Essay About Manliness
Manliness
Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) was born in India where he spent his early childhood before his family returned to England. He is most famous for his prose writing. The Jungle Book has had lasting popularity, both as a story and in film adaptations. Kipling travelled widely and wrote travel articles as well as poetry. In 1907 he was the first English writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature and the youngest writer to receive it. Kipling composed the poem in 1909 while living in Great Britain. While the poem is addressed to Kipling's son John, it was inspired by a great friend of his, Leander Starr Jameson, the Scots-born imperialist politician and adventurer responsible for what has been deemed the Jameson raid that led to the Second Boer War. “If” serves as an instruction in several specific traits of a good leader. “If” contains a multitude of characteristics deemed essential to the ideal man to face the mean and wicked world. In particular, a man must be humble, patient, rational, truthful, dependable, and persevering. “Manliness” is an extract from the poem “If”. The central idea of this poem is that success comes from self-control and a true sense of the values of things. Danger lies in extremes. One must not lose heart because of doubts or opposition, yet one must do his/her best to see the grounds for both. In all things one must hold to the golden mean. If one does, one will own the world, and even better, for his/her personal reward one will attain the full stature of manhood. It contains advice from a father to a son on how to grow up to be a better person and a true man. He reminds his son that he will be a man if he can hold on to his values and not be swayed by others. If he follows his advice, he will have a rewarding and enriching life. He will have everything he can wish for. It is hard to ignore the conservative message that is evident within the whole of the stanza:
If you can dream-and not make dreams your master,
If you can
Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) was born in India where he spent his early childhood before his family returned to England. He is most famous for his prose writing. The Jungle Book has had lasting popularity, both as a story and in film adaptations. Kipling travelled widely and wrote travel articles as well as poetry. In 1907 he was the first English writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature and the youngest writer to receive it. Kipling composed the poem in 1909 while living in Great Britain. While the poem is addressed to Kipling's son John, it was inspired by a great friend of his, Leander Starr Jameson, the Scots-born imperialist politician and adventurer responsible for what has been deemed the Jameson raid that led to the Second Boer War. “If” serves as an instruction in several specific traits of a good leader. “If” contains a multitude of characteristics deemed essential to the ideal man to face the mean and wicked world. In particular, a man must be humble, patient, rational, truthful, dependable, and persevering. “Manliness” is an extract from the poem “If”. The central idea of this poem is that success comes from self-control and a true sense of the values of things. Danger lies in extremes. One must not lose heart because of doubts or opposition, yet one must do his/her best to see the grounds for both. In all things one must hold to the golden mean. If one does, one will own the world, and even better, for his/her personal reward one will attain the full stature of manhood. It contains advice from a father to a son on how to grow up to be a better person and a true man. He reminds his son that he will be a man if he can hold on to his values and not be swayed by others. If he follows his advice, he will have a rewarding and enriching life. He will have everything he can wish for. It is hard to ignore the conservative message that is evident within the whole of the stanza:
If you can dream-and not make dreams your master,
If you can