If by Rudyard Kipling
“If” by Rudyard Kipling is a poem giving instructions about life’s difficulties. It advises you to stay calm in difficult times and face the challenges with patience, and if you do so, the earth is yours.
Summary and Analysis of the First stanza of the poem “lf”
This poem has four stanzas, each of eight lines, but here we will summarize and analyze only the first stanza.
The first stanza of the poem
“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 first stanza talks about keeping calm in situations where others are angry, hyper, or stressful.
Secondly, it also tells us to trust ourselves and to be consistent when others doubt or blame us, but still think about their doubts, whether they are true or just creating chaos.
The author is suggesting that we look deeper into the mind and heart and do what is right.
Not to lie and hate, even if others are doing so; you should still maintain your good acts.
Despite all the good suggestions, the author of the poem suggests that we not act arrogantly and proudly, even if we possess all the good qualities.
The highlighted words in each stanza imply a deep lesson, which I will give words to.
Emotional stability
To stay calm in stressful situations and to handle situations with a serene and calm mind and heart.
Sometimes we regret the decision made in anger, so keeping calm is a good option to handle situations in life.
To stay calm and determined during difficult situations. It will help you to remain composed and not let the emotional reactions of others influence your judgment and behavior, but right in the next line, the author suggests one more thing in addition to your judgment.
It suggests that your self-belief should not waver based on external opinions or doubts and that inner confidence is a valuable trait in pursuing your goals and staying true to yourself.
Balance between self-assurance and empathy for others’ perspectives: there is always room for imperfection. Try to consider others’ blame if it is true, or if you are just accused of a nuisance, try to be calm in the situation.
Patience: It suggests that one should be able to endure delays or waiting periods without becoming frustrated. This is an important quality, as it represents the ability to continue in difficult times, maintaining a sense of calm even when things do not go as planned.
Integrity and honesty are the lessons here. Do not lie, even if others lie about you. You should maintain your good quality, just as they are maintaining their bad quality.
Resilience and tolerance refer to the quality of being able to bounce back or recover quickly from hardship, challenges, or difficult situations. It involves being able to withstand and adapt to setbacks, stress, or hardships without being overpowered by them. Simply do not answer hatred with hatred, but rather bounce back towards your good quality of tolerance and ignore hatred.
“Don’t look too good” indicates avoiding arrogance and not showing off good qualities. Do not flaunt your good qualities; stay down to earth.
To sum up, the first stanza of the poem acts as a great figure, advising a person in difficulties to do good and avoid bad.
The stanza is imparting a moral lesson, is quite encouraging in down situations, and is also deep, where different attributes of a good human being are presented.