RUDYARD KIPLING

an English short-story writer, poet, and novelist.

one of the most popular writers in England, in both prose and verse, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

He is regarded as a major innovator in the art of short stories.

Joseph Rudyard Kipling  

Born on December 30, 1865 in Bombay, India

Mother: Alice MacDonald Kipling

Father: John Lockwood Kipling

Joseph Rudyard Kipling  

Head of the Department of Architectural Sculpture at the Jeejeebhoy School of Art in Bombay.

At the age of 6, he was sent to

Southsea, England where he attended

school and lived with a foster family,

the Holloways.

Joseph Rudyard Kipling  

By the age of 11, Kipling was on the

verge of a nervous breakdown.In 1882, Kipling was told by his parents

that they didn’t have enough money to

send him to college.1889 met Wolcott Balestier, an

American agent and publisher who

quickly became one of Kipling's great

friends and supporters. 

1890, Kipling ‘s star power started to

grow.

Along with that is the time when he met

Caroline, his wife.

1891, Eight days after his return to

England, Kipling and Caroline married.

1893, his first daughter, Josephine

was born, and a second daughter,

Elise (born in 1896). Then his third

child, John, his only son, was born in

1897.

1899, his first daughter was gravely

ill with pneumonia and died.

Kipling never recovered from her death

and vowed never to return to America.

The Tragedy of Kipling’s Son

Kipling's son John died in the First World War, at

the Battle of Loos in September 1915, at age

18. John had initially wanted to join the Royal Navy,

but having had his application turned down after a

failed medical examination due to poor eyesight.

January 18, 1936 Kipling suffered from a painful ulcer, which eventually took his life.

CAREERPoet, essayist, novelist, journalist, and writer of

short stories.Worked as a journalist for Civil and Military

Gazette, Lahore, India, 1882-89; assistant editor and overseas correspondent for

the Allahabad Pioneer, Allahabad, India, 1887-89; associate editor and correspondent for The

Friend,  Bloemfontein, South Africa, 1900, covering the Boer War.

Rector of University of St. Andrews, 1922- 25.

WORKS

Plain Tales from the Hills (1888)

American Notes (1891)

Barrack-Room Ballads (1892)

The Jungle Book (1894)

The Seven Seas (1896)

The Day’s Work (1898)

"If—"

Rudyard Kipling

 first published in Rewards and Fairies, 1910. 

The poem is inspired by Leander Starr Jameson, and is written in the form of paternal advice to the poet's son.

"Britain's favorite poem."

 The poem has become such an

integral part of British culture

that officials at Wimbledon's All

England Lawn Tennis and Croquet

Club had a couplet from the

poem inscribed above the

entryway to Centre Court.

“If—”Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you AAre losing theirs and blaming it on you; BIf you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, ABut make allowance for their doubting too; BIf you can wait and not be tired by waiting, COr, being lied about, don't deal in lies, DOr, being hated, don't give way to hating, CAnd yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise; D

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master; AIf you can think - and not make thoughts your aim; BIf you can meet with triumph and disaster AAnd treat those two imposters just the same; BIf you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken CTwisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, DOr watch the things you gave your life to, broken, CAnd stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools; D

If you can make one heap of all your winnings AAnd risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, BAnd lose, and start again at your beginnings AAnd never breathe a word about your loss; BIf you can force your heart and nerve and sinew CTo serve your turn long after they are gone, DAnd so hold on when there is nothing in you CExcept the Will which says to them: "Hold on"; D

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, AOr walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch; BIf neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you; AIf all men count with you, but none too much; BIf you can fill the unforgiving minute CWith sixty seconds' worth of distance run, DYours is the Earth and everything that's in it, CAnd—which is more—you'll be a Man my son! D

STRUCTURE4 stanzas with 8 lines

11 and 10 syllables rotating

Rhyme Scheme of ABABCDCD

One complete stop at the end of the poem with the use of an exclamation mark (!).

Has parts with enjambments and caesurae.

• Didactic poem • Closed form

• Octameter

STYLEDidactic Poetry, is instructional poetry. The poet expected the reader to learn skills, science, philosophy, love, crafts, etc. from the didactic verses

Closed form poetry, also known as fixed form, consists of poems that follow patterns of lines, meter, rhymes and stanzas.

Octameter, a line of eight metrical feet.

Analysis

Who’s being referred to?

Who’s speaking?

If you can keep your head when all about youAre losing theirs and blaming it on you;

If you can keep your head means to remain calm, collected and composed.

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you -  one should be able to maintain his composure even when faced with harsh criticism from those around him.

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,But make allowance for their doubting too;

If all men around us

doubt our honesty

and integrity, we should not lose our

self-esteem or self-

confidence.

At the same time, we should take into consideration other people’s sights and try our best to tolerate opposing views.

