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If by Rudyard Kipling Analysis
The poem provides advice to the poet's son on developing virtuous character traits. It counsels maintaining composure when facing criticism, trusting in oneself despite doubts, and responding to both praise and hardship with equanimity. If one can exemplify patience, honesty and perseverance through challenges, then one will achieve success and truly become a man. The poem uses paradoxes, personification and other devices to convey its didactic message.
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If by Rudyard Kipling Analysis
- 1.
- 2. an English short-storywriter, poet, and novelist. one of the most popular writers in England, in both prose and verse, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is regarded as a major innovator in the art of short stories. Joseph Rudyard Kipling
- 3. Born on December30, 1865 in Bombay, India Mother: Alice MacDonald Kipling Father: John Lockwood Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling Head of the Department of Architectural Sculpture at the Jeejeebhoy School of Art in Bombay.
- 4. At the ageof 6, he was sent to Southsea, England where he attended school and lived with a foster family, the Holloways. Joseph Rudyard Kipling
- 5. By the ageof 11, Kipling was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. In 1882, Kipling was told by his parents that they didn’t have enough money to send him to college. 1889 met Wolcott Balestier, an American agent and publisher who quickly became one of Kipling's great friends and supporters.
- 6. 1890, Kipling ‘sstar power started to grow. Along with that is the time when he met Caroline, his wife. 1891, Eight days after his return to England, Kipling and Caroline married.
- 7. 1893, his firstdaughter, Josephine was born, and a second daughter, Elise (born in 1896). Then his third child, John, his only son, was born in 1897.
- 8. 1899, his firstdaughter was gravely ill with pneumonia and died. Kipling never recovered from her death and vowed never to return to America.
- 9. The Tragedy ofKipling’s Son Kipling's son John died in the First World War, at the Battle of Loos in September 1915, at age 18. John had initially wanted to join the Royal Navy, but having had his application turned down after a failed medical examination due to poor eyesight.
- 10. January 18, 1936Kipling suffered from a painful ulcer, which eventually took his life.
- 11. CAREER Poet, essayist, novelist,journalist, and writer of short stories. Worked as a journalist for Civil and Military Gazette, Lahore, India, 1882-89; assistant editor and overseas correspondent for the Allahabad Pioneer, Allahabad, India, 1887-89; associate editor and correspondent for The Friend, Bloemfontein, South Africa, 1900, covering the Boer War. Rector of University of St. Andrews, 1922- 25.
- 12. WORKS Plain Tales fromthe Hills (1888) American Notes (1891) Barrack-Room Ballads (1892) The Jungle Book (1894) The Seven Seas (1896) The Day’s Work (1898)
- 13.
- 14. first published in Rewardsand Fairies, 1910. The poem is inspired by Leander Starr Jameson, and is written in the form of paternal advice to the poet's son.
- 15.
- 16. The poem hasbecome such an integral part of British culture that officials at Wimbledon's All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club had a couplet from the poem inscribed above the entryway to Centre Court.
- 18.
- 19. If you cankeep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; B If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies, D Or, being hated, don't give way to hating, And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
- 20. If you candream - and not make dreams your maste If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with triumph and disaster And treat those two imposters just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools;
- 21. If you canmake one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";
- 22. If you cantalk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch; If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you; If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, C And—which is more—you'll be a Man my son! D
- 23. STRUCTURE 4 stanzas with8 lines 11 and 10 syllables rotating Rhyme Scheme of ABABCDCD One complete stop at the end of the poem with the use of an exclamation mark (!). Has parts with enjambments and caesurae.
- 24. • Didactic poem• Closed form • Octameter STYLE Didactic Poetry, is instructional poetry. The poet expected the reader to learn skills, science, philosophy, love, crafts, etc. from the didactic verses Closedform poetry, also known as fixed form, consists of poems that follow patterns of lines, meter, rhymes and stanzas. Octameter, a line of eight metrical feet.
- 25.
- 26. Who’s being referredto? Who’s speaking?
- 27. If you cankeep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can keep your head means to remain calm, collected and composed. Are losing theirs and blaming it on you - one should be able to maintain his composure even when faced with harsh criticism from those around him.
