Textbook: Longman New Images:

A Comprehensive Course in English

Subject: English
Topic: Reading
Subtopic: (Poem) If You Think
Walter D Wintle
Material Required: PDF of Lesson from Textbook
Learning Outcomes:
The teacher aims to achieve the following learning objectives:
- Appreciating the beauty of poetry.
- Enjoying the music of poetry.
- Reciting the poem.
- Value of keeping a positive mindset.
- Developing the aesthetic sense of the students.
- Enabling the students to understand the theme/central idea of
the poem.
Steps to learn and understand the given
chapter:
Step1. : Listen to the recitation of the poem.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SlASzzAZHheY8mEI4
oN4HYM_SQCM3JWV/view?usp=sharing
Step 2: Read the text and underline the important words
and ideas. (Refer to a dictionary to find the meaning of
difficult words.)
Step 3: Revise the chapter through the following notes.
Questions before announcement of the chapter:
The teacher will ask students in connect section-
- When do you feel sad?
- When do you feel happy?
- What are your thoughts when you get your result from
your teacher?
- How do you recover from a bad experience such as low
grades or marks in tests?
- How your parents/friends console you in such situation?
Poet: Walter D Wintle
Explanation of the poem:

If you think you are beaten, you are;

If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you'd like to win, but you think you can't,
It is almost a certain you won't.

- This very first stanza of the poem conveys the main idea of the
poem that if someone thinks that he has lost, he can not be
successful. If someone thinks that he/she can not perform any
action, he/she would really not be able to do that.
 If you think you'll lose, you've lost;
For out in this world we find
Success begins with a fellow's will
It's all in the state of mind.

- In second stanza, the poet repeats the same message that

if before the announcement of a result someone thinks of
failing in that attempt, he/she will surely fail. Next the
poet says that success or failure is a state of mind. One
should train oneself to remain positive in life.
 If you think you're outclassed, you are;
You've got to think high to rise.
You've got to be sure of yourself
before You can ever win the prize.

- In third stanza, the poet urges the readers to visualize success to

be successful and act accordingly.The poet says that one has to
think high about oneself and perform the action. This will impact
his/her results. The poet says that one can achieve success to any
limit by thinking positive and believing that he/she can.
 Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man;
But soon or late the person who
wins Is the one who thinks he can!

- In the fourth and concluding stanza of the poem, the poet urges by
telling that life does not give hard battles to the strong men and light
battles to the weaker ones. It treats everyone equally. The only
person who wins is the one who thinks he can! It is one’s state of
mind that helps one to stay ahead or behind in all battles of life.
Summary for understanding:
This poem speaks of how powerful our mind is. How it can control and channelize our
thoughts, efforts, etc. The mind alone determines whether we succeed or not. Self- talk is
something that is more important than we think it is. Unless you believe in yourself, no one
ever will. You and only you decide your fate that is whether you are beaten or not in the
cycle of life. Never say you like winning but think you can’t for then it simply means that
you never will, this happens because the moment you doubt your capabilities ,that’s when
you lose the fight within. Success always begins with your will and burning desire for it is
all in the state of mind. In life, you do not have to be the fastest or the strongest or the
smartest one to win, what you need to be is a believer in the very fact that you will and
have won it. To summarize this all up, the one who wins has already won all his mind
battles and removed all possible mental barriers from his path to success. All he has to do is
to know and believe that HE CAN.
Answer the following questions: (Notebook work)
1. Which word is repeated throughout the poem?
Ans:The word ‘think’ is repeated throughout the
poem.

2. What does the poet say in the first stanza of the poem?
Ans: The poet says that if we think we are beaten or cannot
win, it is almost certain that we cannot do or achieve what
we want.
3. ‘It’s all in the state of mind.’ What is the poet referring
to in this line?
Ans: The poet is referring to the fact that we can do
anything if we set our mind to it and if we think we can.

4. What do we need to know if we ever wish to win a prize?

Ans: We need to have confidence and be sure of ourselves.
Central Idea / Theme of the poem: (Notebook Work)
The central idea of the poem is the importance of believing in
ourselves. Positivity is all about mindset. Success begins with one's
will. It's all in the state of mind. To be successful, one must think
positive about the result of his/her actions. Positive self- talk is
something that is more important than we think it is. One should not
give up when facing a hardship in any phase of life. Life is full of
challenges at every turn and these challenges can be fought by being
hopeful and positive only. The man who wins is the man who
thinks he can. One should not doubt himself/herself. One should
focus on positive actions towards achieving what one wants. There
is a magic being positive.