A critical analysis on the Poem entitled “If”

by Runyard Kipling

The Poem “If” was written by Runyard Kipling an English Journalist, short story writer,
poet, and novelist. At the age of 41 he was awarded the English Nobel Prize in Literature which
makes him the first and youngest British writer to win the prize. Many of his poems are well
known from the year 19th century to 20th century in England. The poem has four stanzas, which
each of the stanzas defines the truth and lessons about life, dreams, difficulties and one’s
personality.
This critical analysis will mainly focus on the literary devices and sound devices that we
can determine in the poem. The author addresses his poem to his son which we can read in the
last sentence of the stanza; “you’ll be a man, my son!” or the author might want to teach young
people and even to those who are grown how we should handle ourselves in different aspects
in our lives.
The author used literary devices the personification which inanimate objects are given
life like in the third stanza, “If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew to serve your turn
long after they are gone.” Forcing your heart and nerve and sinew are impossible that could
happen, what it really means is to make them independent individuals and wait for their turn.
Another form of personification is from the second paragraph, “Or watch the things you gave
your life to broken and stoop and build them up with worn out tools”. This means even things
in your life don’t work out, then you must rebuild and keep going. The author also uses
synecdoche like in the first line of the poem, “If you can keep your head when all about you are
losing theirs and blaming it on you”. The line “keep your head” which means to calm. The sound
devices that the author used is the assonance, in the second paragraph it is stated “If you can
bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken”. He also used a rhyme like “If you can trust yourself when
all men doubt you, but make allowance for their doubting too” it has the repetition of sound at
the end. Another sound device he used is the anaphora. The poem starts with the word “If”
every beginning of the sentences.
 After reading and doing the analysis to this poem, it gives me a great realization in life,
being independent, my dreams and keeping strong every circumstance that may come because
no one will help you in this world but yourself. This has been very influential and yet will help us
in molding ourselves to become a better person that will also guide us in our journey towards
our success.