Literary Deviation

If by Rudyard Kipling

The paper intends to give a stylistic analysis of the poem ‘If’ by

Rudyard Kipling on three fundamental levels: phonological,
morphological, and pragmatical. The poem has been a source of
inspiration for disheartened youth, and is a linguistic marvel
because of its unique structure and style. The poem is written in a
form of paternal advice to the poet’s son. The poet has employed
several literary devices and techniques in the poem that have been
stylistically analyzed. The findings of the study would help the
readers in understanding the core principles and concepts of
Stylistics that have been aesthetically employed by the poet in the
poem ‘If’.

The poem uses a regular ABAB CDCD rhyme scheme in each

stanza. The rhythm is iambic pentameter, meaning one
unstressed and one stressed syllable used five times per line.

Most notable is the central device of anaphora, which gives the

poem its distinctive structure. Anaphora is a type of repetition in
which the same phrase is used repeatedly; Kipling does this with
the phrase “If you can.”

Personification is giving abstract concepts or inanimate objects

human characteristics. Kipling personifies “Triumph and Disaster”
and calls them “impostors,” as well as “Will.” Another example is
“unforgiving minute.”

Hyperbole is extreme exaggeration for effect. The penultimate

line, “Yours is the Earth,” is hyperbole, given that the boy will not
literally have the Earth.
I think the other educators have given some excellent instruction
in the poetic devices in this poem, so I want to offer just a few
more things.

First, I think it's important when determining how poetic devices

contribute to an overall message to begin with the overall
message itself. So what is Kipling trying to convey here? His core
message is that in spite of life being tough, it's possible to live
a  better life by persevering and remaining true to your core
values.

So how does he build that message through poetic techniques?

One additional way he accomplishes this is through the poem's
tone. The speaker takes a firmly encouraging stance to push the
listener (a younger man, whether "son" is literal or more
symbolically used) into doing hard things. Don't lie. Don't hate.
Don't pretend to have wisdom that you haven't earned yet. Don't
complain. Hold on even when holding on seems impossible. This
tone makes the message possible. It's better not to give in to the
negative ways of the world, and you can emerge a stronger
person for your struggle. You can come out of this with better
character.

A second way Kipling develops this idea is through the poem's

meter. The lines follow a pattern of 11 syllables followed by 10
syllables. They are written in a predictable iambic pentameter,
which also feeds into the message of the poem. Life is predictable
too if you follow these guidelines for living. The poem is
predictable as you move from one line to the next. The meter
keeps the reader moving through the poem, much as the listener
keeps moving through life's trials, with a sense of purpose in
what will happen next.

Together with the other poetic devices, particularly repetition

and the speaker's message is made clear through the purposeful
delivery.
Here are examples of these aforementioned rhetorical terms:

1.  Anaphora - The repetition of a word or phrase at the

beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines.  (This is been
thoroughly covered by the previous poster)

2.  Anastrophe - Transposition of normal word order

"Yours is the Earth...."

3.  Antithesis - Opposition, or contrast of ideas or words in a

balanced or parallel construction.  There are numerous examples
of this

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

4.  Assonance - The repetition of the same sound in words close

to each other.

"And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise"

5.  Climax - Arrangement of words, phrases, or clauses in an

order of ascending power.  Often the last emphatic word in one
phrase or clause is repeated as the first emphatic word of the
next.

The last stanza exemplifies this term.  The poem is very moving
because of this build-up.
6.  Hendiadys - Use of two words connected by a conjunction,
instead of suordinating one to the other, to express a single
complex idea.

There are numerous examples of this term, as well.  Here is one: 

"Or walk with Kings-nor lose the common touch"

7. Hyperbole - Exaggeration for emphasis or for rhetorical effect

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,/'Or walk with
Kings- nor lose the common touch"

8. Metaphor - Implied comparison achieved through a figurative

use of words

"Twisted by knaves (metaphor for people of low character) to

make a trap for fools"

9. Personification - Attribution of personality to an impersonal

thing

"If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster"

10.  Syllepsis - The use of a word with two others, each of which

is understood differently.

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

I would say that the use of repetition is one way in which Kipling
is able to get his message across to the reader.  The idea of being
able to suggest to the listener of the poem how one can "be a
man" through a series of operational definitions is effective.
Kipling illustrates situations where the listener could find
themselves.  These situations are ones in which conflict is
experienced and the essence of the idea is to be able to make a
choice.  One of the choices is easier than the other, but the
lesson of maturity is only learned when the more difficult of the
two paths is selected.  The repetition of the word "If" in
addressing the various situations helps to bring the idea that

choices and contexts are conditional.  Individuals must be able to

have the intestinal fortitude and wherewithal to face them and be
able to make the right choices in terms of progressing on the
path of maturation and character development.  In reciting these
to the reader/ listener with the constant use of the conditional in
them helps to reinforce the attempt at universality in the poem.

Mr Kipling had one certain word appear in end rhyme few times; that is the
word ‘you’. It mostly shows up in every stanza, except the third one.
However, there are also other words sounding like /ju:/ to appear at the
end rhyme, such as sinew /sin.ju:/ and virtue /vɜ:.tju:/. Despite distinctly
different written form, they are all categorised similar according to the way
of sounding, a principle to decide a true rhyme. It can also be noticed that
the similar sounding occurs not only at the end of a line, but also in the
front part. They are all discussed furthermore as follows.
 Versification

Rhyme
 First stanza

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;
The word ‘If’ repeated in every other line is included in Anaphora, the
repetition of a word or phrase with one or two intervening words. Not only
is the word ‘if’ repeated, but also ‘you can’ is.

