To An Athlete Dying Young Essay

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To an Athlete Dying Young by A. E. Housman: Thematic Impressions Throughout his life, A. E. Housman constantly wrote what his mind wanted to say, which led him to become one of the greatest English scholars of all time. Housman told his life, his feelings, and his story through the many well thought out poems that he wrote. By conveying his take on life, and its many toils and troubles through his writing, Housman’s poems all are known for their prevailing themes. Commonly associated with the doom and disappointment of young life, the themes of his works are created with surprising ease, and an elegant flare that adds to the understanding of the poem as a whole. Housman’s To an Athlete Dying Young conveys one of his many ideas and thoughts on life,…show more content…
E. Housman creates in his To an Athlete Dying Young displays one main idea; Glory, once attained, fades and withers faster than one may think, and in order to truly capture this instance of greatness, one must die before it does. Within the poem, Housman lists his reasons for believing in this thought. After Housman informs the reader that the runner has died, he praises him for doing so, and states the theme of the poem clearly, “Smart lad, to slip betimes away From fields were glory does not stay And early though the laurel grows It withers quicker than the rose” (Lines 9-12). Right after, in defense of his theme, Housman states that in doing so, one won’t have to live through seeing his accomplishments outdone, or his records broken, “Eyes the shady night has shut Cannot see the record cut, And silence sounds no worse than cheers After the earth has stopped the ears” (Lines 13-16). He also informs the reader that in doing so, one will not live to see their glory die before their name, or have to live through not being able to perform anymore, “Now you will not swell the rout Of lads that wore their honours out, Runners whom renown outran And the name died before the man” (Lines
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