If Rudyard Kipling Poem Analysis

In 1896, after being inspired by the raid, Kipling composed a poem titled If-, which instantly drew much attention and admiration in Great Britain. As a matter of fact, the poem itself has been rewritten and printed in a multitude of languages throughout the years. This instructive piece of poetry contains a diversity of themes; three of the major themes being masculinity, leadership and defeat. Although the poem was composed in 1896, it was not until 1910 that it was published in a book called Rewards and Fairies, which contained historical daydreams and fantasies written also by Kipling himself. The simplistic title is not very informative about the contents of the poem itself. It is rather enigmatic because it instantly perplexes its …show more content…
Not one woman is mentioned throughout the entirety of the poem. These are most likely the reasons for the poem having such a strong theme of masculinity. Strength was said to be a "man 's virtue". "Take it like a man" is a saying that can be interpreted as to conceal feelings. Men are much more personal and often do not show their true emotions. In the poem, it is stated to "watch the things you gave your life to, broken, and stoop and build 'em up with worn out tools" (Kipling 15-16). Even though a man may be upset about a situation, perhaps something that he dedicated his life to, be strong, don 't get upset, act like a "man" and attempt to fix the situation at hand. An alliteration is also made using the adjectives "worn out" to describe a man 's tools, meaning that he does a lot of hard, laborious work. Although the poem does offer other good words of advice, they seem to only apply to …show more content…
Therefore, defeat and misfortune are a few more themes which are visible throughout the poem. Money, relationships and things that life are dedicated to may end in such ways. These losses may be upsetting, and life may seem unfair at times, but they are just another part of life, which does go on. Kipling does not lament over these defeats, but uses them to explain that that is just how things work. Lines 11-12, "If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two imposters just the same", can be used to personify the successes and misfortunes of life. "Keep your head" and "trust yourself" when these situations present themselves (Kipling