Study of the poem "IF" by Rudyard Kipling

Study of the poem "IF" by Rudyard Kipling

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 19 th and 20 th 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 K ipling, 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.