Rudyard Kipling's poems, "Recessional" and "The White Man's Burden", both advocate imperialism, but make two different statements about imperialism.
             In "Recessional", the tone of the poem is that of joy and then depression. First the people of Great Britain are celebrating the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and then they end up asking God for forgiveness. This all leads to God's will. Kipling makes it appear that imperialism is good only if it is under God's will. The empire of Great Britain only has power because of God and will keep it if they remember God. If they forget God and what He has done for them, then they will lose their power. The poem says that Great Britain has "dominion" over the colonies because of God; He has given them this power and control. At the end of the poem, Kipling reveals that Great Britain forgets that God gave them power, and then they ask for God's help. They ask for God's forgiveness, and ask god to have "mercy on Thy People". In this view of imperialism, Kipling is suggesting that the people of Great Britain need to remember how they got to be so successful. It is significant for Great Britain to remember who gave them the power to be so powerful, or else they will be asking for forgiveness.
             In "The White Man's Burden", the tone is one of exhaustion. Kipling seems to feel as if the U.S. is tired of this burden. To them imperialism is like a job. It is something that Kipling feels they have to do for God. They are spreading Christianity in the Philippines, by sending the "best [they] breed", the best people to convert these people. Kipling feels that these "new-caught, sullen people" need to be changed. The Filipino's are unsociable, moody, glum, people. Kipling feels that the spreading of Christianity is what the Christian world owes to the non-Christian world. Imperialism accor...