Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- What do you think of this poem's ideas? Are they relevant to the contemporary world, to being a student? Why or why not?
- Does it bug you that we have to wait until the very end of the poem to find out what happens if the listener does everything the speaker advises? What is the effect of this delayed gratification?
- The speaker is addressing his son, but does this poem really resemble a father-son chat? If not, why not?
- Why do you think there is no mention of women anywhere in this poem? Was this poem meant only for boys?
- "If" is one of the most famous poems ever. The British absolutely, 1,000,000% adore it. Why do you think this is so?
- "If" is often discussed alongside another famous poem, William Ernest Henley's "Invictus". What do the poems have in common? How are they different? Which do you like better?