If Analysis

Kipling's "If" is written in iambic pentameter, that most famous of English meters. You may have encountered it already in your literary travels, but if you haven't here's a quick run-down: A line...

If one thing is for certain, it is that the speaker of this poem loves the word "If." He loves it so much he uses it 13 times. In a poem that's only 32 lines, that's nearly every two lines. Now the...

Well, we don't get a lot in the way of setting in this poem. There are suggestions here and there (references to a gambling game, descriptions of interacting with common people and kings), but over...

If we had to describe the sound of this poem in three words, they would be: "run-on sentence." Okay, so that's a little harsh, but if you think about how run-on sentences work, you'll see what we m...

"If": a simple, two-letter title, and one that does and does not tell us a whole lot about the poem. When we come across this simple little title, our immediate reaction is naturally, "If what?" Th...

Kipling talks about manhood constantly, like all over his poetry—sometimes explicitly, sometimes not so much. While we have no idea for the first 30 lines of "If" that it's going to be a poem abo...

If you can bear to be teased for 30 lines, then this poem shouldn't be too bad. What do mean teased? Oh, just the fact that the speaker says "if" about a million times but then waits until the very...

Believe it or not, the British had control of India for a long time, and Kipling is one British writer who is very closely associated with India. He was actually born in Bombay. (Source.) Well, it...

We regret to inform you that there is no sex in this poem, none whatsoever. Heck, this is pretty much a father-son bromance of a poem, and it's all about conquering defeat, not getting too emotiona...

Sir Leander Starr Jameson (inspired the poem)