What line inspired or connected with you the most and why?
Stanza 1
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;
Stanza 2
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 imposters 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 wornout tools;
Stanza 3
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 breath 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";
Stanza 4
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!
The poem If by Rudyard Kipling is in my opinion both profound and thought provoking. The question what is the line in the poem that is most impressionable to you? Personally I find the entire poem to be influential. It would be hard for me to determine a specific line that really sums everything up. To really choose I have to look at how they can be beneficial in the future to my endeavors. The line that really meant the most to me and really spoke to me as a person, was in Stanza two where Kipling says If you can dream - and not make dreams your master; If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim; I believe that Kipling is trying to say to the reader that to follow your dreams and pursue what you want in life is just as important as not losing sight of what’s really important. This line in the poem is really one that has made an impression on me to try to better myself as I continue to develop mentally for manhood.
ReplyDeleteI believe the most impressionable line is " If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
ReplyDeleteOr walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;" because my interpretation is that if you can walk with famous people or Kings and keep your cool then your great. If you can do that then no one can touch you or hurt you in anyway because it makes a great person. This is my interpretation of those lines I could be wrong but i think it's saying you don't have to be king to be someone in life. The most important person is the one that can keep their cool at anytime
In the poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling the most impressionable line for me is in stanza 3 where he says "And lose, and start again at your beginnings, And never breath a word about your loss." The line is telling us not to complain about a loss and hang over everything that could have been done, but just start over again, and accomplish what wasn't done the first time around. The reason this line makes a bigger difference to me is because I play sports, and when I lose I sometimes tend to dwell on the loss, but instead I should just drop it and do better the next time.
ReplyDeleteSo far, it is obvious the three of you seriously connected with this type of poetry. Just think of it this way.. If you just connected with lines from a poem defining the "perfect moral human," you should be proud of yourself and your morals.
ReplyDeleteIn the poem, "If" by Rudyard Kipling the most impressionable line to me was in stanza 1 when the author said, "And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise." When I read this I thought it was a very powerful line, it's clearly saying to not be cocky. Certain people think that they're better than everyone else. When were all the same, only different. The author is basically saying, don't put yourslef higher than anybody else. To me this was my favorite line, it makes you stop and think twice about it because it's so true.
ReplyDeleteThe most inspiring line in the poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling was "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." I believe this line means it’s better to have loved and loss without regret, than to never have loved. It’s important to take chances in life and enjoy it as you go. If at some point this chance i.e. “love,” turns out to be wrong at least you were able to experience it and won’t live with any regrets.
ReplyDeleteI connected with this poem because I believe in life we should go after all our dreams and goals
without any remorse.
To me, the most impressionable lines is the while fist stanza. I love how he encourages his son to be himself no matter what. How he tell him to reach his goals and progress in life but without putting anyone else down. The reason why I liked this stanza so much is because I think now days a lot of people just care about themselves and nothing else or they become something someone else want them to become. People are forgetting that you don't have to be better than anyone else to reach your goals in life. You can be the dumbest person or the smartest one, it doesn't matter. I really like how he tries to make his son realize that. It's something we need now days.
ReplyDeleteIn the poem If there was a line that reminded me of my mother, so it caught my attention. "or Walk with kings- nor lose the common touch." This line is more favorable to me because it is trying to explain how a man with fame or honor should act with class and dignity.Too many young kids look up to someone who does not have class but has money. To me it is important to have characteristics of a honorable man.So others can look to you so in their future they can lead by example.This poem is a true inspiration to me and I hope to others as well.
ReplyDeleteWow.. This poem has certainly brought out the greatest aspects of you all that make you such wonderful people. I am honored to share a semester of such humble and intelligent people.
ReplyDeleteLike Argenis,I connect with the line that tells me to not "lose the common touch." My mother always told me that the sign of a true intelligent person is one who can speak with anyone at any level without insulting another." Life is not about trying to be better than another." There is nothing to be gained by those who find themselves better than others. Walk with kings, but don't forget to be humble and modest."