IF

Vocabulary
impostors = people who pretend to be someone else

knave = tricky, deceitful, unprincipled person

sinew = tissue that connects muscles to bones

common touch = ability to be along with ordinary people

breathe a word = tell a secret; talk about something
make allowance = permit; allow

master dominant = power and control

pitch-and-toss = a game of skill and chance

serve your turn= be useful; helpful

sinew = strong tissue that connects muscles to bones

stoop = bend

triumph = victory; success

winnings = money that is won in a game

wise = smart

worn-out = damaged

Central idea: The key idea of the poem is that success comes through self-control and
a true sense of the values of life. Peril lies in extremes. A man must not lose heart due
to suspicions or opposition, but he must make every effort to see the grounds for both.
He must not be deceived into thinking either victory or final disaster; he must use
every one of them wisely— and move on. He has to hold on to the golden mean in all
situations. If he does, he’ll own the world, and even better, he’ll reach the highest
status of manhood for his personal reward.

Summary of “If”
“If” is a didactic poem, a work to teach. It gives instruction in developing several
specific traits of a successful leader. Kipling provides this instruction not by
specifying specific features, but by offering detailed illustrations of
the complex actions that a man should or should not take to match those features.
The poem is about moral lessons and behaviour. It includes advice 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 hang on to his beliefs and not be manipulated by others. If
he takes his advice, he will have a life that is satisfying and enriching.

The first stanza of the poem illustrates self-confidence and expresses that in being
confident; the reader must have the courage to face unpopularity and disagreement.
Nonetheless, this stanza also advises against a self-confidence that does not allow
alternative views to be considered. By exhorting the reader to disregard both doubt
and allowance for doubt (lines 3 and 4), Kipling creates a paradox (the combination of
mutually opposing ideas which, although apparently contradictory, serve to make a
point in their contradiction) that is characteristic of the tone of the whole poem.

Line 5 recommends patience, line 6 advises honesty and line 7 advises moral
fortitude. Such three lines, along with the poem’s first four lines, share a common
thread: they offer guidance in maintaining right behaviour in the face of
unrighteousness. In line 8, however, Kipling is swift to validate his advice, telling the
reader “yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise.” That is, a person must avoid
smugness when acting righteously.

SHORT SUMMARY

The poem encourages the reader to be patient, frank, truthful, trustworthy and humble.
He would have to face criticism, resistance, lies, and hate. When people blame him, he
shouldn’t lose his faith. He must be optimistic and trust in himself, but he must do his
utmost to accept their reservations. In these this, he must maintain his integrity, his
beliefs and his principles, but he must not look too good or smart.

This poem encourages one to dream, but it advises not to make one’s master wishes.
He’s supposed to dream, but he shouldn’t make his mind his target. Performance and
loss should be treated similarly. He should still be hopeful as he sees the fruits of his
hard work ruined. He needs to build them up with confidence.

In the final stanza, the poet instructs him to keep talking to the masses. He can, at the
same time, uphold his virtue. The poet tells him to walk with the Kings without
lacking the human touch. Both men ought to be able to rely on his assistance. Without
any pause, he should forgive persons. If he can do all these things, so the world, and
all that is therein, will be his own.

POETIC DEVICES
The poem is in the good rhyme scheme. It has good sound effects and fine imagery.
The tone of the poem centres on human qualities. The mood is one of joy and
optimism. There are no overly affectionate words, yet the message of the poet comes
from the emotional tie to a child’s welfare. The speaker wants his child to do well in
life. By using the second-person point of view, the reader feels that the poet is
speaking directly to him. The language used is so simple that readers can easily
understand. There are a lot of symbols and figures of speech, especially
personification. Dreams assume the human role to control our lives. Success is
personified as a triumph. Failure is personified as a disaster. Will is personified as a
person who encourages us to succeed. We can also see the use of ‘metaphor’ used by
the poet to make the poem more beautiful. ‘Unforgiving minute’ refers to the time that
waits for no man. ‘Worn out tools’ represent the feeling of’ total tiredness’ and to
make use of our old values. Symbols also make the poem more attractive. ‘Knaves’
represent scoundrels, liars or common people. ‘Kings’ represent for important people.
The poem also makes use of the conditional clause “if” to talk about conditional
fulfilment.

THEME
Rudyard Kipling’s ‘If’ is a didactic poem on the virtues of model leadership and
typical manhood. The poem celebrates stoicism, fortitude and righteousness as the
hallmark of manliness. Through a series of paradoxes, Kipling advises his son John
how to lead a successful life.

Kipling’s thoughts on action echo Lord Krishna’s description of a man in The

Bhagavad Gita. In fact, many of the ideas expressed in the poem directly reflect Lord
Krishna’s message of Nishkama Karma to Arjuna:

“Karmanye Vadhikaraste, Ma phaleshou kada chana

Ma Karma Phala Hetur Bhurmatey Sangostva Akarmani”
The message conveyed in the poem is very important. It helps one to lead a successful
life. The poet as a father prepares his son to achieve his dreams. It is just like the
mother bird who pushes her baby for his first slight. She has prepared him for the first
flight by modelling, coaxing and instructing.

Question of ” If ” by Rudyard Kipling

Q. 1. The poem seems to be a long list of ‘ifs’. What is the ‘then’?

The speaker concludes his ‘ifs’ with the poem’s final lines, “Yours is the Earth and
everything that’s in it…And you’ll be a Man, my son!”

Q. 2. What, according to the speaker, are the qualities of a Man?

Answers may vary. Examples: patience, confidence, coolness under pressure,

levelheadedness, imaginative, intelligent, caring, judicious, persistent, strong, loyal,
and brave.

