Beyond the Verse Rudyard Kipling's 'If': Fatherhood, Masculinity and Legacy Through Time
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Aug 30, 2024 Dive into Rudyard Kipling's poem 'If—' and discover the intricate ties between fatherhood, masculinity, and Victorian ideals. Explore how Kipling's difficult childhood and strained relationship with his son, John, shaped his writing. The conversation uncovers the poem's contradictions and implications of masculinity, while also addressing Kipling's controversial imperialist beliefs. Reflect on the poem's cultural impact, its absence of women, and the relevance of its themes in contemporary discussions about art and morality.
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Father's Voice As Masculine Checklist
- Rudyard Kipling's If uses a father's direct voice of advice to define an archetypal masculinity.
- The poem presents abstract hypotheticals as a checklist for the son to become a man, creating distance for many readers.
Form Reinforces Authority
- The poem's rhyme and repeated 'you' create certainty and a prescriptive tone that centralises the male reader.
- Olivier Ray called the poem an expression of paternal tyranny because it sets impossible expectations.
Stoicism As An Oppressive Ideal
- Kipling demands extreme stoicism: risk everything, accept loss silently, and rebuild without complaint.
- That depiction produces a narrow, oppressive version of masculinity that forbids emotional expression.
