The White Man’s Burden (1899)

By Rudyard Kipling

The main point of the poem is that the Caucasians are the superior race in the

world. They are entitled to reign over the non-Caucasians. The burden being referred

to is having to do the dirty work rule over other countries to encourage progress. It

implies that Filipinos should be under the American occupation because they are

incapable of handing a country on their own.

As a Filipino, I strongly disagree with the main point of the author. The poem

presented Filipinos as “half-devils, half-child” which is racial discrimination. The

oppressors are the devils because they keep on occupying the land of other countries

they have no business with. The poem advocates invasions and interference of other

governments, and making the oppressed do the work for the invaders to boost their

economy. The author thinks of the Philippines as a land of savages in need of the

Americans’ guidance to govern the islands but contrary to his belief, the Filipinos

already had experience handling the country because of the Spanish occupation.

Rudyard Kipling perceives non-White people as barbaric people. He thinks his

race must remain on top and establish dominance over all of the other non-White

people. The Philippines were not in need of their assistance or dominance because

they were already under the Spanish occupation for 333 years. Global occupation is

not the white man’s burden, it is just their delusions of grandeur. They are not the

supreme race; each race is equal.

 Benevolent Assimilation (1898)

By William McKinley

Benevolent Assimilation is a proclamation that the Philippines was officially

under the American sovereign after the Treaty of Paris. It claims that the American

government would rule over the islands as the Spanish occupation had been ended.

It also claims to win over the trust, respect, and affection of the Filipinos.

As a Filipino, I find this proclamation formal and respectful compared to the

White Man’s Burden. It assures the Filipinos that the government will lead the country

to the betterment of everybody. This is what every occupation should aim for. People

should not be oppressed, rather helped. In this proclamation, the Filipinos are not

referred to as savages, but as real human beings. It is written with empathy and

humanity. No racial discrimination is shown here. It does not claim that the Caucasians

are destined to rule over the non-White people.

Benevolent Assimilation formally states that the Philippines was under the

American rule. Even though they were taking over, they still regarded Filipinos as

human beings, not just captives. In this proclamation, the Americans were not

oppressors but presented themselves as a friend to the Philippines.