If-

• If- (title)

  the conditional - shows thought/hesitance

  the hyphen - can be applied to many situation and is written for a wide range of audience.
• iambic pentameter

  gives the poem regularity , organisation, discipline and uniformity whilst mimicking a heartbeat. it is a recognisable meter and introduces a universal message. it provides rhythm and expresses life/the love for his son.

  
  

  encourages balance and constancy.

  
  

  there is no set rhyme scheme but there is a lot of internal rhyme.
• the extra syllable at the front of each line.

  done on purpose so it becomes hypercatalectic meaning in stresses on the last foot.
• patterns of rhythm

  an AB rhyme scheme except for the first stanza
• direct adress, repetition, rule of 3


  'you
• first stanza

  alternating lines of positive and negative situations, a person can have positive attributes whilst the rest of society has negative outlooks.
• keep your head

  idiom for staying calm, focused and having a together mental state.
• dont deal, dont give

  repetition of imperatives after a caesura emphasises what we should refrain from doing
• dream - and

  think - and

  dashes - don't stop at dreaming and thinking (theoretical actions), you need to go beyond and begin to act, but have a balance.
• your master

  your aim

  semi colons/caesura - slower pace

  the possesive pronoun of success that can be achieved and what can be aqquired once you put your mind towards something
• meet with Triumph and Disaster... two imposters just the same

  personification, treat them the same, they both come into life unannounced but help you grow as a person. both are experienced within a lifetime.

  
  

  they might be completely foreign to you as they invade on your life but they teach the same lessons and are familar.
• twisted by knaves

  metaphor, a warning tone of what will occur
• you gave your life to, broken .... build em up with worn-out tools.

  caesura, hyperbole, giving life = spending time + effort, but colloquialism - there is still human potential after disaster, life can improve no matter what quality of effort you put in, as long as your acting, the tools you use don;t matter.
• winnnings

  pitch and toss

  beginnings

  loss

  
  

  repetition of And risk, And lose, And nerver breathe a word about your loss.

  gambling imagery + risk imagery

  stoicism (self control) of ignoring loss and moving over it quickly as it is insignificant, this forms resilience.

  
  

  repetition of And - persistence/resistance against loss or failure
• force your heart

  except the Will which says to them

  synechdoches - force=effort/hard work and Will = strength/willpower

  
  

  them - inspiring several by displaying power.
• talk with crowds

  walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch.

  dash - the contrast and balance of maintaining integrity whilst remaining humble.

  internal rhyme and parallel line structure.
• neither foes nor loving friends

  all men ... but none

  unforgiving minute with sixty seconds

  consistent contras/juxtaposition to emphasise balance

  
  

  minute to seconds - show how to appreciate time that some see unforgiving and how to view life from a different perspective, reinforcing the advisory tone.
• Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it.

  hyperbole, all the opportunities of the world can be yours if you follow the set advice.
• And—which is more—you'll be a Man, my son!

  dashes - emphasis - being a man is more than having all these opportunities, we see the speaker's true wishes.

  
  

  being a good Man is important.

  
  

  caesura, pause to create impact/climax

  
  

  capitalisation of Man - importance

  
  

  ! end to speech - a reveal and the poem begins to come together as the speaker is a father offering advice to his son.
• themes


  Stoicism

  Parent to Child Advice

  Living Virtuously

  Persistence/Resilience/Patience

  Balance
• If you can repetition

  the anaphoric refrain of the conditional envokes a sense that this is purely hypothetical - slightly ironic as the poem talks about thinking being in balance with acting - could suggest the father is talking from experience of his own actions.

  
  

  as it is not in the last 2 lines of each stanza, it creates more impact to each message and adds a more realistic tone, less imaginary and more current.