what kind of a person does kipling encourage his listeners to seek out? what does he say about such person? what would he like his listners to do upon meeting such a person?
Answers
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The poem "If" is structured in hypothetical situations, so there isn't a place in the poem where the speaker is directly telling his listener to seek out a particular type of person. Instead, his advice prepares his "son" in how to deal with various types of people he will surely encounter in life. Most of this is in the last stanza.
First, the speaker says that when his son "walks with crowds," he should be sure to "keep his virtue." The implication is that following the crowd is often not the most moral decision; the group consensus is often the easy path instead of the virtuous path. Second, when he walks with those of high societal standing (symbolized by "Kings" in this poem), he should not forget the "common" life. This is another way of telling his son not to become too conceited or egotistical if he finds himself surrounded by others of influence. Instead, he should remember to be gracious and modest. He tells his son that both foes and friends have the power to inflict pain on him, and the speaker instructs him to be secure enough in himself that he doesn't rely on the opinions and impressions of others to find the value in himself. And finally, he encourages his son to be someone others count on and agree with—but not too much. Again, this reinforces the idea that he wants his son to remain true to his individuality, and if everyone agrees with him all the time, he has sacrificed some things he believes in along the way.
The speaker provides lots of advice about how to deal with various types of people in life, but the purpose of his advice is for his son to be a strong, independent, and faithful man one day. So while he provides encouragement and instruction about these various people, he doesn't direct his son to seek out a particular kind of person.