If – A Poem by Rudyard Kipling

Q. 1 List the qualities which according to the poet, transforms a boy
into a man. 

Using minimum of words, the poet has said quite a lot in this not too
long a poem. He has given a list of things as to what to do and not to
do to the growing boys irrespective of their caste, creed or colour. 

If the boys follow these ‘dos’ and ‘don’t-s’, they will surely imbibe
the qualities necessary to make a complete man. This is not to say
that the goals set by the poet are easily attainable but they are
surely worth trying. 

These qualities are as under:- 

(a) One should keep his cool when others are getting excited or
perturbed. 

(b) The boy should keep a clear head even when others around him tend
to get unreasonable. 

(c) The ‘son’ should have self confidence in spite of others’ doubting
his capacity to do things. 

(d) Having worked hard, the adolescent should have enough patience to
wait for the result of his diligence to materialise in their own time. 

(e) If others hate him, the boy should not feel vindictive because
love is the right response to hate. 

(f) Even while doing all possible good things in the face of
opposition and may be provocation, the boy should remain humble. He
should not feel vain about being good or wise. 

(g) One should dare to dream big dreams but he should go all out to
translate them into realities instead of just being immersed in them
doing nothing. 

(h) One should be able to think and do so precisely and reasonably but
thoughts b themselves are nothing. These thoughts must lead him to
palpable (clear) actions. 

(i) The boy i.e. the man of tomorrow should keep peace of his mind in
a situation of victory or defeat alike, otherwise the victory would
lead him to vanity and the defeat would make him to despair. Both are
bad for his real well being. 

(j) It may so happen that the son’s words may be misquoted or
distorted by knaves but he should retain the calm of his mind lest he
should fall into traps set by these wicked men.
        (k) If the boy sees his work of many years go in vain, through a
stroke of ill-luck or by someone’s malice, he should have the courage
and strength to mend or rebuild it. 

(l) One should fill every little moment with solid and meaningful work
not letting a single fraction of time slip from his hand because time
never obeys the bidding of anyone if even he is a king. 

Contextual Question (Courtesy – Michael Shane Calvert)
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:
i) Why does the poet want his son not to be tired of waiting? What
should he wait for?
The poet wants all the growing boys not to be tired of waiting because
the poet wants all boys to have patience for the results of their hard
work to materialise.
He should wait for the course of events to happen.
ii) What advice had been given to the son earlier in this context?
Earlier in the context, the poet had advised his son(s) to be patient
and not to be tired of waiting. The poet had also advised his son(s)
not to tell lies under any circumstances.
iii) Why do people hate others? What should the son do in case he is
hated?
There are some people who hate others because they are malicious
(harmful) by nature. This makes them jealous of others’ prosperity and
success and this is the reason why they give in to the vice of hating
others.
If the son is hated by someone, he should not hate him; instead he
should react to him positively with love, which can turn even an enemy
into a friend.
iv) What does the poet expect of his son if others resort to lies?
If everyone around the poet’s son is lying, he should not start to
tell lies. He should remain truthful even in the most trying
conditions.
v) Why shouldn’t the son “look too good or two wise?”
“Looking too good or too wise” will not be a good proposition because
that will be showing vanity and everybody knows that vanity causes a
fall.