“To An Athlete Dying Young” was written by A. E. Housman in 1896. Houseman wrote during the Modernist period. This period was characterized by a the breaking of traditional ideas, that there is no absolute truth, and are usually concerned with the subconscious. “To An Athlete Dying Young” was written to the dead athlete, but almost seems to speak to the reader as well, reminding him or her of the futility of life. Surprisingly, the speaker does not mourn the runner’s death. instead he sees the positive side of dying in the prime of life.
The poem begins on a positive note, as the speaker recalls the runner’s big victory, winning a race as the representative for his town. He speaks of how they carried him through town and brought him home …show more content…
It reminds one just how short life is, and emphasizes the reality of mortality- no one can live forever. Everyone knows this, yet so many people have an “it could never happen to me” attitude, and live as though they will not have to meet their Maker someday. Besides that, people do not seem to grasp the concept that there is no coming back, no redo’s, no second chance. That is why it is so important for people to love each other, help each other, and do the most good that they can, because their dying day will come, and they do not want to have any regrets. Once a person dies, they cannot go back and tell their spouse that they love them because they forgot to, or tell their brother that they forgive him. It is too late, and those people are left to pick up the pieces. The setting of Housman’s poem moves from the market place to the graveyard, and it ends in the graveyard. That young athlete will not leave that graveyard, and nor will anyone else, and everyone has to check in to the Death Hotel; it is simply inescapable. It is a sobering reality check for the reader.
In the poem “To the Athlete Dying Young,” the speaker almost seems jealous of the athlete because his death secured his fame. However, I cannot help but wonder if the speaker is only trying to convince himself that he is happy for the young man. It almost seems like
The poem begins on a positive note, as the speaker recalls the runner’s big victory, winning a race as the representative for his town. He speaks of how they carried him through town and brought him home …show more content…
It reminds one just how short life is, and emphasizes the reality of mortality- no one can live forever. Everyone knows this, yet so many people have an “it could never happen to me” attitude, and live as though they will not have to meet their Maker someday. Besides that, people do not seem to grasp the concept that there is no coming back, no redo’s, no second chance. That is why it is so important for people to love each other, help each other, and do the most good that they can, because their dying day will come, and they do not want to have any regrets. Once a person dies, they cannot go back and tell their spouse that they love them because they forgot to, or tell their brother that they forgive him. It is too late, and those people are left to pick up the pieces. The setting of Housman’s poem moves from the market place to the graveyard, and it ends in the graveyard. That young athlete will not leave that graveyard, and nor will anyone else, and everyone has to check in to the Death Hotel; it is simply inescapable. It is a sobering reality check for the reader.
In the poem “To the Athlete Dying Young,” the speaker almost seems jealous of the athlete because his death secured his fame. However, I cannot help but wonder if the speaker is only trying to convince himself that he is happy for the young man. It almost seems like