The World through his words

Introduction

Explore the world of Rudyard Kipling in short poem "If".  Delve into the world through his words, where you will question everything! 

Task

You are about to embark on a unique journey where you will see the world through Kipling's short poem. Your task is to read the poem and answer the following questions. 

Process

Read the following poem:

If by Rudyard Kipling

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;



If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;

If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim,

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same:.

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools;



If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings,

And never breathe a word about your loss:

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"



If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much:

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!



Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/if-by-rudyard-kipling

 

Answer the following questions:

  1. What is the main theme of the poem? Support your answer with evidence from the poem
  2. What is the purpose of the poem? Support your answer with evidence from the poem
  3.  Who is the speaker of the poem? Support your answer with evidence from the poem 
  4. Do you think this poem is relevant to you as a student? Why or why not?
  5. Why do you think the speaker waits until the very end of the poem to find out what happens if the listener does everything the speaker advises? What is the effect of this delayed response?
  6. Who is the speaker addressing? Support your answer with evidence from the poem
  7. Why do you think there is no mention of women anywhere in this poem? Was this poem meant only for boys?
  8. Why do you think is poem is so famous? 

 

 

 

 

 

Evaluation

Reading - Analyzing Information : Reading and Analyzing

  • Teacher Name: Ms. Noriega





    Student Name:     ________________________________________

 

CATEGORY

4

3

2

1

Identifies important information

Student lists all the main points of the article without having the article in front of him/her.

The student lists all the main points, but uses the article for reference.

The student lists all but one of the main points, using the article for reference. S/he does not highlight any unimportant points.

The student cannot important information with accuracy.

Identifies details

Student recalls several details for each main point without referring to the article.

Student recalls several details for each main point, but needs to refer to the article, occasionally.

Student is able to locate most of the details when looking at the article.

Student cannot locate details with accuracy.

Summarization

Student uses only 1-3 sentences to describe clearly what the article is about.

Student uses several sentences to accurately describe what the article is about.

Student summarizes most of the article accurately, but has some slight misunderstanding.

Student has great difficulty summarizing the article.

Conclusion

You have done a great job!  There is so much more literature published by Kipling. You should explore more of his work and experience why the man is said to be one of the greatest writers in the world. 

Congratulations on a job well done!

Credits

Teacher Page

This lesson was designed to challenge Standard 3 students in their comprehension skills in the Subject of Language Arts. It is important that the students are able to analyze poems, which is one of the key portions in the SEA examination in Standard 5.