There is a certain relatability to Kipling’s writing that makes it timeless. Through its swift pace and engaging nature, the poem is a message for everyone to contemplate and reflect how they lead their lives. It talks about holding oneself together and never forgetting where one comes from. It conveys the importance of taking risks and facing loss. The poem then can be seen as a life lesson of sorts. Life is a set of contradictions and one must overcome them to truly become, what Kipling refers to “a Man.” The contradictions vary from keeping one’s calm during a stressful situation to abstract concepts like dreams and their power over an individual’s life. Kipling uses a series of paradoxes to convey a fairly simple message to his son. Ironically, though inspired by the actions of a failed military raid, the poem in its entirety talks about being a ‘virtuous man.’ The poem, first published in Rewards and Fairies (1910), is written in the form of paternal advice to the poet’s son, John. One of his most quoted works, Rudyard Kipling’s ‘If’ was written as a tribute to Leander Starr Jameson.
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