Each Student needs to make at least 3 blog posts.
Documents
- Rudyard Kipling, The White Man's Burden, 1899
- Jules Ferry (1832-1893)
- Nietzche, The Gay Science, 1882
- Emile Zola, J'accuse!, 1898
Sydonne
Libby
George
Kelly
Kaylee
Sara Catherine
Reagan
Ralph
Caleb
The phrase, “The White Man’s Burden,” is a euphemism for imperialism. Although Kipling’s poem is specifically a response to American imperialism after the Spanish-American War, it is also reflects European imperialism. Imperialism particularly was characterized in European states imposing control over African lands in the late 19th century and early 20th century. One imperialistic venture that “The White Man’s Burden reflects is Leopold II’s imperialistic ventures in the Congo. At the Berlin Conference, Leopold falsely claimed to take control of the Congo in order to provide for the welfare of its “backwards people.” Likewise, Kipling writes of the superior English entering the lands of “half-devil, half-child” people to civilize the natives. However, the natives truly suffered unspeakable horrors at the Europeans’ thirst for resources.
ReplyDeleteJules Ferry’s “On Colonial Expansion” also reflects European New Imperialism. The Second Industrial Revolution heightened the desire for new sources of raw materials and new markets for manufactured goods. Ferry’s motives for supporting imperialism reflect the old mantra of “God, gold, and glory.” Ferry’s views reflect social Darwinism or the view that the stronger nations should rule over the weaker nations and show them how to live in a civilized way or in a religiously moral way. He also espouses the economic benefits. Ferry’s economic espousal of New Imperialism also reflects the competition between the British and the French in the “scramble for Africa.” Ferry didn’t want France to be economically behind other nations.
ReplyDeleteNietzsche’s “The Gay Science” reflects the intellectual skepticism of religion that increasingly circulated during the late 1800s when the concept of “mass culture” increased. The claim about God being dead reflects the societal turn away from the concept of transcendence. When Nietzche mentions people should “wage war for the sake of ideas,” he rejects the Christian view of humility over strength. He seems to imply that religion is incapable of providing ethical guidance. These views mainly interested influential, educated people.
ReplyDeleteIn The White Man's Burden, Kipling uses this poem as a warning about imperialism. He says, " watch sloth and heathen folly" and " check the show of pride". It is unclear whether or not Kipling fully supports imperialism but he is urging his country to learn from their previous mistakes and to be careful.
ReplyDeleteThe sloth and folly mean those being colonized.
DeleteThe Gay Science:
ReplyDeleteThis document shows how people are moving away from God and how the Church is becoming less important.
J'accuse!:
ReplyDeleteThe hatred for Jewish people can be seen in this document. Antisemitism was used to blame Jewish people for events that ended up disastrous.
A little vague here.
DeleteI believe that Nietzsche's philosophy has two main themes:Life is terrible and tragic and the superior person realizes this and has the strength to say "yes" to life. In his "the gay science,"The concept of God is hostile to life.For Nietzsche, some great men have been believers. But now, when the existence of God is no longer taken for granted by most people, freedom, strength and independence demand atheism. Nietzsche’s own rejection of God proved his inner strength to himself. He was able to live without God.https://www.carroll.edu/msmillie/philocontempo/Nietzschephilo.html
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link Reagan.
DeleteJules Ferry is going off the theory of Herbert Spencer by saying "I repeat, the superior races have a right because they have a duty. They have a duty to civilize the inferior races..." This seems to be a common theme during the New Imperialism. It is a way for the industrialized European nations to justify taking another people's land.
ReplyDeleteIn the document "The Gay Science," Nietzsche depicts a man running through the streets yelling and asking "Where is God?" The man wonders who started this new thinking that completely wiped God from existence. Then Nietzsche responds to the man's outrage by encouraging the new wartime age. Nietzsche always pulled away from Christianity because it glorified being meek and humble, instead of strong and powerful. He believed that war and courage accomplished more than loving your neighbors. He goes on to say that in order for a country to be efficient and productive, it has to live in danger and prepare militarily.
