Question 135
EasyOriginal questionIf you can when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And and build ’em up with worn-out tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’
If you can talk with crowds and keep your ,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!
To whom is the poem spoken?
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The last line ends with "you'll be a Man, my son!"
Worth noting
Kings and crowds appear in the poem as people the listener may meet, not as the listener.
- Concept
- Identifying the listener of a poem
- Typical timeTypical
- 35 s
- Your timeYours
- —
Ten questions from Poems and conversations, at your own pace.