Rudyard Kipling

(1865-1936)

By: Tariq Makki and Jodi Stocker

Biographical Sketch

Born in Bombay, India

Author of Essays, Short Stories, Novels, Poetry; notably The White Mans
Burden, and Children Books; especially The Jungle Books.

First writer to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907.

People compared him to Dickens.

Spoke many dialects, reproduced slang, used a broad range of Narrative

Voices.

Henry James called him the infant monster due to reaching celebrity
status by his early twenties.

Kiplings
Significance to the Literary World

Wrote the well-known childrens tales that are still

commonly read today The Jungle Books

Fused several of his influences of rhythm, meter, and

dialect (i.e. Mark Twain, Swinburne, & Scott) with his
subject matter which was new to writing.

Abandoned the idea of reflective or popular poetry.

Used writing to express social and political ideas by using

practical narrators.

Extraordinary ability to exercise rhyme and meter.

Kiplings Works
A reading of Kiplings work on its own reveals a complicated art in
which human qualities such as love, fidelity, and devotion to duty can
bridge national and racial boundaries. (Norton Anthology pg. 1727)

Childrens CollectionThe Jungle Books

Brief overview given in class.

Most Famous Poem-

The White Mans Burden

***We will read and discuss this during our presentation.

Kiplings Inspirations for writing

The Jungle Books

Time Spent In India.

The Lion Hunter.

Poor Treatment As a
Child.

Self Identification.

Imperialism combined
with Social Darwinism
(opposition to
Capitalism.)

His Intentions for Young

Readers.

Kiplings Purpose for Writing

Mans Burden

The White
1898 when America

Written after the Spanish-American War of

acquired Cuba and the Philippines.

Kipling wrote this as a warning for America about their moral

responsibility to refine/civilize non-whites.

Tell America that they had an obligation to enforce and maintain the
European ideology of Empire (Imperialism.)

Shared Cohesions
The Jungle Books and The
White Mans Burden

Leadership is required to form a strong

society.

The role of the empire towards the

supremacy of the White Man and then the
role of everyone else. Will expand more on
Kiplings political view (Norton Anthology, pg.1727.)

Maintaining an image so other Kingdoms

(The Jungle Books) or countries (The White
Mans Burden) essentially save face in
doing what is morally right and just for
prosperity.

Works Cited
Damrosch D. and Dettmar K. The Longman anthology of British Literature.
Fourth Edition. Volume 2B; The Victorian Age. Print 2010.
The Holy Bible, King James Version. New York: American Bible Society. Print 1999.

Osborne, Kristen. McKeever, Christine ed. "Rudyard Kipling:

Poems The White Mans Burden.
Summary and Analysis" GradeSaver.com. 28 April 2013 Web. 1 April 2016.
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/rudyard-kipling. Web. 1 April 2016.