This document provides an analysis of the poem "IF" by Rudyard Kipling. It discusses the author Rudyard Kipling, provides an introduction to the poem, analyzes themes and messages of the poem, and examines the tone, mood, and structure of the poem. The key points are that the poem offers advice to the poet's son on becoming a man through developing virtues like humility, patience, and perseverance. It emphasizes controlling one's attitudes and priorities to reach life's goals.

1. TOPIC: Study of the poem “IF” by
Rudyard Kipling
VISHNU B KUMAR
BED, ENGLISH
MANGALAM COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

2. Study of the poem “IF” by Rudyard
Kipling
 About the author.
 Introduction of the poem.
 Analysis of the poem.
 Theme of the poem.
 Message of the poem.
 Tone and Mode of the poem.
 Structure and Form of the poem.

3. RUDYARD KIPLING(1865-1936)
 Rudyard Kipling was an English novelist, short-story writer and poet.
 He is well known for his works for children, especially the “Jungle Book”.
 Kipling was born in Bombay, India, but attended school in England
 Many of Kipling’s stories and novels reflect his experience in India.
 Kipling works of fiction include The Jungle Book(1894), Kim(1901) , and many
short stories, including “The Man Who Would be King”(1888).
 His poems include “Mandalay”(1890), “Gunga Din”(1890), ‘’ The God of the
Copybook Headings”(1919), “The White Man’s Burden”(1899), and
“IF”(1910).
 He is regarded as a major innovator in the art of the short-story; his
children’s books are classics of children’s literature, and one critic
described his work as exhibiting “a versatile and luminous narrative gift”.

4.  Kipling was one of the most popular writers in the United Kingdom, in
both prose and verse, in the late 19th and 20th centuries.
 In 1907, at the age of the 42, he was awarded the Noble Prize in
Literature, making him the first English-language writer to receive the
prize and its youngest recipient to date.
 He was also sounded out for the British Poet Laureateship and on
several occasions for a Knighthood, both of which he declined.

5. INTRODUCTION OF THE POEM
 “ IF” is a poem by British Nobel laureate Rudyard Kipling, written in
1895 and first published in Rewards and Fairies in 1910.
 It is a didactic poem, a work meant to give instruction
 The poem is written in the form of paternal advice to the poet’s son,
John.
 The poem which is a dictum for meaningful living had for its
inspiration the “Jameson Raid” of 1895 which was a military action
taken during the Boer war in South Africa.
 Jameson Raid, led by Leander Starr Jameson, had resulted in a great
rush of patriotism in England in spite of being a failure.

6.  As poetry, “IF” is a example of victorian-era stoicism.
 The theme of the poem is that one should develop the proper attitudes
about everything keeping an eye on the goal or the main prize.
 In spite of being published in 1910, the poem still remains a staple of
inspirational Western Literature as it is a magnificent tribute to the most
noble virtues of being human.

7. ANALYSIS OF THE POEM

8.  The poem “IF” by Kipling is a celebrated piece of poetry which gives
valuable pieces of advice to every reader.
 It gives an instruction in cultivating several specific traits of a good
leader.
 Kipling offers this instruction not through listing specific characteristics,
but by providing concrete illustrations of the complex actions a man
should or should not have.
 The poem is about moral lessons and conduct.
 It contains advices from a father to a son on how to grow up to be a
better person and a true man.
 He reminds his son that he will be a Man if he can hold on to his values
and not be swayed by others.
 The poet emphasizes the view that a man must be humble, patient,
rational, truthful, dependable and persevering.

9.  His behaviour in response to harmful events and cruel men is
important; he must continue to have faith in himself when others
doubt him, he must understand that his words might be twisted and
used for evils, he must be able to deal with the people of the highest
and lowest levels of society, and he must be able to withstand the lies
and hatred coming out from others.
 Poet says nothing of heroic deeds or great wealth or fame. For him
the true measure of a man is his humility and stoicism.
 The poem is straightforward and written in simple language
 The Title, as a word, “IF” suggests the idea of conditional fulfillment.
It is repeated to emphasize that we need to work hard to reap the
reward of life.

10. THEME OF THE POEM
 The theme of the poem is that one should develop the proper attitudes
about everything keeping an eye on the goal or the main prize.
 According to the poet by keeping oneself focused and having one’s
priorities in line, one will not get distracted by other things and one will
reach one’s goal.

11. MESSAGE OF THE POEM
 The message of this poem is that success comes from self-control and a
true sense of the values of things.
 A man must not lose heart because of doubts or opposition, yet he
must do his best to see the grounds for both.
 He must not be deceived into thinking either triumph or disaster as
final; he must use each wisely and push on.

12. TONE AND MOOD OF THE POEM
 The tone of the poem centers on human qualities such as love,
sincerity, and restraint.
 There are no overly affectionate words, yet the message of the poet
comes from the emotional tie to a child welfare. Poet wants his child
to do well in life.
 By using the second person point of view, the feels that the poet is
speaking directly to him; thus, he is drawn into the midst of the
poem’s alluring meaning.

13. STRUCTURE AND FORM OF THE POEM
 The poem develop through a series of suggestions, using opposites to
clarify the message
 It is divided into four 8-line stanzas with a regular metre and rhythm.
 There is only complete stop in the poem : the exclamation mark at the
end. This structure suggest that to become a man is a on-going process
that is difficult and challenging.
 From line 5 until the end, the rhyme scheme is a regular alternate one of
ababcdcd . This maintains the momentum of the repeating structure.
 The first four lines all rhyme with each other, the first three all end in
“you”, stressing the personal nature of this address.