"Look bro, if you can somehow act calmer and collected, and can believe in yourself, even when everybody else is losing it, well then…"

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,The lines

advise patience, honesty, and fortitude of character.

People may doubt your honesty but you should be patient and tolerant to wait for the truth to emerge.

Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,And yet don't look too good, nor talk

too wise.Advises fortitude of character

In behaving righteously, a person must avoid smugness.

If you can dream -- and not make dreams your master;

If you can think -- and not make thoughts your aim;A consummate

man will always have his dreams, which is his noble ideals, with which he wishes to make the world a better place.

But being a sophisticated person, a man of the world, he should not allow his ideals to master or control his thoughts and action completely.

If you can meet with triumph and disasterAnd treat those two imposters just the

same;

If you can manage to face both success and misfortune,

And act the same way in each case then…“Impostors” – neither one lasts forever

- both are short-lived

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spokenTwisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

You can speak with all the truth you want, but there will always be rascals around who will twist it to mean whatever they want and use it for their own ends.

Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,

And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools;If you can watch everything you dedicated your life to shattered, and yet still manage to pick up the pieces then…

If you can make one heap of all your winningsAnd risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

Symbolizes willingness to risk everything on a venture.

The need for complete detachment with which an individual should regard both profit and loss, neither of which is permanent.

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breathe a word about your loss;

When you risk everything at a single throw at a hopeful gain and loses everything you have achieved you should not be disheartened.

Earn, take chances, lose, be quiet about it, and move on.

On the contrary, you should launch again, with full passion and without any complaint, from the start to restructure your accomplishments and reclaim your loses.

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in youExcept the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

You should compel your spirit, courage and strength, (heart and nerve and sinew) to assist you and make the utmost effort to restore your achievements.

Even if everything is lost, you should not lose your passion.

You should stand firm on your ideals and be determined to carry on with untiring efforts to fulfill your dreams

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with kings -- nor lose the common touch; If you can talk with many

people and still keep your ethics, or hang with kings but still keep your connection with the common folks then…

“KINGS” and CROWDS symbolize two societal extremes.

To hang with both groups but not to be swayed by either.

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If all men support you or find you important, but none of them too much…

Be strong, impervious to potential harm.

Allow neither friends nor enemies to harm you.

If you can fill the unforgiving minuteWith sixty seconds' worth of distance run --

Unforgiving minute is a way of saying, “you only got sixty seconds in a minute” no more, no less.

Carpe Diem! Distance run

is a long way to take.

Run as far as you can with that short span of time.Make everything worth the run.

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,And -- which is more -- you'll be a Man my son!

If the addressee can do everything just described (not give into hate, risk his money and lose it and not complain, talk to kings and crowds just the same, inspire people just enough)…

… then the earth, and everything in it, will be his.

And, even better ("which is more"), he will be a man.

Who’s being referred to?

Who’s speaking? A father

His sonTo young readers

About the poem- A dissertation on the virtues of a good

leader and exemplary manhood.- The poem celebrates stoicism, fortitude, and righteousness as the hallmark of manliness.- From the poem we can observe that there is much truth and wisdom within those motivational words given.

Subject MatterManhood

Leadership

Ideal Characteristics

Attitude towards life

TimeDreams

Patience

Poetic DevicesAlliterationdon’t deal (1st

stanza, 6th line) for fools (2nd stanza, 6th line)

with worn-out (2nd stanza, 8th line)

sixty seconds (4th stanza, 6th line)

treat those two (2nd stanza, 4th line)

Poetic DevicesPersonificationTriumph and

DisasterWillUnforgiving minute

Poetic DevicesParadox

Almost every line is an example of paradox.Kipling says do this,

without doing that.An example is, “If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim”If you’re aiming to think, how can you not

make thoughts your aim?

Poetic DevicesPolysyndetonIt is the use of conjunctions in rapid

succession instead of punctuation marks…heart and nerve and sinew

Poetic DevicesAsyndeton Omission of conjunctions that

ordinarily join coordinate words or clauses.

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

Poetic DevicesHyperb

ole“Yours is the Earth and everything in it”

Poetic DevicesMetonymy “Or walk with kings – nor lose the

common touch”

Poetic DevicesAnaphora Repetition of a word/s or expression

at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, sentences, or verses. “If you can…”

Poetic DevicesMetaphor A word or phrase for one thing that is used to refer

to another thing in order to show that they are similar.If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, (2nd stanza, lines 1-2)

Worn-out tools (2nd stanza, 8th line) refer to the feeling of total exhaustion that can force someone to give up. 

Poetic DevicesSymbol

A symbol represents an idea.

Knaves represent scoundrels, liars or conman. Crowds symbolize the common folk/people. Kings represent the important people in society. Common touch represents humility.

ThemeFollow your

dreams but have a realistic approach

Know the value of

self-worth without

being TOO proud of

your own qualities.