Page 99 - 100 Best Loved Poems - Teaching Unit

“If— ”
by Rudyard Kipling, pages 79-80

Vocabulary
knaves – male servants
sinew – muscle

1. The poem seems to be a long list of ‘ifs’. What is the ‘then’?

The speaker concludes his ‘ifs’ with the poem’s final lines, “Yours is the Earth and
everything that’s in it…And you’ll be a Man, my son!”

2. What, according to the speaker, are the qualities of a Man?

Answers may vary. Examples: patience, confidence, coolness under pressure, level-
headedness, imaginative, intelligent, caring, judicious, persistent, strong, loyal, and brave.

3. Describe in your own words what Kipling meant when he wrote, “If you can dream—and
not make dreams your master.”

Answers may vary. Example: Kipling meant it is important to dream in life, but equally
important, do not to let dreams distract you from the important tasks of day-to-day life.

4. To whom does it seem Kipling wrote this poem?

Kipling ends the last stanza with “And—which is more—you’ll be a man, my son!” It
seems, then, he wrote this poem for his own child, or for children in general.

5. According to the last few lines of this poem, what does the speaker feel is the most
important goal in a young boy’s life?

The most important goal for a young man does not seem to be something as grandiose as
ruling “the Earth and everything that’s in it,” but instead simply to “be a Man,” who is
able to live honestly and treat people well and fairly.

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