- 28. If you cantrust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; At the same time, we should take into consideration other people’s sights and try our best to tolerate opposing views. "Look bro, if you can somehow act calmer and collected, and can believe in yourself, even when everybody else is losing it, well then…"
- 29. If you canwait and not be tired by waiting, Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies, The lines advise patience, honesty, and fortitude of character. Peoplemay doubtyour honestybut you shouldbe patient and tolerant to wait for the truth to emerge.
- 30. Or, being hated,don't give way to hating, And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise. Advises fortitude of character In behaving righteously, a person must avoid smugness.
- 31. If you candream -- and not make dreams your master; If you can think -- and not make thoughts your aim; A consummate man will always have his dreams, which is his noble ideals, with which he wishes to make the world a better place. But being a sophisticated person, a man of the world, he should not allow his ideals to master or control his thoughts and action completely.
- 32. If you canmeet with triumph and disaster And treat those two imposters just the same; If you can manage to face both success and misfortune, And act the same way in each case then… “Impostors” – neither one lasts forever - both are short-lived
- 33. If you canbear to hear the truth you've spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, You can speak with all the truth you want, but there will always be rascals around who will twist it to mean whatever they want and use it for their own ends.
- 34. Or watchthe thingsyougaveyour life to broken, And stoopand build'em up withworn-out tools; If you can watch everything you dedicated your life to shattered, and yet still manage to pick up the pieces then…
- 35. If you canmakeone heap of allyour winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, Symbolizes willingness to risk everything on a venture. The need for complete detachment with which an individual should regard both profit and loss, neither of which is permanent.
- 36. And lose, andstart again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss; When you risk everything at a single throw at a hopeful gain and loses everything you have achieved you should not be disheartened. Earn, take chances, lose, be quiet about it, and move on. On the contrary, you should launch again, with full passion and without any complaint, from the start to restructure your accomplishments and reclaim your loses.
- 37. If you canforce your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on"; You should compel your spirit, courage and strength, (heart and nerve and sinew) to assist you and make the utmost effort to restore your achievements. Even if everything is lost, you should not lose your passion. You should stand firm on your ideals and be determined to carry on with untiring efforts to fulfill your dreams
- 38. If you cantalk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with kings -- nor lose the common touch; If you can talk with many people and still keep your ethics, or hang with kings but still keep your connection with the common folks then… “KINGS” and CROWDS symbolize two societal extremes. To hang with both groups but not to be swayed by either.
- 39. If neither foesnor loving friends can hurt you; If all men count with you, but none too much; If all men support you or find you important, but none of them too much… Be strong, impervious to potential harm. Allow neither friends nor enemies to harm you.
- 40. If you canfill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -- Unforgiving minute is a way of saying, “you only got sixty seconds in a minute” no more, no less. Carpe Diem! Distance run is a long way to take. Run as far as you can with that short span of time. Make everything worth the run.
- 41. Yours is theEarth and everything that's in it, And -- which is more -- you'll be a Man my son! If the addressee can do everything just described (not give into hate, risk his money and lose it and not complain, talk to kings and crowds just the same, inspire people just enough)… … then the earth, and everything in it, will be his. And, even better ("which is more"), he will be a man.
- 42. Who’s being referredto? Who’s speaking? A father His son To young readers
- 43. About the poem- Adissertation on the virtues of a good leader and exemplary manhood. - The poem celebrates stoicism, fortitude, and righteousness as the hallmark of manliness. - From the poem we can observe that there is much truth and wisdom within those motivational words given.
- 44. Subject Matter Manhood Leadership Ideal Characteristics Attitudetowards life Time Dreams Patience
- 45. Poetic DevicesAlliteration don’t deal (1ststanza, 6th line) for fools (2nd stanza, 6th line) with worn-out (2nd stanza, 8th line) sixty seconds (4th stanza, 6th line) treat those two (2nd stanza, 4th line)
- 46.
- 47. Poetic DevicesParadox Almost every lineis an example of paradox. Kipling says do this, without doing that. An example is, “If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim” If you’re aiming to think, how can you not make thoughts your aim?