Q. 3. Describe in your own words what Kipling meant when he wrote, “If you can
dream—and not make dreams your master.”
Answers may vary. Example: Kipling meant it is important to dream in life, but
equally important, do not to let dreams distract you from the important tasks of day-
to-day life.

Q. 4. To whom does it seem Kipling wrote this poem?

Kipling ends the last stanza with “And – which is more – you’ll be a man, my son!” It
seems, then, he wrote this poem for his own child or children in general.

Q. 5. According to the last few lines of this poem, what does the speaker feel is the
most important goal in a young boy’s life?

The most important goal for a young man does not seem to be something as grandiose
as ruling “the Earth and everything that’s in it,” but instead simply to “be a Man,” who
is able to live honestly and treat people well and fairly.

Q. 6. The theme of this passage is

a. living wisely.

b. friends.

c. enemies.

d. being healthy.

Q. 7. Which phrase supports the theme?

a. “If you can keep your head…”

b. “If you can dream and not make your dreams your master…”

c. “If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue…”

d. all of the above

Q. 8. The line, “If you can make one heap of all your winnings and risk it on one
turn of pitch-and-toss, and lose, and start again at your beginnings,” means:

a. when you take a risk and lose everything, start over.

b. when you lose a game don’t be a sore loser.

c. when others lose at a game you are playing, share your award with them.

d. you should avoid games where you can lose a lot.

Q. 9. When the author says, “Yours is the Earth and everything that is in it, ” he
means that by following his advice you will

a. be very rich.

b. be very powerful.

c. live a good life.

d. have a lot of friends.

Q. 10. What advice does the author give in this poem? Explain.

Answers will vary. Examples of advice: trust yourself; be patient; don’t be influenced
by the shortcomings of others; be independent; hold on to your own ideals, etc.

Q. 11. What does this poem remind you of in your life?

This poem reminds me of how hard it was to start growing up when I was a small boy.
It reminds me of what a challenge it was to do things on my own, and it took me a
very long time to become confident and start maturing. It also makes me think of how
much more I have to develop in order to grow up completely.
This poem reminds me of when I was younger in life and everything was new to me.
This reminds me of learning new things and seeing things for the first time. This
brings back memories and still makes me wonder what the future holds.

Q. 12. What feelings does the poem awaken in you? How do your feelings connect
with those of the poet?
This poem awakens a number of emotions inside me such as inspiration and a sense of
happiness. This also made a strong association with me as some of the situations it
explains or speaks about are experiences of my own. I think some of the feelings that I
experienced are also the feelings of the poet. They also connect with the poet’s
thoughts because they’re the same or close. My feelings on what you must learn and
be able to do in order to become a grown-up connect to him and we share the same
ideals and principles. It binds us in some strange way that makes it seem like there are
too few terms in the English language to explain such a connection

Q. 13. What is the poem about? Consider speaker, symbols, comparisons, contrasts
and conflicts.

1. Who is the poem written for? How do you know this?

A. The poem is written for the poet’s son because the last line says ‘And-which is
more – you’ll be a
Man, my son!’

2. Why did Kipling write this poem?

A. Kipling wrote this poem to give his son important words of advice.

3. Explain the phrase ‘…keep your head…’.

A. The phrase means to keep calm/level-headed.

4. What does the poet mean here? ‘And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too
wise:’

A. The poet could mean that we mustn’t place too much importance on our looks or
speak as if we know best all the time.

5. Which poetic device is used in lines 11 and 12? Explain your answer.

A. Personification is used in lines 11 and 12. The words ‘Triumph’ and ‘Disaster’ are
given capital letters which suggests that they are names. They are also referred to as
being ‘imposters’ on the next line.

6. Explain the phrase ‘…breathe a word…’

A. This phrase is another way of expressing the word ‘say’.

7. What might the word ‘knaves’ mean?

A. The word knave means a dishonest man.

8. Summarise the meaning behind lines 21-24.

A. The poet is saying that when you feel as if you can’t go on, you must tell yourself
to ‘Hold on!’ and not give up.

9. Explain your understanding of the following line:

‘Or walk with Kings – nor lose the common touch,’

A. The poet could be saying that if his son was to spend time with people as important
as royalty, then he mustn’t start believing that he is better than ordinary people.

10. What did the poet mean when he wrote the following lines? Explain your
reasoning.

‘If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,’

A. The poet is saying that you must make the most of every minute of your life. The
poet describes the minute as ‘unforgiving’ as time isn’t ever given back to you.
 FIGURES OF SPEECH
The poem is straightforward and written in simple language. The keyword “If” is
repeated to emphasize that we need to work hard to reap the rewards of life.

a) Personification

Dreams: masters who can control our lives. In this case, dreams assume a human
role/quality, that of being a master.

Triumph and disaster are imposters who can lead us astray. Success is personified as
“Triumph” and can make us complacent. Failure is personified as “Disaster”. It can
influence us to believe that failure is permanent.
Will is personified as a person who encourages us not to give up.

b) Metaphor

Unforgiving minutes refer to time that waits for no man, it is like a race where every
second is important.

Worn out tools refer to the feeling of total exhaustion that can force someone to give
up.

Make one heap of all your winnings is compared to a pile of money won at the
gambling table.

Walk with Kings means to socialize with important people.

Talk with crowds refers to mixing with all kinds of people.

c) Symbol

A symbol represents an idea:

1. Knaves represent scoundrels, liars or conmen.

2. Crowds symbolize the common folk/people.
3. Kings represent the important people in society.
4. Common touch represents humility.