The Complete Guide to If—
One sentence, thirteen tests, and the whole Earth held back until the last two lines.
Introduction
- The most quoted poem in Britain — and the least understood
The world behind the poem
- Kipling — the empire's storyteller
- The fiasco behind the creed — Jameson and 1895
- 1910 — a children's book, a creed, a generation of sons
Through the poem
- Through the poem I — keeping your head (stanza 1)
- Through the poem II — impostors and ruins (stanza 2)
- Through the poem III — the gambler and the Will (stanza 3)
- Through the poem IV — crowds, Kings, and the last two lines (stanza 4)
The speaker & the son
- The speaker — wisdom, armour, or both?
The writer's craft
- The craft room — sentence, metre, balance, ledger
Interpretations
- The debates — five readings that all hold their ground
The examination
- The comparison workshop — partnering If— in Section B
- In the exam room — the final drill