When you were a child did you ever wonder why things were the way they were;

why
something had meaning? My name is Pranav and I will be discussing the central themes of
the poem ‘If’.
The poem ‘If’ by Rudyard Kipling resonates with each one of us with its meaning ever-
apparent in this modern age of laziness and despair. Central themes of the poem are the
themes of masculinity and the dual nature of life. The former of these is an incredibly central
part of the poem. The poem is spoken by a father to his son, teaching values needed if he
wanted to be a good man, even in hopelessness. According to the father, his son must abide
by certain unwritten rules to become a “man”. The poet praises qualities attributed to
traditional masculinity like strength and the British ideal of “stiff upper-lip”, which in the
contemporary setting will signify qualities like tolerance and dependability.
The themes of moderation and level-headedness are also apparent in this poem. He does not
expect his son to be saintly, but wants him to lead a life of moderation and balance. He wants
his son to learn where to draw a line. He wants his son to think for himself even when
everyone around him has descended to lunacy. He wants his son not to heed the words of
people who want to bring him down, instead wants him to stay level-headed and not speak
unnecessarily as his own words can be twisted against him.
He wants his son to set goals, but not let those goals define him. He wants his son not to boast
excessively when faced with triumph and also not despair in the face of disaster. He calls
these two impostors as they are only temporary phases. He wants him to stay in the path of
righteousness and not deal with lies or spread hatred.
He tells us that even in the face of hardship, we can deal with it and live life normally. We are
the masters of our own fate. He tells us even if we lose everything we ever worked for, we
can get it back if we swallow our grief and stay persistent.
If we can keep our roots when we are with the noble and surrounded with fame, if we are
unaffected by those closest to us or those who hate us, if we can make use of every second
that has been given to us, then, only then will we truly mature into the best version of
ourselves.
I hope that we can apply the ideas expressed in the poem to make this world a better place.
Thank you.