Lizbeth Hernandez
September 13, 2012
English 495
Professor Wexler
Poem
Analysis Essay
Alfred Edward Housman was born in Fockbury, Worcestershire, England on March
26, 1859. Housman was a noted British Latin scholar whose poems combined
simplicity and craft in a manner that found favor with both critics and the
reading public. Housman published only two volumes when he was alive
which were A Shropshire Lad (1896) and Last Poems (1922). “To an Athlete Dying Young” is one of A.E. Housman’s most popular
poems from his collection “A Shropshire
Lad”. My first impression when I read the title of the poem it made me
believe that it was a very sad poem and that I would start feeling sympathy for
the young athlete who died at a very young age. However, after reading it, my
thoughts changed about this poem. “To an
Athlete Dying Young” is an elegy poem that the speaker tries to give the
audience an alternative view of death. Through literary devices like
alliteration, and metaphor gives us a better understanding of the poem and although
death is a mournful time, does the speaker try to make the audience understand
through literary devices that for this athlete to die young is not unfortunate
but rather see it as an escape from seeing this athlete’s life forgotten and
faded?
“To an Athlete Dying Young” consists of
seven stanzas. Each stanza consists of two pairs of end-rhyming lines. Many of
the lines are in iambic tetrameter, which have four feet that each consists of
an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable, “The time you won your town the race,
We chaired you through the market-place”(1-2).
According
to Michael J. Cummings this piece of work is considered an apostrophe poem
because the speaker of them poem addresses a deceased person which in this case
was an athlete. On the first stanza, the speaker shows a remembered image of
the young athlete who is a runner and that day he won a race in his own
townhome. After been victorious in his race his town people carried him home on
their shoulders.
On
the second stanza, again the athlete is been carry on the town people’s
shoulders but not because he won again but because he is in a casket on his way
to the cemetery. In the sentence “ To-day, the road all runners come”(5), not
only is an example of alliteration but also according to Gage’s article it
emphasizes the speaker’s awareness of the morality of people. In Line 7 “ And
set you at the threshold down” symbolizes that this is where the athlete will
spend his life eternally. Also, “Townsman of a stiller town”(8), not only is
alliteration but also a metaphor because stiller town is a cemetery and its
compared to a town.
On
the third stanza, we see a shift on the language compared to the first two
stanzas. In this stanza we see that is more of a lyrical format. Also, it
describes how the athlete’s death was a good thing that happened because his
fame was very high and people would definitely remember him. On the other hand,
if he would have grew and lived longer then his fame would have faded. Line 10
“From the fields where glory does not stay” represents a metaphor because it is
making a comparison of glory to a person or thing that leaves the fields. Also,
on line 11, “And early though the laurel grows” laurel shows a representation
as a symbol of victory and that life can be short. The athlete received a
laurel, which symbolizes great works, according to Cummings, “Today the phrase
to win one’s laurels is often used figuratively to indicate that an athlete,
scholar, or stage performer has earned distinction in his or her field”.
There
have been many famous people that died and after hardly anyone remember them.
At the beginning of the fourth stanza, “Eyes the shady night has shut”, is a
metaphor because its comparing death to night. In this stanza the speaker tells
the audience that the athlete eyes are now closed forever and that he will not
be able to experience or witness the victorious moments he had and records he
set when he was alive.
The
following stanza describes how many athletes that lived forever their fame only
lasted for a small amount of time because they were no longer able to perform. No
one remembered them anymore. According to Cummings these athletes’ names died before their
bodies. However, for the athlete in the poem because he was at his highest peak
of fame and died young then people are going to remember him. Also, in line
19,“Runners whom renown outran”, is a metaphor because it is comparing renown
to an athlete.
Next
stanza is when the young athlete is about to be put on the tomb. In the first
line of this stanza, “So set, before its echoes fade” the speaker makes an
usage of the word “set” which is important. The speaker makes “set” an
important word because the speaker wants the townspeople to direct the death
body down the grave as quickly as possible. Because if it is not quickly as
possible, the speaker does not want the athlete’s running steps echoes to fade
away. If the footsteps were to fade away then he will become forgotten like the
other forgotten athletes.
In
the last stanza, it gives the audience an image of the young death athlete that
passed through the threshold into the world of the death. The young athlete is
wearing a laurel wreath because it signifies that he was victorious when he was
alive. Also, it says that it was good that the athlete passed away because he
was young. In addition on the last line of the poem “The garland briefer than a
girl’s”, Gales article states that behind the meaning of that sentence is that
the garland usually in the natural world withers more quickly than the rose in
line 12, but that here it will live forever as a symbol of glory and that will
not fade away.
In
today’s society if we have someone famous die at a young age, we feel sympathy
right away and question ourselves why. Also, we can’t accept it. However, their
families might spend the rest of their lives question why they died so young.
But what about their fans, are they still going to remember them? Maybe within
the first weeks fans will still remember them but what about a year from then
most likely no because their fame has faded away. Housman definitely tries
makes his audience understands that for this athlete is was good that he died
at a young age. The reason for been well is because he was at his highest peak
of fame. Townspeople will still remember because he was young. I he would of
lived longer then his fade would have faded very soon.
In
conclusion, “To an Athlete Dying Young”
by A. E. Housman, is a eulogy poem because is about a young athlete died at a
very young age. This athlete was very victorious before he died and because he
died at a young age his fame will never faded as oppose if he would have lived
longer. With literary devices used in the poem the audience can better
understand the meaning the speaker is trying to convey.
Works Cited
Cummings, Michael J.
"To an Athlete Dying Young." To an Athlete Dying
Young.Cummings
Study Guides, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/Guides3/Housman.html>.
"Overview: “To an Athlete Dying Young”." Poetry
for Students. Vol. 7. Detroit: Gale
Group, 2000. Literature Resource Center. Web. 13 Sep. 2012.
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