Search results
Gunga Din" (/ ˌ ɡ ʌ ŋ ɡ ə ˈ d iː n /) is an 1890 poem by Rudyard Kipling set in British India. The poem was published alongside "Mandalay" and "Danny Deever" in the collection "Barrack-Room Ballads". The poem is much remembered for its final line "You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din". [1]
Gunga Din. By Rudyard Kipling. You may talk o’ gin and beer. When you’re quartered safe out ’ere, An’ you’re sent to penny-fights an’ Aldershot it; But when it comes to slaughter. You will do your work on water, An’ you’ll lick the bloomin’ boots of ’im that’s got it.
Gunga Din. You may talk o' gin and beer When you're quartered safe out 'ere, An' you're sent to penny-fights an' Aldershot it; But when it comes to slaughter You will do your work on water, An' you'll lick the bloomin' boots of 'im that's got it.
Rudyard Kipling. Track 7 on Barrack-Room Ballads. Kipling’s tale of an Indian water-bearer doubles as a rejoinder to ‘The White Man’s Burden’. It’s written with a heavy Cockney accent, from the...
- Gunga Din Summary
- Gunga Din Literary Analysis
- Explanation of The Poem
- Themes in Gunga Din
The speaker of the poem is a British soldier, who appreciates the patience, sacrifice, and virtue of a water bearer named Gunga Din. The water bearer lost his life in saving the soldier’s life. The speaker introduces the environment and nature of serving in India. He describes heat, atmosphere, and war. Also, he describes Gunga Din as a water carri...
Gunga Dinis a poem written by an English journalist, short-story writer, poet, and novelist, Rudyard Kipling in 1890. In this poem, one can see Kipling criticizing Britain’s colonialism and the exploitation of the subcontinent. The concept of colonialism gets clear when the speaker of the poem talks about the “Majesty”.These words mirror the purpos...
Stanza 1
In the first stanza, the speaker of the poem addresses the audience. He tells them life is easy, one can drink beer and gin easily whenever they won’t unless they are not on the battlefield. Here, one can see the speaker reminiscences about the golden days of his past. Further on, he shares his harsh experience of being a soldier and on the battlefield. He says unlike past days there are no such drinks available nor is there any time to relax. The speaker seems to be saying that he needs to b...
Stanza 2
In this stanza, the speaker comes up with more descriptions of Gunga Din. He tells his audience that Gunga Din does not have any uniform nor does he possess any specific equipment to serve his job properly. Rather, he has “piece o’ twisty rag” and “a goatskin water-bag”. These are the things he finds himself not provided by anyone. The speaker seems to recollect the memories of Gunga Din. He remembers how on hot days everyone gets thirsty and suffered from the hot rays of the sun. There Gunga...
Stanza 3
In this stanza, the speaker says that no matter how harsh circumstances are Gunga Din would always be present to provide his service. Moreover, the speaker praises Gunga Din for being courageous. He says he would walk onto the battlefield being fearless. He was not afraid of bullets and fighting rather he stood there to provide his help who needed it. Gunga Din was always present fifty paces behind the soldiers in order to bring water if anyone needed it. Moreover, in the middle of the stanza...
Sacrifice
In the poem, the theme of sacrifice can be understood with the help of Gunga Din’s character. Despite the mistreatment he received by the hands of the wounded soldier, he helped him. Moreover, he smiles at him to give him the courage to tolerate his pain. However, in this process, he lost his own life. While helping him, he got shot and died. But even, before death, he made himself strong enough to take the soldier to the safe spot.
Prejudice and hatred
Throughout the poem, one can find the British soldiers’ prejudice and hatred against the Indian natives. They don’t respect the services of the Gunga Din rather they threaten him with violence and call him by inappropriate names. Just on the basis of his nation, they despise him. Also, they created a bad image of them in their minds. However, in the end, it is made clear who is actually guilty.
Tolerance
Gunga Din is represented as the epitome of tolerance in the poem. The way he endures all the hardships and mistreatments and never complains. Rather, he forgets everything bad that has happened to him because of them. He comes forward to help even though he lost his life.
The catchphrase: ‘You’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din’ has passed into the language, though many people use it without knowing its origins. There are about one hundred references to the poem in the Kipling Journal .
People also ask
What is the meaning of Gunga Din?
Who wrote Gunga Din?
How many stanzas does Gunga Din have?
How did Kipling describe Gunga Din?
How many references to “Gunga Din” in the Kipling Journal?
Are You A Better Man Than I am Gunga Din?
Tho' I've belted you an' flayed you, By the livin' Gawd that made you, You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din! This poem is in the public domain. Joseph Rudyard Kipling is best known for his novels The Jungle Book, The Second Jungle Book , and Kim , and his most famous poem, " If — ".