ReplyDeleteThe White Man's Burden:
ReplyDelete"The White Man's Burden" describes how imperialists would feel burdened to help those who were inferior to them in order to fulfill their Christian duties.
"The gay science," relates to the La Bella Epoch time period because many of the religious ideas were being challenged due to people like Charles Darwin and Herbert Spencer and their idea of evolution. Nietzsche proved that he could live without God, just like the evolutionist believed that the earth could have been created without a God.
ReplyDeleteIn edition to this, the "death of God" is significant because it allows people to focus on their own wants and needs. They can use their own imaginations and be more creative without worrying about pleasing God or worrying about being punishe by God in some way
DeleteJules Ferry:
ReplyDeleteFerry shows how colonization was important by helping inferior races and by helping the economy. By not participating in colonization, a country's power and wealth will diminish.
In reply to Kelly's post, Zola is also accusing the French government of being racist and using Dreyfus as a scapegoat for the loss to the Prussians in the Franco-Prussian War. He seems to despise the president and calling this incident a "indelible blot on his term" and that he is "poisoning the minds of the humble"
ReplyDeleteJust like Sydonne said, Kipling's poem "White Man's Burden" portrays the feeling of colonization being more of a burden than a benefit. Otto Von Bismarck was against African colonization because he believed that Germany would not gain enough from the colonies for it to be worth the money spent to occupy it. Kipling contrasts the positives and negatives of colonization, saying that countries are putting way more into their colonies than into their own country. People are suffering in their home, but they are concerned with the natives of the colonies.
ReplyDeleteNice insight.
DeleteIn response to Sydonne's comment about Rudyard Kipling's poem The White Man's Burden, He talks about imperialism, but his goal was to examine different perspectives on imperialism at the turn of the century. There were two main perspectives; Social Darwinism, felt they had a need to take over the weak peoples and Humanitarian, who wanted to watch out for them, not exploit them. His theme links racial ideology and imperialism, mainly class conflict. He is saying that imperialism made white Europeans think that they are bigger and better than the African and Asians.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the UGA Law websiteZola had two purposes in mind when he wrote his article. First, he hoped to provide the public with a succinct overview of the facts of the Dreyfus case and thereby mobilize public opinion in Dreyfus's favor. Second, he hoped to provoke authorities into criminally prosecuting him for having written the article, so that at his trial new evidence could be produced and made public concerning Dreyfus's innocence and Esterhazy's guilt. One of the lines from "J'accuse", la verite est en marche et rien ne l'arretera" means that truth is on the march and nothing can stop it. Zola believed in this man's innocence and knew that the truth would eventually come out.
ReplyDeleteIn edition to this, the website also says that Zola was very successful in this writing because he was able to sway the public opinion that Dreyfus was guilty into making them believe he was not guilty. Word about this incident didn't just stay in france, but spread all over europe
DeleteReally good work Reagan and Libby.
DeleteReply to Caleb's post: another perspective about New Imperialism is that some Christian's felt it a duty to covert people to Christianity and go on missions in these uncivilized areas
ReplyDeleteIn Jules Ferry's On French Colonial Expansion, his opinion is that the "Superior races have the rights over inferior races" and "it is their duty to civilize them". He really wants to expand because of two main reasons; economic reasons and for politics. This expansion is good for economic reasons, because it is needed for industry, for export markets, and for access of industrial products. This expansion is good for political reasons because, it is good for power, increase of the navy, posts for defense and supplies, and land for growing population.
ReplyDeleteIn debate with Jules Ferry, when he says that the "Superior races have the rights over inferior races", this goes against the French Declaration of the Rights of Man. In Article on of the Declaration, it says that men are born free and equal in rights. This shows that Jules just wanted GGG, but mainly gold and glory, not equal rights, which also shows that he is a Social Darwinist.
ReplyDeleteJules Ferry, along with Charles Darwin, believed in natural selection and that certain races are dominant over others. He also believed in the humanity aspect of colonization, thinking that he was doing the natives a favor by colonizing them. He thought that it was his duty to come in and educated and bring the natives up morally. Many traditions and cultures were lost during colonization because one the country is colonized and their culture is lost, there is no way to return to previous times.
ReplyDelete