Poem IF

Theme -

Lesson on life

The theme of the poem is lesson on life.

Life is a journey that is full of uncertainties. It is best that one is prepared to face the challenges in life. The persona advises his son to look at life critically and not take everything at face value.
He has to distinguish between good and bad. There are important things that the persona wants his son to understand about the nature of life. The persona’s advice is a lesson on life, and how best to handle situations by upholding good principles and virtues.

Making important decisions in life

The poem deals with making important decisions in life. Decision making is an important aspect in life. Every one faces a situation in which he or she has to make a very important decision that would affect his next course of action. In the poem, the persona advises the son to make the
right decisions in life by weighing the pros and cons.

The realities in life

The persona explains that life is not a bed of roses. As such, it is important to face the realities of life. One has to go through the ups and downs of life. There are many obstacles that one has to overcome especially as a lone or solo traveller in the journey of life. One can be distracted by many things. This is one of the themes in the poem. The persona’s advice shows that one has to understand the realities of life and act accordingly. This is the reality in life. There are instances in life when one has to make a decision from the number of possibilities or alternatives,
based on one’s wisdom.

Facing challenges in life

One of the themes of the poem also relates to facing challenges in life. There are many challenges in life. The poem shows that the persona’s explains what is in store for his son in life. He wishes his son to equip himself with good qualities and virtues to face the challenges in life. He wishes for his son to be fair-minded, positive-minded and be optimistic in facing the challenges in life. Risk-taking is part of facing challenges in life. There are many uncertainties in life as indicated by the persona. Being optimistic helps one face the challenges in life.

Understanding oneself

The poem also highlights the theme of knowing oneself. It shows that the persona wishes for the son to understand himself better. He wants his son to know about his strengths and weaknesses, so that he is able to handle any situations. The persona advises the son to know that there are elements within a person that can destroy a person. These are the negative qualities that a person possesses such as day-dreaming, being selfish, evil-minded or disoriented. It is best that one understands oneself to triumph in life.

Forward-looking

The poem highlights the theme of forward-looking. The persona wishes for the son to be forward-looking. It is important to have a meaningful life in future as a person with the right
set of mind, personality and above all, good virtues.

Being positive-minded

Being positive-minded is also a theme in the poem. The persona wants his son to be positive-minded. The persona views life with optimism and wishes for his son to be successful in life
by being positive and picking up values and qualities that make him become a good person. The theme relates to being positive in life.

Modesty

Modesty or having the virtues of being humble is another theme in the poem. Modesty relates to learning to be humble and to show respect. The persona advises the son to be moderate in
life. Modesty also relates to having a balanced-life and not be egoistic.

Good versus evil

The theme of good versus evil is throughout the poem. In the final stanza, there is triumph when goodness overcomes evil or bad qualities that a person possesses.


Moral Value -

The poem teaches us to be positive-minded in life, if we are to succeed in life. The poem teaches us to look at life positively and to adopt qualities that reflect positive thinking. These qualities would enable a person to overcome difficulties and obstacles in life.

Understand ourselves better

The poem teaches us to understand ourselves better, especially to learn about our strengths and weaknesses. It is important for us to discover our true self. The persona wishes the son to avoid having negative qualities and to pick up qualities that project goodness, discipline and good behaviours. Life is a journey and it is important for us to identify ourselves with the society from which we come. There is a need for a person to identify himself as a member of the society to which he belongs and behave according to the norms. By understanding ourselves better we will be a useful citizen and be of service to the people, society and country.

Be realistic and practical in life

The poem teaches us to deal with situation in a rational way, by understanding the situation well. It shows us that life is not a bed of roses. There are realities in life that we have to face. The poem teaches us to be confident in life and be truthful. There is a cycle of life which means there is bound to be ups and downs in life. Thus, it is important that we be realistic and practical in life. Moreover, we should learn to face the changing world in a matured way. We should not cry
over spilt milk or be skeptical in life. We need to be brave to face the many challenges in life.

Never give up or be in despair

The lesson that we can learn from the poem is never to give up or become despair. We should not be losers but withstand defeat, and look for ways to overcome our weaknesses. We need
to work hard to attain victories. This can be done if there is a great desire to win in our heart and mind. The poem teaches us about the strength of will power, positive thinking and to be optimistic. It is an important lesson in life as will power is a great force in a person which is able to steer him or her to rise to the occasion and be successful. Life is not a bed of roses, so we need to face the challenges in life with the right attitude and by possessing noble qualities.

Universal values and virtues

We learn about universal values and virtues through the poem. Values such as being courageous and confident are important in life. Similarly, values such as being tolerant, humble, trustworthy, responsible, honest, independent or self-reliant, and humble are also important in life as these values and virtues help us to become a better person. The persona wishes for his son to be someone who has the right values, principles and virtues. He wishes his son to be a. dignified person, who values time and uses it wisely. These values, aspirations and aims in life are important to make a person understand the meaning of living in a community or society.