Monday, November 9, 2015

How does the poem "If" give a moral quality of the reader?

The answer to this question has to relate to the way in
which this famous poem gives a list of characteristics that the reader or listener of
this poem must possess if they are to be "a Man." Thus, related to your question, the
reader can use this poem to give him or herself an idea of his or her own moral quality
by using the list of characteristics as a kind of tick-box approach of how "moral" they
are. What is interesting about this poem is that, even though it was written over a
hundred years ago, the list of such qualities of integrity, honesty and valour still
remain just as relevant today as they did all those years ago. Consider the following
list:



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 impostors 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
worn-out tools:



Such
qualities are still just as important for people today, and arguably even more important
as we seem to be living in a world where moral foundations are slowly being eroded away.
To not allow our dreams to be our "master" and to be able to meet both "Triumph and
Disaster" with perfect equanimity and to see them for the "impostors" that they are
gives us the kind of list of qualities that allow us to assess our own moral integrity
as readers of this poem.

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