One of the most beloved poems written in the nineteenth century is the inspirational piece, “If” by Rudyard Kipling. It invades the reader’s consciousness in ways that other poems can not duplicate. The ever-lasting idea of the passing on of knowledge and wisdom from one to another is easily noticed and appreciated by readers who are familiar with the ups and downs of parenting, as well as young adults who may be facing some of life’s challenges that are written in the poem. “If” by Rudyard Kipling is touching in its sincerity and is full of humility and warmth which can be appreciated by any reader because they can relate to it.
The importance of self-confidence is greatly stressed in the first four lines of the poem. In the opening stanza of Kipling’s poem, it appears to the reader that the message is being spoken directly to them from an experienced individual:
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, (lines 1-4)
A realistic situation of self-worth found in a person facing the choice to turn from bitterness in the face of another’s wrath, is hard to fathom. The feeling of individuality is full fledged on the reader’s mind and heart after interpreting the words in the first four lines. The continued use of you or your is used several times and has the growing affect of jumping off the page and speaking personally to the reader. There is a direct point about forgiveness in the last line bent on pardoning your foes, and gives a better understanding of how the real world works. It goes against all of human nature to forgive an enemy of a wrong-doing, but Kipling expresses that to make allowan...
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...e poem is not being directed toward them, but to a child. This adds the element of modesty to the poem and readers subconsciously care for this young character and hope he heeds his father’s advice and excels under such direction.
The poem consists of truth and knowledge within the motivational words that enter the core of a reader, broadening integrity and the reader’s outlook on life. “If” inspires readers to strive for that reward mentioned at the end, inheriting all that the world has to offer, and becoming a respectable man or woman. Honest wisdom is gently spoken and the ideas of tenderness and faith which are hidden in the lines of the poem are truly commendable. The benevolence that Kipling touched on throughout the entire poem stirs thoughts within the reader, that a higher nature of unselfishness and not taking every day life for granted can be achieved.
Take note of how the father approached the mistakes made by his son. "I fouled up some screens once, You broke them out with a chair" I feel showed the negative feeling I got when I read the poem. That also makes me believe that it was an apprenticeship. To me parents even if they get upset at something you do, don't go about things in that matter. The son was trying to learn something from his father and rather than explaining and showing the son how to do it correctly or the mistakes he made the father destroys the work. ...
The poem consists of two stanzas, the first in the past, and the second in the present. But the images of conflict in the poem continue, showing how the parent-child relationship hardly changes over time and is still ridden with strain. An uneasy feeling is developed in the poem through the use of enjambment, creating the lack of any rhythm. The absence of a rhyme scheme further adds to this. This could have been done by the Clarke to mirror the uneasy conflict present in the poem between the mother and daughter. However, it could also represent the natural and sporadic emotions of the mother or even a personal experience of the author. The poem is also named “Catrin” after the daughter, but the name is never used in the stanzas. This may have been done to show that the mother and daughter are so close that they do not address each other by their
When the poem is read aloud, the explicit rhyme and rhythm of the lines becomes extremely obvious. In fact, the bouncy rhythm is so uplifting, it occasionally makes the audiences feel like it is too predictable and straight-forward. An example would be “bright with chrysolite”, the word “chrysolite” feels like it is forcefully implemented for the sake of the rhyme. This is somewhat similar to a children’s tale. Most children’s tale as we know it, conveys messages straightforwardly and are easily understood by children, it also has an amiable tone and a merry mood that engages the children 's attention. Similarly, the rhyme and rhythm of this poem is very obvious and explicit, creating a delightful, casual mood that appeals to a young audience. Even though the legend dealt with deep insights about parenting that are intricate and puzzling, the father delivered it in such a gratifying, simple manner that made even the most dark and dreadful matters: like the description of precarious beasts and vicious monsters to sound like a blissful adventure of friendly animals. The sole purpose of this contradiction between the tone and message is to make this seemingly strong and serious topic more tolerable and captivating to the son of the father. Unsensible, impulsive youth is very similar to restless children, a long insipid lecture about deep insights is very difficult for them to buy into. In the same time, a harsh, threatening warning will only make them obey unwillingly, and creating a doubtful relationship will make them uncomfortable to communicate or appeal to their parents. Clearly, the percipient father recognized the ineffectiveness of these unsuitable parenting methods. Instead, he conveyed the message in a uncomplicated, friendly way that made his son to accept his teachings more comfortably. A
I have elected to analyze seven poems spoken by a child to its parent. Despite a wide variety of sentiments, all share one theme: the deep and complicated love between child and parent.
... overall themes, and the use of flashbacks. Both of the boys in these two poems reminisce on a past experience that they remember with their fathers. With both poems possessing strong sentimental tones, readers are shown how much of an impact a father can have on a child’s life. Clearly the two main characters experience very different past relationships with their fathers, but in the end they both come to realize the importance of having a father figure in their lives and how their experiences have impacted their futures.