- 48. Poetic DevicesPolysyndeton It is theuse of conjunctions in rapid succession instead of punctuation marks …heart and nerve and sinew
- 49. Poetic DevicesAsyndeton Omission of conjunctionsthat ordinarily join coordinate words or clauses. Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
- 50. Poetic DevicesHyperbole “Yours is theEarth and everything in it”
- 51. Poetic DevicesMetonymy “Or walk withkings – nor lose the common touch”
- 52. Poetic DevicesAnaphora Repetition of aword/s or expression at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, sentences, or verses. “If you can…”
- 53. Poetic DevicesMetaphor A word orphrase for one thing that is used to refer to another thing in order to show that they are similar. If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, (2nd stanza, lines 1-2) Worn-out tools (2nd stanza, 8th line) refer to the feeling of total exhaustion that can force someone to give up.
- 54. Poetic DevicesSymbol A symbol representsan idea. Knaves represent scoundrels, liars or conman. Crowds symbolize the common folk/people. Kings represent the important people in society. Common touch represents humility.
- 55. The meFollow your dreams but havea realistic approach Know the value of self-worth without being TOO proud of your own qualities.
Editor's Notes
- #2 One of the most famous names during Victorian Age.
- #4 At the time of his birth, his parents were recent arrivals in India. They had come, like many of their countrymen, with plans to start a new life. The family lived well, and Kipling was especially close to his mother. His father was an artist and was the head of the Department of Architectural Sculpture at the Jeejeebhoy School of Art in Bombay. For Kipling, India was a wondrous place. Along with his younger sister, Alice he explored the local markets with his nanny. He learned the language, and this bustling city of Anglos, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Jews, Kipling fell in love with the country and its culture.
- #5 However, at the age of 6, Kipling's life was torn apart when his mother, wanting her son to receive a formal British education, sent him to Southsea, England, where he attended school and lived with a foster family named the Holloways. These were hard years for Kipling. Mrs. Holloway was a brutal woman, who quickly grew to despise her young foster son. She beat and bullied Kipling, who also struggled to fit in at school. Kipling's solace came in books and stories. With few friends, he devoted himself to reading.
- #6 By the age of 11, Kipling was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. His mother rushed back to England and rescued her son from the Holloways. To help relax his mind, Alice took her son on an extended vacation and then sent him in a new school in Devon. There, Kipling flourished and discovered his talent for writing, eventually becoming editor of the school newspaper. --- In 1882, Kipling was told by his parents that they didn't have enough money to send him to college. Instead, they had him return to India. It was a powerful moment in the young writer's life. The sights and sounds, even the language, which he'd believed he'd forgotten, rushed back to him upon his arrival. --- Seven years after he had left England, Kipling returned to its shores in hopes of leveraging the modest amount of celebrity his book of short stories had earned him. In London, he met Wolcott Balestier, an American agent and publisher who quickly became one of Kipling's great friends and supporters. The two men grew incredibly close, and even traveled together to the United States, where Balestier introduced his fellow writer to his childhood home of Brattleboro, Vermont.
- #7 189o, Kipling's star power started to grow. In addition to Plain Tales from the Hills, Kipling also published a second collection of short stories, Wee Willie Winkie (1888), and American Notes (1891), which chronicled his early impressions of America. In 1892, he also published his first major poetry success, Barrack-Room Ballads. Kipling's friendship with Balestier changed the young writer's life. He soon got to know Balestier's family, in particular his sister, Caroline. The two appeared to be just friends, but during the Christmas holiday in 1891, Kipling, who had traveled back to India to see his family, received an urgent cable from Caroline. Wolcott had died suddenly of typhoid fever and Caroline needed Kipling to be with her. Kipling rushed back to England, and within eight days of his return, the two married at a small ceremony. --- Following their wedding, the Kiplings set off on an adventurous honeymoon that took them to Canada and then on to Japan. But like so much of Kipling's life, good fortune was accompanied by hard luck.
- #8 Kipling seemed to adore his new life, which soon saw the Kiplings welcome their first child, a daughter named Josephine (born in 1893), and a second daughter, Elsie (born in 1896). A third child, John, was born in 1897, after the Kiplings had left America.
