To an Athlee Dying Young
The poem To an Athlete Dying Young by A. E. Housman is a piece about one ofthe most tragic fates. That fate, of course, is dying at a young age. The first thing that must be determined is who is telling the poem. I believe it is anolder man, one who had been a champion of sorts in his younger days. He seems to knowand understand what the athlete had felt and what would have become of him. Lineseleven and twelve are good examples that show that the speaker has had some experiencewith success. The lines read, “And early though the laurel grows It withers quicker than arose.” To comprehend this, you must first know what a laurel is. In ancient times, it wasa type of decorative wreath made for distinguished and honored people. The athlete neveractually had one of these, as the word laurel is only used to convey how proud thetownspeople were of the young athlete. Now that we know what a laurel is, we can nowunderstand the full effect of lines eleven and twelve. The speaker is perhaps saying thatthe glory and praise of being a winner will fade very quickly, as it did with him. Throughthe speaker’s thoughts, you start to get a glimpse of what his l
To an Athlete Dying YoungbyA. The tone of To an Athlete Dying Young is definitely one that many will rememberafter reading it. He calls the dead athlete a “smart lad” for dying as a champion andnot remaining in the “fields where glory does not stay. The theme may be rather ugly, but it is one that many peoplecan understand. When I am done, I mustgrow old and live with the fact that someone is better than me; someone has elevated pastmy victories and is now in my spotlight. The speaker seems to be observing the deceased athlete,so he must be on display in some manner. ” That is a very powerful statement. ife may have been since hisyouth: his own records broken, his skills diminished, his name forgotten. I cansympathize with the speaker as I too will be in his shoes someday. The tone of the story is very poignant and one that cannot easily beshaken from memory. I thought this was an outstanding poem, and its theme was very touching to me. ” The last two stanzas paint apicture that the death was a type of victory for the athlete. The poem To anAthlete Dying Young is a very meaningful piece of poetry. Thetheme of To an Athlete Dying Young is not apparent after one reading. I believe it is taking place at a funeral orsome sort of funeral procession.
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Acceptance Essays
