IF by Rudyard Kipling -- a note of appreciation - by Varsha Laiju Kappen

 The poem 'If ' written by the acclaimed author Rudyard Kipling is a beautiful piece which explains  the attributes of an 'ideal person'. It is portrayed as the poet's advice to his son. The poet goes to great lengths to describe the traits of the 'perfect' man. 

The poem overflows with the softness of a father's love. The wisdom and experience of the poet is reflected throughout his writing. The poem begins with a father telling his son about composure and self-confidence. The lines further continue to compare the uniqueness of a perfect man to the common negativity of the people around him. The extremely contrasting characters of the ideal man and all the others around him differ so much, which by itself makes the role of the protagonist seemingly difficult to play. Kipling continues to explain evils like hatred and untruth and why one has to keep off. He illustrates the need for dreams and thoughts, but maintains a view that one must not be too extreme in character. The indifference that one must maintain between triumph and disaster is also pointed out by him. The following stanzas expound on the willpower of man. Throughout the last paragraph, the importance of humility is made evident. Kipling chooses this instance to conclude with the value of time, as he beautifully quotes it as the "unforgiving minute". He says that if the conditions construed in the poem are satisfied, any person can become a man, an ideal man. 

The poem is rich with poetic devices inclusive of metaphors (example: "walk with kings" - the word "kings" is a metaphor of power) and various instances of personification (example: "and treat those two impostors just the same" - where triumph and disaster are personified). Numerous images like "never breathe a word" and "twisted by knaves" contribute to the poem's beauty. The rhyme scheme is abab. The poet has also taken care to attribute certain contrasting conditions within the piece. The poem, by itself, is a simple one containing a lot of hidden meaning in the deeper sense. It has an extravagant rhythm and literary devices like alliteration and assonance is reflected in abundance throughout the poem. Anaphora (example: in the first two lines, the word "you" is repeated) and synecdoche (example: heart, nerve and sinew) are seen in plenty. The poem is relevant irrespective of the boundaries of time. It develops through a series of paradoxes and advocates for the 'middle path'. The poet also creates a plethora of vivid, graphic and evocative imagery which allures readers of all walks of life.

...an appreciation by Varsha Laju Kappen , XI B