Burden
civilize the savage inhabitants of colonial lands in order to Send forth the best ye breed
make them more modern and European. The English writer Go bind your sons in exile
Rudyard Kipling, for example, displayed such an attitude in his To serve your captives need;
1899 poem entitled The White Mans Burden, the first stanza To wait in heavy harness
of which is printed to the right. On fluttered folk and wild
Your new-caught, sullen peoples
Half-devil and half-child.
1. Which line in the poem describes non-white people?
2. Why do you think the author uses these words?
Before the advent of radio and television, companies relied heavily on
posters like this to advertise their products. In this ad, the Pears Soap
company equates the use of its product with fulfilling The White Mans
Burden.
The advertisement claims that
Pears soap is a potent factor in brightening the dark corners of the
earth as civilization advances
What do you think the phrase dark corners of the earth refers to?
Why?
Imperialism in advertisingPears Soap
Social Darwinism
Some scholars applied Darwins theories of evolutionsuch as the
notion of survival of the fittestto human societies. According to the
pseudo-science of Social Darwinism, Europes economic and political
strength was proof of the superiority of the European race. This idea
served as a justification for imperialism, as (white) Europeans claimed it
was their mission to bring civilization to the savage people in their
colonies, often in the form of new products and technology. Imperial
images also played an important role in building national pride at home.
1. What is the advertisements message?
2. How does this advertisement for Pears Soap display Social
Darwinist ideas?
3. Would you be surprised to see this advertisement (or a similar one) in a store today? Why? Why not?
4. Can you think of any commercials that are racially insensitive, or play on racial stereotypes?
Missionary Work
Many westerners, including doctors and some colonial
officials, felt a genuine concern for improving the lives of
the people living in colonial territories. European
missionaries, for example, traveled to Africa in the hopes
of spreading Christian beliefs and values. To the right is a
picture of a missionary school in German-controlled East
Africa, just before World War I.
1. What kinds of things do you think are taught in this
school? Why?
2. What two figures portraits are hanging on the back
wall? Why?
White Mans Burden
Some westerners felt that it was their responsibility to help
Take up the White Mans Burden
civilize the savage inhabitants of colonial lands in order to Send forth the best ye breed
make them more modern and European. The English writer Go bind your sons in exile
Rudyard Kipling, for example, displayed such an attitude in his To serve your captives need;
1899 poem entitled The White Mans Burden, the first stanza To wait in heavy harness
of which is printed to the right. On fluttered folk and wild
Your new-caught, sullen peoples
Half-devil and half-child.
1. Which line in the poem describes non-white people?
Several lines speak about people of color in a derogatory way: wild, sullen, half-devil and half-child
2. Why do you think the author uses these words?
Kipling (also known for writing the Jungle Book) depicts Africans and Asians as uncivilized by describing them as sad
and immature, as untamed and needing to be controlled. The burden of the white man is therefore to tame and
civilize the savage peoples of the world.
Before the advent of radio and television, companies relied heavily on
posters like this to advertise their products. In this ad, the Pears Soap
company equates the use of its product with fulfilling The White Mans
Burden.
The advertisement claims that
Pears soap is a potent factor in brightening the dark corners of the
earth as civilization advances
3. What do you think the phrase dark corners of the earth refers
to? Why?
The dark corners of the earth likely refers to the non-European, non-
white places, particularly Africa and Asia. The advertisement implies
that those dark corners are unclean and uncivilized and that their
soap is one way of bringing cleanliness and civilization to foreign lands.
Imperialism in advertisingPears Soap
Social Darwinism
Some scholars applied Darwins theories of evolutionsuch as the
notion of survival of the fittestto human societies. According to the
pseudo-science of Social Darwinism, Europes economic and political
strength was proof of the superiority of the European race. This idea
served as a justification for imperialism, as (white) Europeans claimed it
was their mission to bring civilization to the savage people in their
colonies, often in the form of new products and technology. Imperial
images also played an important role in building national pride at home.
1. What is the advertisements message?
The advertisement seems to be saying that Africans should become
white. Whiteness is associated with cleanliness and
improvement.
2. How does this advertisement for Pears Soap display Social
Darwinist ideas?
Social Darwinism takes Darwins ideas of natural selection and
evolution and inappropriately puts them in a social context. It
suggests that Europeans are more evolved and superior to other
races. (As we have studied beforehand, there is not any genetic
substance to racial thinking. It is purely a social category.) The
advertisement suggests that Africans need to be made more European.
3. Would you be surprised to see this advertisement (or a similar one) in a store today? Why? Why not?
4. Can you think of any commercials that are racially insensitive, or play on racial stereotypes?
Missionary Work
Many westerners, including doctors and some colonial
officials, felt a genuine concern for improving the lives of
the people living in colonial territories. European
missionaries, for example, traveled to Africa in the hopes
of spreading Christian beliefs and values. To the right is a
picture of a missionary school in German-controlled East
Africa, just before World War I.
1. What kinds of things do you think are taught in this
school? Why?
The students are being taught German. It is wiping
away their language and culture and imposing a
German one on top
2. What two figures portraits are hanging on the back
wall? Why?
The portraits are of the German leader and his wife in
order to show whose authority they should respect.
