Rudyard Kipling Research Paper

Although born India Rudyard Kipling lived in England for a large portion of his life in the late 1800s, where he wrote works that both inspired people and illustrated the hard work of success seen throughout his years. Kipling’s works range from simplistic children stories to in depth poetry, as well as thoughtful short stories, which are still famous today. Kipling’s unique, simplistic language is seen in his poems “If-” and “The White Man’s Burden,” which revolve around hope and a push for help. This style also seen in his short stories “Watches of the Night” and “Beyond the Pale,” as they expose man’s internal struggle as well as his issues in the outside world. While it is thought that Rudyard Kipling’s imperialistic views influenced the majority of his works, his main focus and purpose in his writing revolve around ordinary people’s struggle against oppression that was uncommon

Kipling pushes soldiers and insists, “Come now, to search your manhood/ Through all the thankless years” (“The White Man’s Burden”). Kipling suggests these men come fight and find their manhood in this poetry, Kipling also “explores the new mental horrors provided by war: ‘unburial things’ which ‘immobilize’ the victims ‘from the soul outwards,’” seen in his explicit short stories (Kemp 72). Consequently, as Kipling writes to encourage men he also acknowledges the hardships and burdens these soldiers endure, especially as the un-wealthy men return to a life of little. In addition, Kipling addresses the emotions of “ordinary British soldiers” through this writing as he “display[s] a rare ability to write in the vernacular” of these soldiers. Thus, Kipling writes directly to these soldiers to give them a voice and enable them to intertwine with the rest of the literature written during this