--- "Marvin Long, Jr." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > To my (admittedly slight) knowledge Kipling was a > critic of abusive > colonial practices (and of what struck him as a > naive American enthusiasm > for colonialism in the Phillipines) but a supporter > of the idea of a > Christian colonial empire. I see in the poem a deep > disillusionment with > the colonial project combined with a belief it is > nevertheless the right > thing to do, if done "right." > > Marvin Long
He definitely felt it was the right thing to do. Kipling was the poet of Empire. Kipling's Recessional, though (probably my favorite Kipling poem) was a warning against Imperial hubris - it's probably the one poem every American should be required to read. Even my father, though, who (understandably, given his background) is about as staunch an anti-imperialist as you can get, will acknowledge that Britain did a lot of good in India. Contrast that with Belgium, for example, which did absolutely no good whatsoever in the Congo. What Kipling wrote was more than noble and empty sentiments (and, Marvin, the fact that you only see one meaning of the word noble makes me feel kind of sorry for you - would it make things clearer if I said that the astronauts in Columbia were involved in "a noble quest" or that the firefighters who went into the WTC made "a noble sacrifice?") - the sentiments had a real and humane effect on large portions of the world. One that it's very easy to regret from our enlightened self-righteousness of the 21st century. Gautam __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
