WHY DID KIPLING WRITE THE POEM "IF" IN THE SECOND PERSON POINT OF VIEW AND HOW DOES THE LANGUAGE AFFECT THE READERS?

I think the second person in this poem is brilliant because it forces the reader to make a choice: namely, the choice either to read the speaker as speaking in mere colloquiums (and distancing) or speaking directly to the reader herself! This decision fits well the motif of the conditional "if" in the poem.