The poem, The Ballad of East and West by Rudyard Kipling is about India versus England. With the use of military, England took over India. An Indian rebel named Kamal steals the Colonel’s mare, so the Colonel sends his son after him. When the Colonel’s son finally catches up to Kamal at a place called The Tongue of Jagai, Kamal starts his little insults. The Colonel’s son shoots twice and misses at Kamal, the insults and taunts from Kamal get a little bit worse.
Suddenly, the mare collapses and falls on the Colonel’s son. Kamal has no choice but to set him free. The trash talk starts to heat up until Kamal gives the Colonel’s son a compliment. To repay for this compliment, the Colonel’s son gives the mare to Kamal, but Kamal does not accept. Since the Colonel’s son would have gotten killed on his way back home on foot, Kamal sends his son to protect the Colonel’s son from getting killed.
The part in the ballad where it says, “Two strong men stand face-to-face though they come from the ends of the Earth,” represents the Colonel’s son and Kamal’s son. When Kamal’s son gets the Colonel’s son back home, the army raise their swords up to kill Kamal’s son, because he is an enemy, but they don’t because they are told that Kamal’s son helped the Colonel’s son get home.
