Achieving Manhood

Rudyard Kipling's poem "If" ultimately suggests that finding the perfect balance between fantasy and sensibility allows one to define himself as a man. This perfect balance, however, seems nonexistent. The criteria that the poet presents are very difficult –practically impossible – to achieve, suggesting that becoming a man will never happen. The poem is written in a very heavy and shrewd tone, making the reader feel infantile and discouraged from even attempting to achieve equal wisdom. The poet assumes that being a man means that “Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,” which any youngster knows is impossible.

If I were the son that this poem was addressed to, I would feel trapped in boyhood. However, there is something in the poet’s tone that brings about hope. The possibilities and promises that are offered seem much greater than the adversities that first must be overcome. This, I believe, is everyone’s battle in maturation: we are presented with such hardships in life, yet it is when we battle through them and succeed that we grow.