"The Poor Man's Burden"

Born in Massachusetts, George McNeill grew up aware of the dangerous mistreatment of poor workers. In addition to becoming a labor leader and activist, he wrote a direct response to Kipling's poem. Compare the two lists to hear the satire and warning.

Here are all the word lists to support the reading of Grade 12 Unit 1's texts from SpringBoard's Common Core ELA series: My Papa's Waltz, in just-, The Last Word, Mushrooms, I Remember, Invisible Man, Four Skinny Trees, Dirty Work, On Seeing England for the First Time, Speaking with Hands, The White Man's Burden, The Poor Man's Burden, Shooting an Elephant, Lindo Jong: Double Face, Stranger in the Village
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. abide
    put up with something or somebody unpleasant
    Pile on the Poor Man's Burden--
    His patience will abide
  2. cant
    insincere talk about religion or morals
    By pious cant and humbug
    You'll show his pathway plain
  3. cease
    end
    Give him his full of Famine,
    Nor bid his sickness cease.
  4. naught
    complete failure
    And when your goal is nearest
    Your glory's dearly bought,
    For the Poor Man in his fury,
    May bring your pride to naught.
  5. serf
    (Middle Ages) a person who is bound to the land and owned by the feudal lord
    Pile on the Poor Man's Burden--
    Your Monopolistic rings
    Shall crush the serf and sweeper
    Like iron rule of kings.
  6. tread
    put down, place, or press the foot
    Your joys he shall not enter,
    Nor pleasant roads shall tread
  7. mar
    cause to become imperfect
    He'll make them with his living,
    And mar them with his dead.
  8. reckoning
    a bill for an amount due
    Pile on the Poor Man's Burden--
    The day of reckoning's near--
    He will call aloud on Freedom,
    And Freedom's God shall hear.
  9. oppression
    a feeling of being burdened or distressed
    Our souls brook not oppression
  10. possession
    the act of having and controlling property
    Our needs--if read aright--
    Call not for wide possession.
Created on Wed Mar 04 15:00:43 EST 2015 (updated Wed Mar 04 20:23:11 EST 2015)

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