The Theme Of Themes In Rudyyard Kipling's 'If'

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“If”
In his poem “If,” Rudyard Kipling is writing to his son, John, about the most important virtues that a good human being possesses. Through the years of his life, Kipling often traveled around the U.S., and sometimes to other countries. In his travels, Kipling met one of his greatest friends, Leander Starr Jameson, a colonial politician. It is believed that, although it was addressed to Kipling’s son, “If” was actually about Jameson. By using themes Kipling saw in his friend Jameson, such as humility and stoicism, the speaker shows the reader a set of virtues that show what the characteristics that are necessary to being a decent human being.
When looking into the first stanza, we can see that the speaker is trying to show the importance of the reader’s reactions it times of despair. He is showing us that we must take responsibility for our own actions, and that we cannot let the ones around us, who seem to be ill with lies and deceit, infect our good-natured being. “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you…” (Line 1) is an example of...

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