If—

In his poem “If,” Rudyard Kipling uses many literary devices. Five of them are rhyme, rhythm, anaphora, paradox, personification, and hyperbole. The poem uses a regular ABAB CDCD rhyme scheme in...

The full quote is as follows: If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spokenTwisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,And stoop and build ’em up...

Many literary devices fall under the category of "figure of speech," which previous Educators have identified in preceding answers. This answer will call attention to those figures of speech in...

When you are trying to understand lines from “If,” by Rudyard Kipling, you have to remember that this poem is meant as advice from a father to his son. The father is saying “if you can be/do all...

The poem is a father defining for his son the qualities of a good man.. He is setting the parameters or boundaries for his son and giving him a goal to achieve. The poem deals with life’s...

Rudyard Kipling's "If—" is a counsel of perfection which is filled with exhortations to virtue. Some of the moral values he recommends are as follows: Calmness and Stoicism: These are emphasized...

I think the other educators have given some excellent instruction in the poetic devices in this poem, so I want to offer just a few more things. First, I think it's important when determining how...

This poem by Rudyard Kipling utilizes a fairly common convention of personifying virtues and ills, but in this case, describing both "Triumph" and "Disaster" as "two impostors" whom a real man must...

"If" is filled with advice on how to best spend your time, and best react in each situation that is presented to you, no matter how diverse it is. So, when Kipling states, "If you can fill the...

Rudyard Kipling's poem titled "If--" is a list of conditionals expressing ways to behave in order to be the best possible human being, a real "Man, my son!" For example, using the collective "you,"...

"If—" is a timeless poem by Rudyard Kipling which is full of instruction in how to evolve into true adulthood or the best version of one's self. The context of this section of advice reads as...

Rudyard Kipling's poem "If—" reflects aspects of traditional British stoicism, which is to say, the longstanding cultural honoring of repressing one's emotions or reactions in social situations....

The famous poem "If—" by Rudyard Kipling was ostensibly written by the poet to his son John, but the tone of the poem is that of an authority figure in general instructing a person or persons under...

According to the eNotes guide on the work, it is "a didactic poem, a work meant to give instruction. In this case, “If” serves as an instruction in several specific traits of a good leader." So...

What a wonderful guide for how to handle all of life’s confusing situations! This is a manual for behavior written in 1896 that still applies to life in 2013. Kipling intended this poem to inspire...

In the poem "If," the author writes a didactic poem. He uses illustrations to give lessons to live by. The speaker is teaching his son lessons in life. If the son will follow the speakers...

When you paraphrase someone else's words (like those in a poem), it means you express their full meaning in your own words. It's different from summarizing. Paraphrasing means you keep all of the...

In this four-stanza poem, the speaker explains to his son how to behave like a "Man." The poem was written by a middle-class Englishman in 1895, at the height of Britain's power as a vast empire...

In this poem, the narrator is advising his son on how to face life if he wants to be a "Man." This involves, first, expecting disillusionment. The young men needs to hang on to his level-headed...

As Rudyard Kipling portrays in his poem "If," there are many qualities that go into being a "man." In the first stanza of his poem, Kipling says that a man needs to be able to "keep (his) head...

The values of the poem are old-fashioned, conservative, and even aristocratic. Kipling comes by all these values honestly. Recall that he was born in British India and spent parts of his life in...

In the third stanza of "If," the author continues building his list of "conditions" for being a man. Specifically, in this stanza he addresses the importance of endurance, even in the face of...

Alliteration is repetition of initial consonant sounds that come in words that are in close proximity to each other. Here is an example of alliteration from the poem "If": "If you can talk with...

Personification is the attribution of human-like traits to nonhuman subjects. Sometimes writers use personification to describe inanimate objects or nonhuman animals. In this poem, Kipling applies...

There are several life lessons taught in Rudyard Kipling's famous poem "If." For, this poem, addressed to Kipling's son, is a paean to the stoicism characteristic of the British of the Victorian...

Alliteration is a device wherein a writer juxtaposes two or more words beginning with the same letter to draw emphasis or create a sense of cohesion. There are several examples of this in "If" by...

The poem "If" is a didactic poem. It teaches a lesson about life. The speaker in the poem is instructing his son on what to do and not do to obtain or inherit the earth while he becomes a man. The...

This particular line in Kipling's poem helps to bring out the notion of developing character within the individual. The ability to "walk with kings" refers to the idea of being able to achieve the...

The first line of the poem: “If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;” means that people should not let their dreams control their lives, but should be in charge of their own destinies....

A perfect man, according to Kipling, is one who has character. Good character makes you a man. Kipling refers to being a man as having confidence, because he knew he was the best person he could...

If you can keep your head when all about youAre losing theirs and blaming it on you; These are two of the most famous lines of poetry in the English language. Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If” finds a...

In the first stanza, Kipling uses this rhyme scheme: AAAABCBC A: you, you, you, too B: waiting, hating C: lies, wise In the second stanza, Kipling uses this rhyme scheme: DEDEFGFG D: master,...

Line 31 of “If” reads thus: “Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it.” The speaker is declaring to his son that if he can succeed in being and doing all the things outlined previously in...

The poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling is a lyric poem. Lyric poetry is defined as poetry which emphasizes musical qualities and encompasses a "spontaneous overflow of emotions." This poem emphasizes...

"If" by Rudyard Kipling was said to be inspired by Sir Leander Starr Jameson, who led the British to overthrow the Boer government in 1895. This didactic poem focuses on the virtues of manhood and...

"When all men doubt you," you need to "trust yourself." The poet asks you to be confident and brave enough to face criticism and disapproval from others. Not always will others' opinion about you...

In the poem "If" by Kipling, the speaker states that we should treat the two imposters the same: If you can meet with triumph and disaster And treat those two imposters just the same; The speaker...

The classic "If" is Kipling's wonderful contribution to the genre of inspirational poetry. The first stanza, with its admonitions to "keep your head" and "make allowances" is an amazingly concise...

"If," by Rudyard Kipling, is regarded as his most famous poem. The poem is, essentially, an informative poem. Kipling's poem is meant to teach readers how to be good leaders. Kipling, instead of...

In Rudyard Kipling’s piece of didactic poetry “If,” he is speaking to his only son, John. In the poem, he addresses his son as “you,” while he provides instruction on becoming a man of virtue. He...

It is perhaps not completely realistic to expect four stanzas of poetry to serve as a complete guide to behavior for all people everywhere in the world. This poem was written in 1895, in part in...

Rudyard Kipling is teaching his son how to be a virtuous man and a leader in his poem “If.” In the 25th and 26th lines of the poem he writes, If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,...

The poem “If” by Rudyard Kipling has a timeless appeal as the poet conveys wisdom from father to son. Written in 1895, the poem has enjoyed popularity since it was first published. The poem would...

The advice provided in stanza three fits in with the theme of the poem, which is to advise a young man of the qualities he has to strive for and acquire in order to become a morally upright and...

"If" is a father's advice to his son about how to live his life so as to achieve the respect of others and, more importantly, a high standard of self-worth in society. The advice is given as a...

"Triumph" and "disaster" are two opposite situations of life. One confronts both in his or her life. Both are fleeting in nature as neither of these two lasts forever. By "triumph," the poet means...