During the poem the speaker does not address his readers. The readers are simply overhearing a man assessing the society in which he lives as he daydreams about what is could be and yet what it is not. It is evident that his goal is to get the readers to look down upon this society which is so caught up in daily routine; prohibiting anyone from having freedom of imagination. This detachment that is created between the speaker and his readers incorporated with the boring monotone at the very beginning of the poem gives the readers a negative impression of the society before they begin to analyze the actual words of the poem.
The poem is written in the father’s point of view; this gives insight of the father’s character and
Welch opens the story with this line to show a relationship between the narrator's feelings of worthlessness and the worthlessness of his environment. In addition, the author melodically begins the novel in a somber manner ? so the reader may immediately adjust to the tone encompassing the story.
enable us to understand the moral of the poem. Which is work hard and you will receive you goals and never give up.
¨If¨ by Rudyard Kipling and ¨Girl¨ by Jamaica Kincaid are both letters to a child written by their parents in the form of a poem. In the letters the parents set expectations the child is expected to follow in the future. They are very similar with some differences. The goal of this essay is to compare and contrast the two texts.
The speaker reflects on the teenage girl’s childhood as she recalls the girl played with “dolls that did pee-pee” (2). This childish description allows the speaker to explain the innocence of the little girl. As a result, the reader immediately feels connected to this cute and innocent young girl. However, the speaker’s diction evolves as the girl grew into a teenager as she proclaims: “She was healthy, tested intelligent, / possessed strong arms and back, / abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity” (7-9). The speaker applies polished language to illustrate the teen. This causes the reader not only to see the girl as an adult, but also to begin to grasp the importance of her situation. The speaker expresses what the bullies told this girl as she explains: “She was advised to play coy, / exhorted to come on hearty” (12-13). The sophisticated diction shifts towards the girl’s oppressors and their cruel demands of her. Because of this, the reader is aware of the extent of the girl’s abuse. The speaker utilizes an intriguing simile as she announces: “Her good nature wore out / like a fan belt” (15-16). The maturity of the speaker’s word choice becomes evident as she uses a simile a young reader would not understand. This keeps the mature reader focused and allows him to fully understand the somberness of this poem. The speaker concludes the poem as she depicts the teenage girl’s appearance at her funeral: “In the casket displayed on satin she lay / with the undertaker’s cosmetics painted on” (19-20). The speaker elects not to describe the dead girl in an unclear and ingenuous manner. Rather, she is very clear and
if the minor details were not taken into consideration. The literary device ; connotation and imagery supports the figurative meaning of the poem very well. However, this poem could be considered as an irony in today's world. The theme; feelings are more important than wisdom in life is just another way of saying the thoughts are less important than the feeling that are being produced. The wisdom is just a minor detail and if we consider it, the feeling that are produced will be ignored. The poem literally talks about a man expressing his love to his beloved women. This poem is in a stanzaic form with a total number of 16 lines. It is a wonderful poem that makes the readers think about the life they are living.
The choice of words of the author also contributes to the development of the theme. For example, the use of words like "drafty," "half-heartedly," and "half-imagined" give the reader the idea of how faintly the dilemma was perceived and understood by the children, thus adding to the idea that the children cannot understand the burden the speaker has upon herself. In addition, referring to a Rembrandt as just a "picture" and to the woman as "old age," we can see that these two symbols, which are very important to the speaker and to the poem, are considered trivial by the children, thus contributing to the concept that the children cannot feel what the speaker is feeling.
“If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” –Rudyard Kipling. Rudyard Kipling was born on December 30, 1865 at Bombay, India. Kipling spent the first six years of his idyllic life in India until his family moved back to England in 1871. After six months of living in England his parents abandoned him and his three year old sister, leaving them with the Holloway family, which in turn mistreated him physically and psychologically, this left him with a sense of betrayal and scars mentally, but it was then Kipling started to grow a love for literature. Between 1878 and 1882 he attended the United Services College at Westward Ho in north Devon. The College was a new and very rough boarding school where, nearsighted and physically frail, he was once again teased and bullied, but where, nevertheless, he developed fierce loyalties. In 1882 Kipling returned to India, where he spent the next seven years working in various capacities as a journalist and editor. Kipling also started writing about India itself and the Anglo-Indian society, This is where Kipling's admiration began to one day be a part of the British military. By 1890 Kipling returned to England and was a well know poet as well as an author. Kipling was the highest paid poet of his time by the age of 32. Rudyard Kipling’s incredible support for the British war effort caused his poems, such as Boots, The Last of the Light Brigade, and Tommy, to convey the theme that soldiers are rarely seen as heroes until freedom is at stake.
He is saying that poetry should always educate a child or an adult. He also says that