Assonance, the repetition of identical vowel sounds preceded and

followed by differing consonant sounds, can also be noticed in words
‘allowance’ and ‘doubting’ because of the sound /ɑu/ in the middle of
words. ‘Look’, ‘too’ and ‘good’ are also assonantal with a vowel sound /u:/
preceding different consonant sounds.

The words ‘being’ and ‘hating’ are included in half-rhyme or off-

rhyme due to their similarly final sounds /ɪŋ/ and so are the words ‘losing’
and ‘blaming’.
 Second stanza

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

If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:.
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build’em up with worn-out tools;

            Perfect rhyme occurs in the words ‘meet’ and ‘treat’ due to

identical stressed vowel sound /i:/. There is also another kind of rhyme
which seemingly looks like a similar sounding; that is eye-rhyme with the
words ‘bear’ and ‘hear’. People may pronounce them both in a similar way,
but they are obviously different in pronunciation. ‘Bear’ comes up with /eə/
while ‘hear’ is with /ɪə/.

            The words ‘knaves’ and ‘make’ are assonantal due to identical

vowel sound /eɪ/ preceding different consonant sounds. Moreover, the
initial sound of ‘treat – those – two – the’ in a single line is
called alliteration with consonant sound /t/.
 Third stanza

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
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 you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

The words ‘on’, ‘of’ and ‘toss’ in the second line show that they are included
in alliteration with initial sound /o/. Meanwhile, the words ‘nerve’ and
‘serve’ is definitely a masculine rhyme (perfect rhyme) because of
stressed final syllable /ɜ:v/ following different initial sound.
 Fourth stanza

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds‘ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

            The words ‘talk’ and ‘walk’ with ending sound /ɔ:k/ but different
initial sounds are included in a perfect rhyme.
Meanwhile, alliteration can still be spotted in the words ‘sixty’, ‘seconds’
and ‘distance’.

Imagery

            It means to use a figurative language to represent objects, actions

and ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical sense. In the poem
‘If’, the imagery appears in line:

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, (first stanza)

The reader feels as if s/he were being tired of waiting and that is perhaps
what the writer of it wanted the readers to feel about.

            The next imagery can be seen as in:

And stoop and build’em up with worn-out tools; (second stanza)

Those express the physical feeling which makes the readers feel like
stooping and building something. The readers play a role just like a
building constructor needing for much energy to build something.

Personification

            It is a figure of speech in which a thing, an idea or an animal is given

human attributes. The non-human object are portrayed in such a way that
we feel they have the ability to act like human beings. As seen from poem
‘If’ by Rudyard Kipling, this sort of figure of speech can be spotted as
follows.

If you can dream and not make dreams your master             (Second

stanza)

Dreams were like masters who can control our lives. In this case, dreams
are assumed to have had a human role/quality; that is being a master.

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster                        (Second

stanza)

Success is personified as “Triumph” and can make us complacent. Failure is

personified as “Disaster”. It can influence us to believe that failure is
permanent. Moreover, a verb ‘meet’ is always something to do with
human’s activity, but in this poem, the writer used the verb to beautify the
meaning.

Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”                    (Third stanza)

Will is personified as a person who encourages us not to give up.

Metaphor

            It is a figure of speech making an implicit, implied or hidden

comparison between two things or objects that are poles apart from each
other but have some common characteristics between them.
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:.                       (First stanza)

            Impostors refer to the triumph and disaster. An impostor is actually

a person who pretends to be someone else in order to deceive others.
However, ‘triumph’ and ‘disaster’ are portrayed as impostors because when
dealing with them in life, their coming is apparent, but very deceiving that
they may come and go in one’s life.

And stoop and build’em up with worn-out tools                

  (Second stanza)

Worn out tools refer to the feeling of total exhaustion that can force
someone to give up.

 Symbolism (Denotations)

            It is the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving them
symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense. In this poem,
some examples of symbolism can be noticed below.
1. 1.      Knaves represent scoundrels, liars or conman.
2. 2.      Crowds symbolise the common folk/people.
3. 3.      Kings represent the important people in society.
4. 4.      Common touch represents humility.

b.  Aspect of Content

 Theme

The first theme would be growing up and becoming a man. It

discusses about maturing into manhood, growing up and becoming wiser.
That has something to do with learning leadership skills. In the process of
becoming a man, leadership skills are usually required to succeed and earn
respect.

Another theme in this poem is righteousness rather than being self-

righteous. People who are striving to be righteous should not be self-
centred. Those two things, righteousness and self-righteousness, are totally
opposites. So, if people act self-righteous, they aren’t going to achieve
righteousness any time soon.

The next theme is having a good work ethic. People should not give up
when things get harder. They shouldn’t decide to be lazy and just decide not
to do something because they don’t feel to like it. People should always keep
trying and persevering through hard times and it will pay off in the long
run.

The last theme of this poem is detachment. Failure and success should
not be focused on because they will not last nor will they be permanent. Do
not get attached to something that will leave as quickly as it came. All of
these men possess nobility of spirit and do not give up or give in.
 Message

Risks must be taken in to life and hopes must not be lost if things do not
work out as the desired way. Eventually, the poet implied once people have
reached success which they aimed at, they should remain to mingle with the
common crowd but never lose his individuality.
 Conclusion

This poem attempts to tell us how to be a man dealing with any life matters
in the future confidently. Since the poet wrote this poem in respect of a man
who went to Boer war in the 17th century, he expressed what that man was
feeling about through the ‘If’. When the reader recites it, s/he will feel as if
this poem were composed by mummy for her son.

Not only is the ‘If’ targeted at the man, but also woman. How to deal with
lies, being hated, waiting and so on is written vividly on the first verse and
that is universal.

NOVA L. CANTONJOS
MAED Student