FREE ESSAY ON TO AN ATHLEE DYING YOUNG

TO AN ATHLEE DYING YOUNG

To an Athlete Dying Young
The poem To an Athlete Dying Young by A. E. Housman is a piece about one of
the 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 an
older man, one who had been a champion of sorts in his younger days. He seems to know
and understand what the athlete had felt and what would have become of him. Lines
eleven and twelve are good examples that show that the speaker has had some experience
with success. The lines read, "And early though the laurel grows It withers quicker than
a
rose." To comprehend this, you must first know what a laurel is. In ancient times, it
was
a type of decorative wreath made for distinguished and honored people. The athlete never
actually had one of these, as the word laurel is only used to convey how proud the
townspeople were of the young athlete. Now that we know what a laurel is, we can now
understand the full effect of lines eleven and twelve. The speaker is perhaps saying
that
the glory and praise of being a winner will fade very quickly, as it did with him.
Through
the speaker's thoughts, you start to get a glimpse of what his life may have been since
his
youth: his own records broken, his skills diminished, his name forgotten. Instead of
being a
poem about the death of the athlete, the poem becomes a statement about the life of the
speaker. In line eighteen, as one of "the lads who wore their honors out," the speaker
seems to be also mourning his own personal demise as a star athlete.
Now that we have postulated who the speaker is and all of his thoughts, we can
now determine where the poem is occurring. I believe it is taking place at a funeral or
some sort of funeral procession. The speaker seems to be observing the deceased athlete,
so he must be on display in some manner. Also, the poem is about an athlete in a small
town. The entire community is stricken with grief and is mourning the loss together.
This
is evident in lines five and six: "Today, the road all runners come, Shoulder-high we
bring
you home..." Line five shows us that everyone is coming to the funeral, even his
competitors and the other runners. Also, the use of "we" is a signal of the entire
community gathering to honor the young lad. They were together in celebration of his
victory and now are together in mourning his death.
The tone of To an Athlete Dying Young is definitely one that many will remember
after reading it. The first stanza tells about the past accomplishments and celebrations
of
the athlete. "The time you won your town the race" shows his success in the past. The
tone starts out to be one of pride for the athlete, but soon it changes to a very
melancholy
and solemn one. The next three stanzas are very depressing and tell of a young man
who's "Eyes the shady night has shut." The final stanzas are perhaps the most dreary of
all. They look to the future, a future of things undone, a life unlived, and a young man
dead too soon. The tone of the story is very poignant and one that cannot easily be
shaken from memory.
The tone may be a very depressing one, but the theme is even more piercing. The
theme of To an Athlete Dying Young is not apparent after one reading. I gave it much
thought and have come to one eerie conclusion; the speaker is viewing the premature
death in a positive light. To most, that is a terrible or even sinful thing to
contemplate, but
it is indeed what the speaker is conveying. The theme of this poem is that it is better
to
die as a young champion than to grow old and be forgotten by all those who surpass your
one-time greatness. He calls the dead athlete a "smart lad" for dying as a champion and
not remaining in the "fields where glory does not stay." He then compares early death to
growing old and being forgotten in the lines "And silence sounds no worse than cheers
After earth has stopped the ears." That is a very powerful statement. The speaker
honestly believes that it is just as well to die young and be praised as it is to live
out the
rest of your life and be forgotten. The line "Runners whom renown outran" also indicates
the theme. That line conveys the message that the fame and glory is only temporary, and
it is better to perish before "the name died before the man." The last two stanzas paint
a
picture that the death was a type of victory for the athlete. He died without the taste
of
defeat; he died a champion. The theme may be rather ugly, but it is one that many people
can understand. 
I thought this was an outstanding poem, and its theme was very touching to me. I
am in my final year of athletic competition on the soccer field. When I am done, I must
grow old and live with the fact that someone is better than me; someone has elevated
past
my victories and is now in my spotlight. It is definitely a tough pill to swallow. I can
sympathize with the speaker as I too will be in his shoes someday. The poem To an
Athlete Dying Young is a very meaningful piece of poetry.
To an Athlete Dying Young
by
A. E. Housman
The time you won your town the race
We chaired you through the market place;
Man and boy stood cheering by,
And home we brought you shoulder-high.
Today, the road all runners come,
Shoulder-high we bring you home,
And set you at your threshold down,
Townsman of a stiller town.
Smart lad, to slip betimes away
From fields where glory does not stay
And early though the laurel grows
It withers quicker than a rose.
Eyes the shady night has shut
Cannot see the record cut,
And silence sounds no worse than cheers
After earth has stopped the ears:
Now you will not swell the rout
Of lads that wore their honors out,
Runners whom renown outran
And the name died before the man.
So set, before its echoes fade,
The fleet foot on the sill of shade,
And hold to the low lintel up
The still defended challenge cup.
And round that early laureled head
Will flock to gaze the strengthless dead
And find unwithered on its curls
The garland briefer than a girl's.
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