Asked • 09/05/19

Were the three slogans in Orwell's 1984 partly inspired by Kipling's poem "The White Man's Burden"?

George Orwell did not like Kipling at all. I quote from [this essay by Orwell](http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks03/0300011h.html#part17):> Kipling is a jingo imperialist, he is morally insensitive and aesthetically disgusting.But this essay also shows that Orwell had read at least some of Kipling's poetry. I couldn't help noticing some similarities between two of the three party slogans in George Orwell's book *1984* andKipling's poem *The White Man's Burden*.> Orwell: War Is Peace > Kipling: Take up the White Man's burden— The savage wars of peace—> Orwell: Freedom Is Slavery > Kipling: The cry of hosts ye humour  (Ah, slowly!) toward the light:—  “Why brought ye us from bondage,  “Our loved Egyptian night?” Is there any evidence as to whether Orwell's slogans were inspired in part by Kipling's poem? (And please, let's not get into an argument about whether Kipling was entirely pro-imperialism when he wrote these lines—this question has been hashed out altogether too often.)

1 Expert Answer

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Richard F. answered • 02/19/20

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Four degrees. College professor. Novelist.

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