Analysis of Rudyard Kipling's If Essay Example

The first stanza touches on several character traits: self-confidence, courage, patience and honesty. His words "If you can keep your head," "If you can trust yourself," and "If you can wait and not be tired by waiting" show those traits.If these traits are absent then they would be the great obstacles for the leader.
These are as follows:-
- irrationality ("keep your head...")
- doubt in oneself ("trust yourself)
- impatience ("wait and not be tired by waiting")
- petty behavior ("don't deal in lies")
- immoderation ("don't look too good...")
The second stanza deals with what you may do for the public, yet not have personal reasons or gain behind it. You can face trouble as easily as you face success, and you can take something that broke--even though you worked so hard for it--you can rebuild it all over again. That shows a hard work ethic.Thus from this stanza ,the hindrances which have to be overcome are as follows:-
- being unrealistic ("not make dreams your master")
- postponing ("not make thoughts your aim")
- overreacting ("meet with triumph and disaster")
- weakness (be able to withstand misfortune)
The third stanza speaks of taking everything you've worked for and risk it all, and then lose it and have to start again. The key to that is not telling anyone of your loss. That shows integrity. That's in the line "And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breath a word about your loss." Then it says you must take all you have within you, and when you are at your lowest point, you still have to have the will to try. This shows perseverance.Therefore this stanza shows following obstacles faced by a leader to become a man in the aggresive world:
- worry and fear ("risk...and lose and start again")
- being self-serving ("never breathe a word" about loss)
- quitting ("hold on when there is nothing in you)
The final stanza speaks of you being able to work with anyone and not change who you are or what you stand for.