What is if
A paean to British stoicism and masculine rectitude
What is the tone of if
Paternal, didactic, stoic, controlled
What is the structure of if
-alternating rhyme scheme
-even number lines are iambic pentameter- controlled and regimented
-odd numbered lines are hypercatalectic
-interrelationship between alternating rhyme scheme and metric scheme mimis actions and consequences
-informal language-intimacy between speaker and recipient
‘If you can keep your head when all about you’
-anaphora-parallel structure adds to the regulated and controlled tone
-high morality- paternal advice with direct address
-message to keep calm, maintain composure
-idiomatic language gives a connection to the reader
‘And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise’
-difficult and human experience
-balance and moderation is a necessity
-encouraging advice from the father
‘If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster’
-repetition of ‘if you’- controlled structure continues
-two possible outcomes-personified and capitalised ad on same line shows their equal importance
‘And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools’
-message that failure is inevitable- don’t be afraid to relinquish status, don’t consider roles to be beneath oneself, build up from nothing
-informal language-comforting
-‘worn out tools’ life is full of hard work, skills must be refined and developed
‘If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue/ or walk with kings- nor lose theirs common touch’
-reference to lower classes- lesson to be equal and unite all, be grounded and have humility
-don’t succumb to snobbery or sacrifice moral standards and integrity
-treat everyone equally
‘If you can fill the unforgiving minute/ with sixty seconds’ worth of distance run.’
-dedication
-time will wait for no one- is unrelenting and there are consequences for idleness
-fill every second
-metaphor for life as a race- don’t waste time
‘And-which is more- you’ll be a Man, my son.’
-pivotal moment directly addresses son but delays this giving the poem a universal feeling and allows the reader to also be taught the same advice
-beauty of a parent-child relationship-importance of love and connection
-personal and poignant final line
-‘my’ shows connection and love
-capitalised ‘man’ shows how it is a honourable title
What poems does if link with and what are the topic sentence
-do not go gentle
-both share advice wishing a familial setting- if is to a young son on how to live entire future life, but do not go gentle is to a father to persist and fight imminent death
-both poems offer personal and emotional advice- if remains controlled and philosophical but dngg is impassioned and unaccommodating
-both speakers similarly advise that one should embrace life, as it it simultaneously precious and brief
-conclusion, both delivered advice on a universal level by delaying identifying the addressee. They not only offer their loved on advice but also advise the wider readership about how to live life meaningfully and how to face death with dignity
