A Literary Analysis Of Rudyard Kipling's 'If'

“If” by Rudyard Kipling was published in 1910, and without question, Kipling’s most famous and beloved poem. Moreover, “If” is about a father who is communicating and instilling knowledge to his son on what it takes to become a man. Kipling conveys how one should act and what one should avoid on this path towards manhood or a true leader by using precise style, purposeful repetition, and personal personification. Throughout the poem, Kipling skillfully incorporates a unique style that effectively displays what to and what not to do on becoming a man. To illustrate, “If” is a didactic poem, however, it’s unique because the poem itself is a paradox, but Kipling writes it as a contradiction. To be specific, in the fourth stanza the speaker recommends that his son should be able to “walk with Kings-nor lose the common touch” and let “all men count with you, but none too much.” With this in mind, Kipling uses these lessons to illustrate the intricacy of becoming a man. Another example of Kipling’s style is demonstrated by his spelling in the poem. In the second stanza, …show more content…
Through the repetition of “If”, it adds extra emphasis to each valuable lesson stated it also communicates the concept that decisions and situations are limited. It is all about the individual’s will and determination to face the obstacles. In addition, having the ability to make good decisions that will help them on their path of development. Kipling also uses the repetition of “you” a lot. Using “you” helps the readers feel more connected to poem as if Kipling was addressing them. He does this because he’s trying to emphasize the importance of the individual. Furthermore, Kipling uses repetition to help communicate that of all the lessons in the poem the biggest one is choosing oneself first. In choosing oneself, they need to be able to push themselves outside of their comfort zones so that they grow and