If

My essay is on the poem \"If\" written by Rudyard Kipling. Each poem is different; it can range to from being humourous to sad. But each one is beautiful in its own way.



The title \"If\" absolutely suits this poem, in my opinion. Everybody wishes for something or the other in their life. If wishes were horses, then beggers would ride, but that still doesn\'t stop us from wishing. Many people wish to be a better person, a better human being. I ask you, what are the qualities one needs to be a better human being? This poem tells us what these qualities are. These help us to be a better person, both emotionally and physically.



This poem is about the complete man, or the Magnanimous Man as Aristotle called him. In today\'s world, it is difficult to find such a person. In my personal opinion, I think it is quite impossible. However, in spite of this, I have chosen this particular poem to write about. It is because I feel that if everybody trys to obtain the qualities mentioned in this poem, this world would be a better place to live in. No matter whether he succeeds or fails, its the effort that counts.



\"If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;\"

These are the first two lines of this poem. I feel that this a very rare quality to find. Everybody gets angry, no matter how hard you try to keep calm; there is a limit to how much you can stand. Yet the author says that even though everybody is against you, everybody blames you, regardless of the fact whether you did the act or not, you should have a cool head. You should not get irritated and snap back at those people. That is the first step to being a complete man.



\"If you can dream and not make dreams your master;

If you can think and not make thoughts your aim,\"

I like these two lines a lot. This tells you that you should not stop dreaming, and yet not go on dreaming either. Without...