Manhood and Leadership

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       Joseph Rudyard Kipling is one of the prominent English poets. He is a journalist who writes short stories and novels as well. “He was born in India and best known by his stories and poems of British soldiers in India”, besides, his tales for children. Most notably, “he won the Nobel Prize in Literature 1907” for his remarkable works and inspirational talent (Britannica).


“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” (Kipling)


      These lines are provided by Rudyard Kipling in his poem “If”. He wrote it in 1909 when he was living in Great Britain. This poem is a companion piece of the children’s story “Brother Square Toes” which demonstrates the traits of a good leader, pointing George Washington as a role model during his presidency in the French Revolution. It is generally written for boys to provide them with advice about the virtues of a role model and guidelines to follow in order to be a man. 

        This poem is considered didactic based on its form; it uses if-then structure to portray the positive consequences of following the provided guidelines. It is rich of paradoxes and self-contradictory statements typically advising the reader toward two extremes of behavior. Furthermore, Kipling used slang, conversational, and everyday language to convey the exact meaning in order to avoid puzzling the children. 

        Throughout his novel, Kipling presented various valuable guidelines the reader must put in consideration. It includes the following pieces of advice: 

• Develop power to start from scratch

• Be a dreamer but never allow your dreams to master

• Accept triumph and failure as well

• Never give up

• Take the risk and be adventurous

• Stay balanced and deal with the ups and downs

• Learn from your mistakes 

      To sum up, “If” is a highly appreciated piece of work by Kipling that carries numerous crucial instructions which falls under the theme of manhood and leadership. Additionally, keeping the messages provided by Kipling as a reference whenever you feel that everything has come to an end would be extremely sufficient and helpful.

Work Cited

Kipling, Rudyard. “Rudyard Kipling.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rudyard-Kipling. 

Kipling, Rudyard. “If- by Rudyard Kipling.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46473/if---.

Comments

  1. Salma RedaDecember 10, 2021 at 12:14 PM

    What a great choice!
    I like the way he is voicing moderation by asking the boys to balance between two extremes. He is really aware of the human nature and how people, especially teenagers, tend to exaggerate their feelings.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nour HamedDecember 10, 2021 at 12:35 PM

      It is an extremely inspirational poem. Kipling has transferred his messages in a loose manner utilizing everyday language to grasp teenager’s focus and attention.

      Delete
  2. Mariam Mohamed HosnyDecember 10, 2021 at 12:26 PM

    I second that Kipling's message is extremely important and helps you to be hopeful again. On the other hand, it is very disappointing that the message is excluding girls and mainly directed to boys. I believe it is not odd at that time to do such a thing, but it still dissatisfies me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nour HamedDecember 10, 2021 at 12:38 PM

      I agree with you. However, this is how it used to work in the past. Girls are now given a greater attention; they can also read this poem and get benefit from its advices.

      Delete
  3. FarahemadDecember 11, 2021 at 9:05 AM

    Rudyard Kipling highlighted important values and qualities that we miss in our society to develop a new generation who knows what responsibility means.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nour HamedDecember 11, 2021 at 12:45 PM

      Alright!
      Teaching those values to children will guarantee building an aware generation.

      Delete
  4. Fatema MuhammadDecember 23, 2021 at 7:58 AM

    This is a wonderful poem. It really encourages children to be strong and teaches them to overcome their own challenges.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nour HamedDecember 31, 2021 at 4:01 PM

      I second that; besides, teaching it in schools will be really beneficial for building an aware generation.

      Delete

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