Is it strange that a Kipling Poem reminds me of Obama?

[SidneyCarton]

If

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance 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 imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout 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 breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
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 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!

While it is clear that PE Obama is a man, it may well be said that should he be able to do these things, he will be THE man.

[FrenchieCat]

1. Great Poem, and like you, I find it totally apropos.

Thank you for it.

[hatrack]

2. Not at all - there's another Kipling poem that neatly captures where we are as a nation . . .

God of our fathers, known of old--
Lord of our far-flung battle line--
Beneath whose awful hand we hold
Dominion over palm and pine--
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget--lest we forget!

The tumult and the shouting dies--
The Captains and the Kings depart--
Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice,
An humble and a contrite heart.
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget--lest we forget!

Far-called our navies melt away--
On dune and headland sinks the fire--
Lo, all our pomp of yesterday
Is one with Nineveh and Tyre!
Judge of the Nations, spare us yet,
Lest we forget--lest we forget!

If, drunk with sight of power, we loose
Wild tongues that have not Thee in awe--
Such boastings as the Gentiles use,
Or lesser breeds without the Law--
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget--lest we forget!

For heathen heart that puts her trust
In reeking tube and iron shard--
All valiant dust that builds on dust,
And guarding calls not Thee to guard.
For frantic boast and foolish word,
Thy Mercy on Thy People, Lord!
Amen.

[SidneyCarton]

7. I first came into contact with this poem as a hymn

I agree it aptly describes our current situation. For an arch-Imperialist Kipling had a good understanding that all that he saw was transitory.

[Clio the Leo]

3. "Or, being hated, dont give way to hating" is my fav. part. NT

[Sequoia]

4. For a college lit class our instructor asked us to write about a

favorite poem and I chose this one. He got up in front of the class and ripped it to shreads, saying how naive and lame it was. After that, I didn't like him very much. I think it's a terrifc poem.

[SidneyCarton]

8. Smallness of soul on the part of your prof?

How can you not like this poem? It argues that in order for one to be a "man" (I suppose adult could be separated here, though I would prefer a poem written by a woman to describe such a process for women) one must be temperate, stoic, hardworking and wise? What's could be wrong with that?

[Sequoia]

9. Oh and another thing...he liked us to write stories about violent things.

I couldn't bear to do it though. I wrotea short story about nuclear disarmament and that fell like a lead ballon.

[SidneyCarton]

10. This guy sounds like a peach...

...in the foaming jaws of a rabid dog.

As a History major, I only ever took one Creative Writing course and thought it was a blast. Oh well, my kind of fiction (20th Century European History) is plenty violent, but it requires footnotes.

Nuclear disarmament might not make for the most interesting future, but I never wanted an interesting future, I want one in which I can watch my beautiful little daughter grow up in peace, something that would likely also be criticized by such a fool.

[Sequoia]

14. You can say that again!

Children growing up in peace.

[nolabear]

5. If it's strange

we're both strange. I had the same thought myself during the election. It is very appropriate. Thanks for posting.

[polichick]

6. Great catch! k&r

[laststeamtrain]

11. Yes, strange.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_man's_burden

[SidneyCarton]

12. Agreed.

Kipling, the arch-imperialist, like a stopped clock does tend to be right at least twice a day. There is irony in your choice of poem, for Obama seems to perhaps finally demolish that stereotype of the "white man's burden." It makes me wonder what old Rudyard would have thought of all this...

[laststeamtrain]

13. Kipling would have liked Rahm, but they couldn't have belonged to the same clubs.

Things have changed, imperialists are sneakier now.

[Berry Cool]

15. I think that here, the words of Granny Clampett are most appropriate.

Asked "Do you like Kipling?," she replied, "I don't know--I ain't never Kippled yet."

[SidneyCarton]

16. ...

:rofl: