In the first stanza of the poem, the poet is emphasizing an individual’s ability to rise above the circumstances. Explanation: When he writes, “if you can dream, and not make dreams your master,” in the first stanza, he is saying that do not let circumstances control you just because you have a dream.

The main lesson conveyed in the second stanza is to deal with Triumph and Disaster in the same way. Be moderate as you have to accept the reality in both conditions. Success and failure are ‘impostors’: sometimes they may turn out not to be what they look like, and so neither should affect us greatly.

Expert Answers Hover for more information. Line 31 of “If” reads thus: “Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it.” The speaker is declaring to his son that if he can succeed in being and doing all the things outlined previously in the poem, he can achieve anything in the world.

If is written in iambic pentameter consisting of five feet with with two syllable units. The syllable units consist of the first being unstressed and the second being stressed. The poem is written in 4 stanzas with eight rhyming lines consisting of the rhyme scheme abab cdcd.

Theme of the Poem IF: The over-arching theme of the poem If is successful virtuous living based on values pertaining to integrity, rightful behavior and self-development. The poem speaks to each and every reader on what it means to become a complete man and how he operates through the thick and thins of life.

The tone of the poem is didactic. This means that it sets out to teach, to instruct. The speaker is a father advising his son how to live his life, but the lesson can apply to any reader, and indeed the poem continues to find much favour with audiences; undoubtedly it is Kipling’s best known and best loved poem.