"If" In his poem "If", Rudyard Kipling writes to his son, John, about the most important virtues that a good human being possesses. Over the years of his life, Kipling often traveled to the United States and sometimes to other countries. During his travels, Kipling met one of his greatest friends, Leander Starr Jameson, a colonial politician. It is believed that, although addressed to Kipling's son, "If" was actually about Jameson. Using themes that Kipling saw in his friend Jameson, such as humility and stoicism, the speaker shows the reader a set of virtues that show what characteristics are necessary to be a decent human being. Looking at the first stanza, we can see that the speaker is trying to show the importance of the reader's reactions in times of despair. It shows us that we must take responsibility for our own actions and that we cannot let those around us, who seem sick of lies and deception, infect our good-natured self. “If you can keep your head while everyone around you is losing theirs and blaming it on you…” (Line 1) is an example of...