The first stanza wastes no time in setting up the if-then scenario. Kipling makes this a very personal poem by his use of the pronoun “you.” In fact, one could even interpret that the poem is Kipling talking to himself or giving himself a pep talk. The speaker of the poem, presumably Kipling, keeps a positive and upbeat tone throughout the work, informing the reader what he or she needs to do in order to be a successful person in life. In terms of meter, the poem is written in iambic pentameter, with five feet consisting of an unstressed and then a stressed syllable. Each stanza has a set rhyme scheme of ababcdcd, with the exception of the first stanza, which has the following rhyme scheme: aaaabcbc. Rudyard Kipling separates his poem into four stanzas of equal length, all of which contain eight lines.
He helps this young man try to understand what it takes to be successful in life and how to handle defeat when it occurs, which, the speaker says, it certainly will. The “inspirational” part of this poem comes from the speaker’s motivational message for the young listener. The speaker celebrates attributes that are traditionally masculine, like strength, while also, in a contemporary setting, raising questions in regard to what role women have to play in society. From the speaker’s point of view, there are very specific things the young listener has to do to become a man. The first of these is incredibly central to the poem. In ‘If-,’ Kipling engages with themes of masculinity and success/defeat. Kipling leaves the “then” until the final two lines, revealing to the reader that if he or she is able to do all that was just mentioned, he or she will not only have the world at his or her fingertips, but he or she will also be a “Man.” The poem has an almost mathematical proof about it with its if-then scenario.
Throughout the poem, the speaker gives the reader multiple scenarios, both positive and negative, along with a glimpse into how one should conduct oneself. The poem takes the reader through various ways in which the reader can rise above adversity that will almost certainly be thrown one’s way at some point.
‘ If- ‘ is an inspirational poem that provides advice on how one should live one’s life.
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