Rudyard Kipling: Difference between revisions

Later in life Kipling came to be recognized (by George Orwell, at least) as a "prophet of [[British Empire|British imperialism]]."<ref name=orwellonrk>{{cite web

Various writers, most notably Edmund Candler, were very strongly influenced by the works of Kipling.  However, following his death, Kipling's work continued to fall into critical eclipse. Fashions in poetry moved away from his exact metres and rhymes. Also, as the European colonial empires collapsed in the mid-20th century, Kipling's works fell far out of step with the times. Many who condemn him feel that Kipling's writing was inseparable from his social and political views; they point to his portrayals of Indian characters, which often supported the colonialist view that the Indians and other colonised peoples were incapable of surviving without the help of Europeans, claiming that these portrayals are racist. However, one can also find a remarkably cosmopolitan spirit in much of his writing as well and a surprising respect for non-Europeans occasionally surfaces.  An example supporting this argument can be seen by denying any irony in the mention of "lesser breeds without the Law" in "[[Recessional (poem)|Recessional]]". The phrase was a contemporary reference to a speech made by Kaiser [[Wilhelm II of Germany]], at the time of the [[Boxer rebellion]] in China, Wilhelm had said that there was a "higher" law - and Kipling was ridiculing this. The reference to colonised people in general, as "half-devil and half-child" in the poem "[[The White Man's Burden]]" is also cited. However, George Orwell in his essay on Rudyard Kipling states that the lesser breeds referred to in "Recessional" are ‘almost certainly’ the Germans, and Orwell goes on to claim that the poem is a denunciation of power politics, both British and German.<ref>‘Rudyard Kipling’ by George Orwell, pub. Horizon February 1942</ref> Another short story, The Servants of the Queen, is told from the perspective of military camp animals. There is a war horse, camel, bullocks, mules and an elephant. They all wonder just what humans' wars are for, with an arguably anti-war message. In the end, a great parade is held to impress the visiting Afghan sheik, who asks how it was all done. The officer says all they had to do was give an order, and it was obeyed, telling him of the ranks they have. "Would it were so in Afghanistan," replies the sheik, "for there we follow only our own minds." While not true, it can be taken as subtly mocking the British, who fought three wars to defeat Afghanistan, failing even with greater numbers and weapons, like the USSR over a century later.

Despite changes in racial attitudes and literary standards for poetry, Kipling's poetry continues to be popular with those who see it as "vigorous and adept" rather than "jingling". Even [[T. S. Eliot]], a very different poet, edited ''[[A Choice of Kipling's Verse]]'' (1943), although in doing so he commented that "[Kipling] could write poetry on occasions—even if only by accident!" Kipling's stories for adults also remain in print and have garnered high praise from writers as different as [[Poul Anderson]], Jorge Luis Borges, and George Orwell. Nonetheless, Kipling is most highly regarded for his children's books. His ''Jungle Books'' have been made into several movies; the [[Jungle Book (1942 film)|first]] was made by producer [[Alexander Korda]], and others by the [[Walt Disney Company]].  A number of his poems were set to music by [[Percy Grainger]]. A series of short films based on some of his stories was broadcast by the BBC in 1964<ref>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0298668/</ref>.