I know what the white man's burden means, but my teacher wants us to rewrite it in a modern way. I am confused on how to do it could someone do the first stanza for me as an example?

Take up the White man's burden --
Send forth the best ye breed --
Go bind your sons to exile
To serve your captives' need;
To wait in heavy harness
On fluttered folk and wild --
Your new-caught, sullen peoples,
Half devil and half child.

Take up the White Man's burden --
In patience to abide,
To veil the threat of terror
And check the show of pride;
By open speech and simple,
An hundred times mad plain.
To seek another's profit,
And work another's gain.

Take up the White Man's burden --
The savage wars of peace --
Fill full the mouth of Famine
And bid the sickness cease;
And when your goal is nearest
The end for others sought,
Watch Sloth and heathen Folly
Bring all your hope to nought.

Take up the White Man's burden --
No tawdry rule of kings,
But toil of serf and sweeper --
The tale of common things.
The ports ye shall not enter,
The roads ye shall not tread,
Go make them with your living,
And mark them with your dead!

Take up the White man's burden --
And reap his old reward:
The blame of those ye better,
The hate of those ye guard --
The cry of hosts ye humour
(Ah, slowly!) toward the light: --
"Why brought ye us from bondage,
"Our loved Egyptian night?"

Take up the White Man's burden --
Ye dare not stoop to less --
Nor call too loud on freedom
To cloak your weariness;
By all ye cry or whisper,
By all ye leave or do,
The silent, sullen peoples
Shall weigh your Gods and you.

Take up the White Man's burden --
Have done with childish days --
The lightly proffered laurel,
The easy, ungrudged praise.
Comes now, to search your manhood
Through all the thankless years,
Cold-edged with dear-bought wisdom,

"Take up the White man's burden --

Send forth the best ye breed --
Go bind your sons to exile
To serve your captives' need;
To wait in heavy harness
On fluttered folk and wild --
Your new-caught, sullen peoples,
Half devil and half child."

Take up the white man's burden --
We need the brightest and best to lead --
Send your sons away
To secure our country's need
To work and fight and teach
The once successful natives
Who are now beaten down
And hating their new saviors.


I'm not a poet, but this may be what your teacher has in mind. Note that I didn't keep with Kipling's intent -- but was thinking more about modern invasions in far away lands.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifest_Destiny

To rewrite the first stanza of "The White Man's Burden" in a modern way, you can start by considering the central theme and purpose of the original poem. The original poem was written during the era of colonialism, where it depicted the duty and responsibility of the white colonizers to civilize and uplift the "savage" non-white populations.

In a modern context, you can focus on acknowledging and addressing the historical and ongoing systems of inequality, oppression, and social justice issues that persist today. Instead of perpetuating a narrative of superiority and paternalism, the modern rewrite should strive for empathy, equality, and understanding.

Here's a possible modern reimagining of the first stanza:

Embrace our shared responsibility --
Nurture the best within us all --
Unite to dismantle prejudice
And answer humanity's call;
With open hearts and compassion,
Transform the world through our care --
Embracing diverse cultures,
In harmony and truth we share.

Remember, this is just one possible interpretation of a modern rewrite, and there is room for creativity and individual expression in crafting your own version.