“If” by Rudyard Kipling

Introduction:

Vocabulary: connotation, context, denotation, didactic poem, evidence, gist, lines, rhyme scheme, stanza

Overarching Questions: We will keep these questions in mind and answer them throughout our close read of
stanzas 1 – 3 on the class blog.

  1. Why is it important to read poetry closely?
  2. Compare and contrast reading the poem to listening to the poem.
  3. How are poems similar to and different from stories?
  4. How is poetry read differently from reading a story?

Stanza 1:

Learning Targets:
* Describe structure of the poem “If”
* Identify meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary from context

Vocabulary: conditional statement, figurative language, “give way to”, idiom, inference, “make allowance”, paraphrase, theme

Homework Questions:

Paraphrase Stanza 1. To help you paraphrase:

  1. Summarize the events in your own words 1 or 2 lines at a time.
  2. What is the stanza mostly about?
  3. Look at word choice. What words are well chosen?
  4. Are there words that have positive or negative connotations?
  5. What figurative language is used? What does it mean?
  6. What rules are shared by Kipling in this stanza?
  7. What kind of person might say these things? To whom might this person be speaking?
  8. What is the theme?

Stanza 2

Learning Targets:
* Describe the structure of “If”
* Identify the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary from context
* Identify rules communicated in Stanza 2
* Paraphrase Stanza 2

Vocabulary: bear, disaster, imposter, knave, master, metaphor, personification, triumph

Homework Questions:

  1. Paraphrase Stanza 2. To help you paraphrase:
  1. Summarize the events in your own words 1 or 2 lines at a time.
  2. What is the stanza mostly about?
  3. Look at word choice. What words are well chosen?
  4. Are there words that have positive or negative connotations?
  5. What figurative language is used? What does it mean?
  6. What rules are shared by Kipling in this stanza?
  7. What kind of person might say these things? To whom might this person be speaking?
  8. What is the theme?
  1. Compare and contrast Stanza 2 with Stanza 1. (structure, rhyme scheme, words/phrases in common, meaning, theme…)

Stanza 3

Learning Targets:
* Describe the structure of the poem “If”
* Identify unfamiliar vocabulary from context
* Analyze the tone of the poem and how it affects the poem’s meaning
* Identify rules communicated and locate/sare pictures to illustrate stanza 3
* Paraphrase Stanza 3

Vocabulary: heap, pitch-and-toss, rhythm, “serve your turn”, sinew, tone, will, winnings

Class Work Questions:

  1. Mark the rhyme scheme.
  2. What do you notice as you read through this stanza? (comment on connotations, repeated words, rhyme scheme/rhythm, punctuation, interesting or important phrases, idioms, metaphors…)
  3. What do you wonder as you read through this stanza? (ask questions about this stanza to help as you close read)
  4. What is this stanza mostly about?
  5. After defining the vocabulary, replace the vocabulary words with synonyms in the stanza as we reread it to help better understand what the author is communicating.

Homework:

  1. Paraphrase Stanza 3. To help you paraphrase:
  1. Summarize the events in your own words 1 or 2 lines at a time.
  2. What is the stanza mostly about?
  3. Look at word choice. What words are well chosen?
  4. Are there words that have positive or negative connotations?
  5. What figurative language is used? What does it mean?
  6. What rules are shared by Kipling in this stanza?
  7. What kind of person might say these things? To whom might this person be speaking?
  8. What is the theme?
  1. How do the first 3 stanzas relate to one another?