Divyansha sodhi asked 7 years ago
What are the qualities the poet talks about in the poem ‘If ‘by Rudyard Kipling? Or, Summarize Kipling’s advice to his son. Or, Can you give a brief summary of the poem ‘If’? Or, What are the virtues that are worthy of praise according to the poet?
The list of qualities desired in Kipling’s poem ‘If’ is rather a long one. According to the poet the following qualities can ‘make a man’ —
A man should keep his calm in difficult situations. Self-belief in one’s own ability and integrity is important. Being truthful in any circumstance is a virtue. Hate is not the way to go. And one should not by showy or arrogant for possessing all these good qualities.
We have to dream bigger and think deeply without getting detached from the reality. We should be indifferent to success and failure, knowing ‘Triumph and Disaster are two impostors‘. We should also possess the mental strength to bear with any situation in life — especially hearing someone twisting our words in their favour and seeing something, which we gave our life to, broken. Not only that, we have to build them up from the beginning again.
One should have the courage and determination to take big risks for good reasons. And if he loses, he should not utter a word about the loss but start all over again. Moreover, a strong Will for carrying on can force our body to continue even in the old age. This is all about the toughness of character that makes a man successful.
Be social and stay in touch with men from different corners of the society — walk with Kings, nor lose the common touch. Behave well with people, even with enemies. And be careful so that neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you and make you weak and sad. Realizing the value of time and utilizing it wisely is vital for success.
The poet has stated these qualities in four stanzas of his poem. According to him, if one can possess all these qualities, one can win this world, and what is more, one can be a perfect human being. Here is the detailed analysis of the poem ‘If-‘.
According to the poet a man should have a clear head, belief in himself, patience, honesty, forgiveness, intelligence, modesty, tolerance and should live to the fullest.
To be a man, one should be able to dream and yet have his feet firmly planted on the ground; one should think but not make thoughts his aim ; one should be able to meet success and failure with equanimity; one should be able to face the truth he has spoken twisted by people; one should be able to see the things that he lives for , shattered without flinching and stooping to build up the broken pieces with resilience. One should not waste even a single minute. All these attributes makes a person a ‘Man’.
According to poet the man should have a clear mind, self belief, Patience, honesty, forgiveness, intelligence, modesty, tolerance and should live to the fullest.