The poem relies heavily on metaphor and personification to convey its message.
Here are a few examples from the poem:
* Metaphor: "If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster / And treat those two imposters just the same..." (Triumph and Disaster are personified and presented as imposters, implying that they are not what they seem)
* Personification: "If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken / Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools..." (The truth is given the ability to be "twisted" and used for evil)
While similes (using "like" or "as" for comparison) are common in poetry, Kipling chose to use different figurative language techniques to create a more powerful and memorable effect in "If".