If Rudyard Kipling Analysis

In the poem “If” by Rudyard Kipling and the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, an upstander is defined as somebody who can apply empathy to reality and understand a person, in addition being courageous and help somebody in a time of need, even if it may result in disadvantageous consequences. Within the poem “If ”, the narrator, a father advises his son, “ If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you/ But make allowance for their doubting too/...Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies/ Or being hated don’t give way to hating” (Stanza 1). The father instructs his son to do things for himself, even if others disagree, and to keep his ground if people lie and gossip about him behind his back. Similarly in To Kill a Mockingbird, a father goes against the existing social code and reminds his children, “They’re certainly entitled to think that, and they’re entitled to full respect for their opinions...but before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself.
Atticus, a fair and honest father wants his children to understand his motivation and reason for not conforming to society, Within both texts, the fathers advise their children to follow their conscience, and don’t let hate of other people make them change their minds. That other people may have a different opinion but they need to respect them and just know that they have reasons just like they do. Being able to respect somebody is a huge step in having empathy, and that is an idea that the fathers are introducing the children to. In addition to counselling his son about staying strong, he tells his son, “If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster/and treat those two imposters just the same” (Stanza