Give three examples of the specific difficulties Kipling foresees in taking up the "white man's burden."

Published in 1899, Kipling's poem, "The White Man's Burden" provides the ideological justification for imperialism. But Kipling recognised that imperialism came at a cost to the those who practised it. 

First of all, in lines three and four, Kipling instructs the imperialists to "send their sons" to faraway lands. For the imperialists, then, colonisation requires the sacrifice of their men. They must send them abroad, with no idea of the potential dangers nor any notion...

Published in 1899, Kipling's poem, "The White Man's Burden" provides the ideological justification for imperialism. But Kipling recognised that imperialism came at a cost to the those who practised it. 

First of all, in lines three and four, Kipling instructs the imperialists to "send their sons" to faraway lands. For the imperialists, then, colonisation requires the sacrifice of their men. They must send them abroad, with no idea of the potential dangers nor any notion of when they might return. 

Secondly, in lines 11 and 12, Kipling states that colonised people pose a "threat of terror" and are filled with "pride." For the imperialists, overcoming these negative character traits is a difficult but necessary task. As Kipling states in the next two lines, this task may pose problems ("An hundred times made plain") but it must be carried out, if colonised people are to be made civilised.

Finally, Kipling recognises that imperialists are often the target of social criticism. As he says in lines 19 and 20: "The blame of those ye better/the hate of those ye guard." For Kipling, the imperialists must ignore this criticism and continue in their endeavours abroad. Eventually, people will realise that imperialism is both necessary and advantageous, as he states in the closing lines: "Cold-edged with dear bought wisdom/The judgement of your peers."