British soldiers salute the Sudanese warriors who fought them in 1884–85 and "broke a British square" — a toast of grudging respect wrapped in the racist slang of the time. This free worksheet has Kipling's full poem with numbered lines, vocabulary, five discussion questions, a writing prompt and an answer key. No signup needed.
Grades 10–12 · Common Core RL.11-12.6, RL.11-12.4, RL.11-12.3 · US Letter PDF, with an answer key on the last page
What’s on the worksheet
"Fuzzy-Wuzzy" (subtitled "Soudan Expeditionary Force") was published in 1890 and collected in Barrack-Room Ballads (1892). "Fuzzy-Wuzzy" was British soldiers' slang for Hadendoa (Beja) warriors, after their hairstyle. Breaking a British infantry square was a rare and famous feat. Teachers should discuss the slur directly.
Vocabulary
- Soudan: Sudan
- benighted: ignorant; in the dark
- certificate: official recognition
- impi: a Zulu army regiment
- Martinis: Martini-Henry rifles
- square: a defensive infantry formation
- deplore: grieve over
- shammin': pretending (to be dead)
Discussion questions
- What enemies have the soldiers fought before, and how does the Fuzzy compare?
- What does the speaker mean by "We gives you your certificate"?
- Find a line that admits the fight was not fair. Why is that admission important?
- How do insult and praise mix in phrases like "a pore benighted 'eathen but a first-class fightin' man"?
- Is this poem mainly respectful or mainly racist? Can it be both? Use evidence.
Writing prompt
Write a paragraph analyzing how the speaker's dialect and slang shape your view of him and of the enemy he describes.
The answer key is included in the PDF, on its own page for teachers.