To An Athlete Dying Young

A.E. Housman’s poem, “To an Athlete Dying Young,” is a poem filled with numerous literary elements and poetic devices. The poem is about an athlete dying young and how that was a smart move on their behalf. The start is cheerful, remembering the time that the athlete won their race. Everyone cheered for the athlete, bring him home “shoulder- high.” The poem moves us from a celebration to a funeral where the athlete has now become a member of a stiller town. Imagery and personification are two of the literary elements used throughout the poem.
Imagery is a visual description. “We chaired you through the market-place; / Man and boy stood cheering by, / and home we brought you shoulder-high,” is a great example of imagery. It paints a picture