IF POEM BY RUDYARD KIPLING

1. The first stanza of ‘If’ speaks about the need for self-confidence. Do you agree?
Why?
Answer: Yes, I agree. Without self-confidence, nothing worthwhile can be
achieved.

2. What does the poet say about patience?

Answer: Successful people exercise patience. Without patience, nothing can be
got. In English they say, “Slow and steady wins the race’ and ‘Haste makes waste’.

3. Explain the poet’s views on honesty and fortitude of character.

Answer: The poet says that even if people tell lies to you, never follow their
examples and start telling lies. A liar is not respected in the society. A liar may
succeed temporarily but in the long run he is bound to fail and will be put to
shame.

4. Lines 5-7 speak about the need for righteous behavior in the face of
unrighteousness. How far do you agree?
Answer: I fully agree with the view that in the face of unrighteous behavior, we
should face it with righteous behavior. If somebody is bad, we don’t have to
become bad and follow his ways. We should learn to conquer hatred with love.

5. What is the poet’s approach to dreams and longings?

Answer: It is good to dream but we should not let dreams become our master. We
can have longings, but we should never take crooked paths achieve them. We can
think — but thinking is not our aim. Our aim is to act and achieve.

6. The poet believes that success comes from self-control and a true sense of the
value of things. Express your views on this.
Answer: I fully agree with the poet’s views on these aspects. Success comes from
self-control and a true sense of the value of things. We should know that all that
glitters is not gold. Without self-control we will go astray. Unless we know the true
value of things, we may spend our time and energy trying to get things that have no
true value. Appearances can be deceptive.

7. ‘Never breathe a word about your loss. ’ What impression do you get about the
poet when you read this?
Answer: I feel that the poet is a strong-willed person. He can keep his secrets. He
does not want people’s sympathies. He has fortitude and courage to suffer his
adversities without sharing them with others.

8. What is the message conveyed in the last stanza of the poem?

Answer: You can talk with the .crowds, but you should not become one of. Them
and lose your virtue. Even when you walk with kings, you should not lose sight of
the ordinary people. You should be beyond getting hurt by your enemies or friends.
All kinds of people should be able to count upon you for help. You should forgive
and never rush to punish the offender. If you can do all these things you can enjoy
on this earth as if you are its master.

9. What is the central theme of the poem?

Answer: The central theme of the poem is the qualities of greatness or the traits of
a perfect man.

10. What, according to the poem, are the two impostors of life?
Answer: According to the poem the two impostors of life are Triumph and
Disaster.

11. What, according to the poet, should be one’s attitude to unexpected loss?
Answer: According to the poet one’s attitude to unexpected loss should be one of
indifference. Triumphs and Tragedies are part of life. Don’t be overjoyed at the
successes and don’t be dejected at the failures. If you happen to have a loss, don’t
tell anyone. Accept it with fortitude.

12. What is the poem about? (Consider the speaker, theme, symbols, comparisons,
contrasts and conflicts.)
Answer: The speaker here is a father. He is speaking to his son about the qualities
that are needed to become a successful man, a perfect man. The theme is the
attainment of perfection. To make his ideas clear, the speaker has used many
symbols. There are symbols like ‘pitch-and-toss’ (suggesting gambling), ‘force
heart, nerve and sinew’ (suggesting gathering of strength) and ‘sixty seconds worth
of distance run’ (suggesting delayed reaction). There are fine contrasts in ‘triumph
and disaster’, ‘kings and common people’ and ‘friends and foes’. There are
conflicts in ‘risking it on one turn of pitch-and-loss’ and ‘loving friends hurting
you’.
13. Identify the poetic form, figurative language and poetic structure.
Answer: It is a lyrical poem with four stanzas consisting of four octaves (a group
of eight lines). The poem is in rhyme although the rhyming scheme is different in
various stanzas. In the first stanza it is aaaa, bcbc. The poet has figurative language
with a lot of metaphors, personification, parallelisms, climaxes, etc. It is a didactic
poem telling us what to do and what not to do to enjoy life and to be a perfect man.

14. When the poet says, ‘If you can dream – and not make dreams your master, he
is personifying dreams, i.e. dreams are spoken of as masters who can control our
lives. In this case, dreams assume a human role/qualify.
Answer: Pick out other expressions where the poet uses personification.
a) Triumph and disaster treated as impostors.
b) Will which says ‘Hold on’.

‘Unforgiving minutes’ is a metaphoric expression as it refers to time that waits for

no man; it is like a race where every second is important.

Now, identify other metaphoric expressions used in the poem.

Deal in lies, twisted by knaves, one heap of all your winnings, breathe a word,
unforgiving minute, sixty second’s worth of distance

15. What do knaves represent?

Answer: Knaves represent dishonest people.

16. What other symbols are used in the poem ‘If’?

Answer :
a) Deal in lies
b) Making one heap of all your winnings
c) Risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss
d) Breathe a word
e) Force your heart, nerve and sinew

Notes:

1. Personification: Speaking of things and animals as if they are persons with

human traits and qualities. Example: Death steals our life; he is very cruel.
 2. Metaphor: A metaphor is a figure of speech in which one thing or person is
spoken as another. Example: K.S. Chitra is a nightingale.
3. Symbol: A symbol is an object that represents an idea, image or an action.
We see different symbols on our roads to warn us. Example: Red Light is the
symbol of danger.

The poem ‘If is written by Rudyard Kipling. Kipling is an English short-story

writer, poet and novelist. He is chiefly known for his stories and poems about the
British soldiers in India. He also wrote stories for children.

In the poem a father tells his son how to be happy and how to be a perfect man. So
many conditions have to be fulfilled if one is become perfect man. He should not
lose his head, even when others around him have lost theirs. He has to trust himself
when all people doubt him. He should wait and shouldn’t be tired of waiting.
When people tell him lies, he should not follow their example. People may hate
him but he should not hate them. He should not try to look too good and try to talk
too wise.

He should dream, but should not make dreams his master. He should think but
shouldn’t make thoughts his aim. He should view Success and Failure equally.
Even when the results of his hard work are destroyed, he should get ready to build
them. He should not tell others about his losses. He should persevere, always being
optimistic. He should keep talking with the crowds but maintain his virtue. He can
walk with kings but shouldn’t lose the common touch. Neither his friends nor his
enemies should be able to hurt him. All men should be able to count on his help.
He should forgive people who have offended him. If he can do all these things the
Earth and everything in it is his and he will then be a man.

The poem is in rhyme and it has good sound effects. It has fine imagery, the mood
is one of joy and optimism. The language used is simple. There are a lot of
symbols and figures of speech in the language, especially personification.

The message of the poem is to be happy and successful in life. The poem talks of
conditional fulfilment. If certain conditions, as specified in the poem, are fulfilled,
one can be a perfect man, enjoying his life. ‘If is the most famous poem of Kipling.
It attracted nation-wide attention. It soon became a very popular anthem.