- #9 But life again took a dramatic turn for the family, in 1899, both Kipling and young Josephine felt gravely, ill with pneumonia. For days, the world kept careful watch on the state of Kipling's health as newspapers reported on his condition. Kipling did recover, but his beloved Josephine did not. The family waited until Kipling was strong enough to hear the news. To those who knew him, it was clear that Kipling never recovered from her death. He vowed never to return to America.
- #10 The Tragedy of Kipling’s Son Kipling's son John died in the First World War, at the Battle of Loos in September 1915, at age 18. John had initially wanted to join the Royal Navy, but having had his application turned down after a failed medical examination due to poor eyesight, he opted to apply for military service as an officer. But again, his eyesight was an issue during the medical examination. In fact, he tried twice to enlist, but was rejected. His father had been lifelong friends with Lord Roberts, commander-in-chief of the British Army, and colonel of the Irish Guards, and at Rudyard's request, John was accepted into the Irish Guards. He was sent to Loos two days into the battle in a reinforcement contingent. He was last seen stumbling through the mud blindly, screaming in agony after an exploding shell ripped his face apart. A body identified as his was not found until 1992.
- #12 Kipling became one of the most-paid writers during the Victorian Age.
- #14 In 1896, thirty-one-year-old Rudyard Kipling was an internationally-renowned poet and story-teller when he wrote a poem with a one-word title: "If." The poem was inspired by "The Jameson Raid," an 1895 military action in the Boer War in South Africa. The raid, led by an English nobleman named Leander Starr Jameson, was in many ways a military disaster, but Jameson became a hero in the British press for his courage in attempting the raid and his willingness to take responsibility for the failure of the mission. The entire affair aroused enormous patriotic fervor in England, and Kipling was obviously caught up in the temper of the times
- #16 The poem was hailed as a magnificent tribute to many of humankind's greatest virtues—staying composed under stress, remaining humble when victorious, never despairing when defeated, and always retaining honor and authenticity. In a 1995 survey by the British Broadcasting Company, If was named "Britain's favorite poem."
- #17 For almost exactly a century, If has inspired millions of people, and in the past several decades it has become a staple of inspirational literature.
- #28 The persona is addressing somebody, that if he can keep his head when everybody else around him is losing theirs and blaming him then… Then… what? Then nothing, we guess What we do know for sure, though, is that "to keep one's head" meant: to be cool, calm, and collected.
- #29 ust like the first two lines, the next two lines also contain an "if" clause. This time, the speaker tells his addressee that if he can trust himself when "all men" doubt him, but make excuses for, or justify ("make allowance"), their mistrust then… then… then...
- #37 By saying “Never breathe” is saying more than simply do not talk about it; Kipling means do not give even the merest hint.
- #38 The word will is capitalized to give emphasis to the amount of mental strength needed to hold on when you feel you can do nothing but to give up.
- #42 In other words, this is a poem possibly spoken by a father to his child, and it's basically a how-to-be-a-man talk. You become a man (the poem says) if—and only if—you do all the things described in the poem. Hmm, well that's a whole lot of things one has to do, and a lot of them seem kind of hard. How, for example, are you supposed to just "watch" everything you've invested in get destroyed and simply rebuild it all? Hey, nobody said this would be easy, but we'd be lying if we didn't say it sounds a little restrictive. And that's not just because of all the rules, but also because all this business seems limited to men. There is no mention of women anywhere in this poem: nothing about love, marriage, and nothing about how to become a woman. But still, seems a little unfair. And you know what else seems a little unfair? That part about the world and everything in it. In a poem that was inspired by an attempt to colonize other parts of South Africa, we can't help wondering if this poem isn't also a recipe for conquering foreign lands. This idea isn't totally explicit, that's for sure. But, there is often a connection in literature of this period between manhood, colonialism, and conquering others. So you could say that this poem has an imperial, sexist subtext—just a little bit.
- #48 Paradox is something that is made up of two opposite things and that seemed impossible but is actually true or possible.
- #54 In these lines, life is compared to games. You don’t actually have winnings in life, and this is not a literal pitch and toss. It’s a metaphor for risk.