to an atlete dying young
Dying young is considered by most to be one of the most tragic of fates. The specter of deeds not accomplished and a life not lived haunts the funeral "...set you at your threshold down" (Line 7), and causes the grief to reach a higher level. Most people desire to live to a ripe old age and they would be aghast to have a premature death viewed through a positive light. Yet a "positive funeral" is exactly the driving force behind A.E. Housman's "To an Athlete Dying Young." The poem states outright that it is better to die in the glory of youth than to rest too long on one's laurels, only to see those laurels wither "From fields where glory does not stay and early though the laurel grows, it withers quicker than the rose" (Lines 10-12). The poem takes place at the funeral of a young champion runner. Rather than join the others in mourning, the speaker is instead reflecting on how lucky the young athlete was to have died when he did, instead of lingering on outlasting the glory of his victories, "From fields where glory does not stay and early though the laurel grows, it withers quicker than the rose" (Lines 10-12). Speaking of how quickly the laurels die the narrator projects himself onto the young runner with a knowledge t
Housman's simple diction, lyric beauty and gentle ironic pessimism are what complete this literary piece. Housman is negative by saying that only by dying young, can one die with honor "Now you will not swell the rout of lads that wore their honors out" (Lines 17-18). If one dies old, he may have worn their honors out. Housman believes that men are too easily satisfied and ride their few accomplishments for all they are worth and eventually suck the honor dry. hat suggests he, too, once knew these glories. Through the writer's thoughts, the reader gets a glimpse of what the poet's life may have been since his youth: his own records broken, his skills diminished, his name forgotten "The time you won your town the race we chaired you through the market-place... Smart lad, to slip betimes away from fields where glory does not stay... silence sounds no worse than cheers" (Lines 1-2, 9-10, 15). Instead of being a poem about the death of the athl! ete, the poem becomes a statement about the life of the speaker as well as all of us. As one of "the lads who wore his honors out" (Line 18), the speaker seems to be also mourning ones own special kind of death. The poem is easily understood and paints a vivid picture in the m
Some common words found in the essay are:
Athlete Dying, , quicker rose, fields glory stay, fields glory, glory stay, simple diction, laurel grows, grows withers quicker, laurel grows withers, silence sounds worse, won town, stay laurel, withers quicker rose, withers quicker, grows withers, worse cheers,
Approximate Word count = 833
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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