Overview

Every parent wishes the best for his/her child and as they are the first teachers in every child's life, parents teach their children about the ways of the world and try to give them a matured outlook of life through whatever wisdom they have gained over the years, with the earnest hope that their child will gain something valuable from their words and lead a fruitful life of their own. Rudyard Kipling's poem "If" presents a father's perspective — a father teaching his son how to become an ideal human being through a series of conditional "if" statements.

Learning Outcomes: Find out novel ways of thinking to discover answers for queries arising inside; infer the genre of didactic poems in Indian English literature; develop the habit of depending on present rather than groping over the past or unnecessary hankering after the future; validate the guidance and wisdom imparted by the poet.

Section 13.1: Section I (13.1)

If you can keep your head when all about you / Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, / 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, / Or being hated, don't give way to hating, / And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

In times of crisis we often panic and may even try to put the blame on other people or face situations where other people shift their responsibilities on us. In the first "if" scenario, the poet highlights the importance of staying calm even when those around us are not and are shifting their blame on us. "Keeping your head" means maintaining composure and staying calm in the face of chaos or adversity, while "losing one's head" implies succumbing to panic, confusion, or irrational behaviour.

In the second "if" scenario, the poet emphasises self-trust as well as the ability to understand the thoughts and feelings of others. When others doubt your decision, ideally you should "trust yourself" and have confidence in your choices. However, you should also "make allowance for their doubting too" — accept behaviour you would not normally accept because you know why someone has behaved that way.

In today's fast paced world, we have been spoiled with the habit of seeking instant gratification. However, being patient is a virtue and a sign of maturity. Even if we are lied to, we should not stoop to the level of a liar. Even if we are hated, we must not become hateful. We should not appear to be better than we actually are, nor talk in a manner that does not reflect who we are — remain humble and stick to our true selves.

Intext 13.1: Ideal handling of waiting and accusations: wait patiently, avoid lying, and don't give in to hatred (d).

Section 13.2: Section II (13.2)

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master; / If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim; / If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster / And treat those two impostors 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:

We all love to daydream and think about our future. The poet asks us to dream but to not get so caught up in those dreams that we lose touch with our present reality. As for thoughts, he asks us to think and actively work towards those thoughts rather than merely making those thoughts our aim. When the poet says "and not make Dream your master," he means one should not let dreams or ambitions completely control life — pursue dreams but not to the extent they become an obsession or hinder practicality and balance.

Vocabulary: Triumph = Victory; Imposter = one that assumes false identity or title for deception; Knave = a dishonest man. A victory or a loss, none lasts forever. The poet refers to both "Triumph" and "Disaster" as "Imposters" because they both deceitfully prevent us from looking at life from a broader perspective. Triumph can make one overconfident; Disaster can be demoralising. A single failure or a single victory does not decide the end goal — they both are opportunities to learn.

Oftentimes our words can be taken out of context or twisted by dishonest, unscrupulous people (knaves) for their own benefit. When all our hard work meets with failure, "Worn Out Tools" refers to a mind overwhelmed by failure but still having the spirit of getting back up. In the face of failure, the poet advises starting again with determination and without complaining — exhibit resilience and the ability to bounce back after setbacks.

Section 13.3: Section III (13.3)

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 / 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!'

Vocabulary: Pitch-and-Toss = a game in which the player who pitches coins nearest to a mark has first chance at tossing up all the coins played and winning those that fall heads up.

According to the poet, an ideal man is one who can put all of his life's achievements at risk while aiming towards bigger goals. Sometimes taking risks costs us everything we have earned. In such situations we should not lament — prepare to start again from the very beginning. The idea of risking all winnings in Pitch-and-Toss is a metaphor symbolising taking significant risks in life, not literal gambling.

We should never "breathe a word" about our loss — maintain composure and not seek sympathy for failures. At moments of despair, "Will" is the spirit of never giving up against odds. Heart, Sinew and Nerve represent the core elements of inner strength and determination — physical and emotional fortitude. If we have willpower, we can "Hold On" when everything seems against us.

Section 13.4: Section IV (13.4)

If you can talk 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, / And—which is more—you'll be a Man, my son!

Vocabulary: Count with = to support a person.

If we find ourselves in authority we should not lose touch with people under us — remain humble and kind, not arrogant. If interacting with powerful people, we should not pretend to be who we are not to impress or gain favours. We should live with both commoners and kings without losing ourselves — maintain virtue and common touch with both crowds and Kings.

Foes can exploit our weaknesses; well-meaning friends can inadvertently hurt us by becoming overly critical, overly dependent, or exploiting our trust. The poet advises against having people who "count with" us too much — blind support compromises independence; we need critics to keep us answerable.

Time is unforgiving — lost time can never be recovered. "Filling a minute" means making the most of each moment purposefully. Time is the same for everyone; only the "distance" individuals "run" in the same time distinguishes them. The final lines reveal the significance of all the "Ifs" — we can achieve any goal; fulfil every condition and evolve into a mature individual: "Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, / And—which is more—you'll be a Man, my son!"

Appreciation

Rhyme Scheme

A rhyme scheme is a pattern of rhymes at the end of each line. This poem follows the AAABCDCD rhyme scheme in the first stanza. In the other three stanzas, it follows an alternating rhyme — ABABCDCD.

Stanza

A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are four stanzas in this poem. Each stanza comprises eight verses, known as an octave.

Didactic Poem

A didactic poem aims to instruct or teach a moral, philosophical, or practical lesson. The speaker teaches his son what to do and not do to attain the earth. It is a lesson about what is significant in life. Examples: Robert Frost's "The Pauper Witch of Grafton"; Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess"; Dante's "The Divine Comedy"; Burns's "To a Mouse".

Monologue

In a dramatic monologue, a single character addresses a silent listener. "If—" doesn't exactly follow all the rules of a dramatic monologue, but it is similar because it has one speaker giving advice to someone else, as if they are having a conversation.

Literary Devices

Anaphora

A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is repeated at the beginning of verses. The poem shows the use of "If you can" as an anaphora.

Alliteration

Repetition of consonant sounds in the same line — e.g. "treat these two," "With sixty seconds' worth of distance run."

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds in the same line — e.g. the sound of /o/ in "And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise."

Irony

Contradictory meanings of words in different contexts — e.g. "If you can wait and not be tired by waiting" — advice about not being tired by waiting though waiting is quite tiring.

Do You Know

• This poem is written as a tribute to Leander Starr Jameson, a British politician.
• It was first published in "Brother Square Toes," a chapter of his historical fantasy book Rewards and Fairies in 1910.
• The name of the autobiography of Rudyard Kipling is Something of Myself. It was published in 1937.
• Rudyard Kipling was awarded a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907.

What Have You Learnt

• The importance of staying calm and collected in challenging situations like when others are panicking or blaming us.
• Believing in your abilities and decisions is vital.
• It encourages the virtue of waiting patiently, enduring falsehoods, and not succumbing to hatred.
• There should be a balance between ambition and practicality.
• The poem teaches resilience in the face of both triumph and disaster.
• It emphasises honesty and determination.
• Being able to withstand both praise and criticism without being overly affected is highlighted.