Analysis of “To an Athlete Dying Young” In his poem “To an Athlete Dying Young”‚ A.E. Housman makes a quite different approach on death. People have different perspectives on death‚ but more often than not‚ it is viewed as an undesirable event that people wish to avoid. The speaker in the poem‚ however‚ praises a young and famous athlete for dying before he became old and forgotten. This can be interpreted two very different ways. One can assume Housman believes that the only way for athletes
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"To an Athlete Dying Young" Many people fear dying at a young age. Along with that come fears of not being able to fulfill all their dreams‚ not being able to live a prosperous life and take full advantage of their time on earth. It is a sad fate that is uncontrollable by any human‚ and to view a young and premature death in a positive light would be horrendous to many. However‚ Alfred Edward Housman does exactly that in his poem "To an Athlete Dying Young." Housman implies in his poem that it is
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The elegy “To an Athlete Dying Young” by A. E. Housman follows the speaker as he mourns the death of a highly celebrated‚ young athlete. Housman asserts for one to achieve eternal greatness in the minds of his admirers he must die closely after reaching his peak performance or face the prospect of having is glory fade. Housman employs a distant‚ observant tone almost as if the poem’s speaker is a close friend or confidant of the athlete. The speaker chooses to glorify the young athlete’s death‚ focusing
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commonly known as A. E. Housman‚ was an author and an English classical poet who wrote a multitude of poems that truly made an impact on the world. Housman was born on March 26th‚ 1859 in a small house on the outskirts of Worcestershire‚ England‚ later dying at the age of 77 on April 30th. Housman began his academic journey at a small school‚ later proceeding to attend St. Johns College in Oxford. At an early age‚ Housman’s academic power was prevalent‚ winning multiple awards for his poetry before going
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On the outermost level the poem‚ “To an Athlete Dying Young” by A.E. Housman‚ is exactly as it sounds. It talks about a young man that was athletically talented for some reason has died. The poem uses many good techniques to suggest‚ however morbid‚ that it good for famous people to die young. The poem has a solemn mood‚ but it is possible to sense a bit of happiness as it recalls the athlete’s life. The first two lines of the poem say “The time you won your town the race / We chaired you through
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Mark Twain once said‚ "The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time." A.E. Houseman‚ in the tragic poem “’To an Athlete Dying Young‚" examines the themes of youth and premature death. The poem addresses a young runner who epitomized glory by winning a race and earning the heart of his townsmen. The triumph of the youth’s winning of a race is matched by the ironic triumph of his death. The usage of metaphoric language‚ imagery‚ sophisticated
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Housman’s emotional poem‚ “To an Athlete Dying Young‚” appears to present a solemn farewell to any young athlete who dies young in the modern age. The speaker seems to be giving his last goodbye to the town athlete whether they are the star or the benchwarmer of the team it allows the reader to feel more attached to this character that the speaker is painting. Housman carefully crafts a depressing yet loving final goodbye to all the athletes or stars of the world that die young‚ and then shows briefly how
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Sydney Walcher Instructor‚ Lisa Ward English 1213 8 April 2013 To an Athlete Dying Young A.E. Housman was a poet born in 1859 who became very successful during his lifetime. “To an Athlete Dying Young” represents the theme of glory is fleeting by illustrating the point that if a successful athlete dies young‚ they will not have to worry about their glory of victory fading. They can rest in peace knowing they will be remembered at their athletic peak when they were successful and victorious. They
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Beowulf concretely establishes the traditional hero/villain roles only to have Grendel pulverize this concept proving that just as Grendel the character cannot exist without Beowulf the character‚ Grendel the novel cannot exist without Beowulf the poem. Gardner utilizes alliteration‚ demonic kennings‚ negative diction‚ pathos‚ first point of view‚ pleading repetition‚ innocent tone‚ and beastlike imagery to manipulate the villain role and create compassion for Grendel. Through the use of pathos
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“To An Athlete Dying Young” is about a close friend who died at a young age. A.E Housman uses a poem structure to express his emotions. The whole poem is about how he was carried to his grave and was shoulder high. Based upon that this would be considered non - fiction. The audience he is telling this poem to is to his close friend that dies‚ and is wanting others to see his emotions. It depends on the perspective that you have. You can think that it means that they celebrated him and the accomplishments
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