To An Athlete Dying Young Essay

An athlete's goal is to either to maintain their physical fitness, that they have earned through various exercises, or they hope that their name is remembered. However, in some cases skill hardly matters to be remembered as an athlete. Rather, the death of a youthful athlete has a more memorable plaque on their tombstone than an older athlete’s. In A. E. Housman’s poem To an Athlete Dying Young, Housman explores this idea of how the death of a young athlete makes them more memorable than dying of natural causes or at a later age. With the use of imagery, tone, and syntax Housman is successfully able to illustrate the aftermath of a young athlete’s demise.

The use of imagery helps construct and illustrate Housman’s poem, as well as keeping …show more content…
Housman’s poem flows from one line to the next, with hardly any stops or breaks in between. The flow of this poem matches perfectly with the atmosphere that is present throughout the poem as well as the meaning behind it. It would have rather seem out of place if Housman chose a quick and choppy to describe a scene of mourning, for it would be rather distracting to the reader. “And round that early-laurelled head will flock to gaze the strengthless dead,” (25-26). By using a more flowing style of writing, Housman is able to keep his readers engaged with the story since it perfectly matches the scene that he unfolds.

Housman’s poem To an Athlete Dying Young is able to illustrate the death of a well known young athlete and how it plays a toll on his town people's emotions. By using imagery, a remorseful tone, and a flowing syntax, Housman is able to engage his readers into the story rather than feel distracted. While engaged, readers are able to draw emotional connections with how the townspeople must feel since they are able to relate to how feels to lose someone close. In the end, Housman’s poem shows his readers how a young athlete's death can impact their home town, leaving only memories of his victories in his