Question

If

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, 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!
Part A
Which poetic element does Rudyard Kipling use in this stanza?
A Metaphor
B Simile
C Assonance
D Antithesis
Part B
Which line or lines from the poem best support your answer?
A "If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue"
B "If all men count with you, but none too much"
C With sixty seconds' worth of distance run
D Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it

Answer 1

Rudyard Kipling uses antithesis in the stanza, exemplified by the lines contrasting engagement with different social groups while maintaining one's virtue and balancing the value of people.

Step-by-step explanation:

The poetic element that Rudyard Kipling uses in this stanza is antithesis. Antithesis occurs when two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect. The lines that best support the use of antithesis are "If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with kings -- nor lose the common touch" and "If all men count with you, but none too much". These lines contrast the ability to maintain one's moral integrity while engaging with different social groups and balancing the value of all people while not overvaluing anyone individual.