The Story of the Boy who Lives on in To an Athlete Dying Young

To an Athlete Dying young by A.E. Housman is about a young man who dies in his youth. The poem starts off very cheerful, enjoying life and its sadly must come to an end. A young man has to face death at the height of his lavish glory. The poem could be a lyrical poem because it expresses the emotion of the people in his prime glory and his sad unhelp death. It has a scheme in each stanza of AA to BB. It has symbolism, and Imagery throughout the poem.

“The time you won your town the race / We chaired you through the market-place;” (1- 2). In the lines one and two he is remembering of the great time of winning. Him being lift and everyone eyeing him. So, the poem starts of very happy it is the end of a huge race that he won, and the people of the town are all happy and celebrating the won, making him the center of attention of the town. They even carried him to his house because of the win. In this poem the scheme is AA-BB followed through the whole poem. This makes it kind of easier to read and gives it a simple grasp.

“To-day, the road all runners come, / Shoulder-high we bring you home, / And set you at your threshold down, / Townsman of a stiller town.” (5-8). The lines are not very happy. It focuses on the actual death of the victor. It starts of today, so it on the current situation which is the death and Housman uses a metaphor in the fifth line when he indicates the “the road all runners come” which is death. We are giving life in the world, but it always comes to an end which is death. The image being placed here is that in the first stanza he is being carried home after the amazing win, but here he is being carried on the shoulder of the town people. He successful athlete is being taken to his funeral. His threshold is going to be a hole in the ground where he shall rest peacefully. He going to be eternally in the town’s cemetery. So, the stiller non-alive town he mentions he is on the other side of the world, the dark side where he is know going to be residing.

The symbol used in this poem is his house. A.E. Housman uses the house a place that is safe and welcoming to its owner which the successful athlete. After winning the Humongous race which is very important he is being carried home to rest. Which is found on the first line of the first stanza. Everyone is just happy for him. When A.E. gets to the second stanza his view starts to change because this is when is actually dead. He is living anymore so he can just remain in the humans living world he must find peace in the other side, with death. He is still being carried high and proud but not to his home to rest but to is grave were he will find his peace and end happily because he going to be remembered because he just ended on a high note.

Tragedy strikes everyone in their lifetime. So, for this young very intelligent athlete is was unfair. He couldn’t see his success prosper and flourish. “It withers quicker than the rose”. (12) He is showing how the success he could have had had just been taken away so easily and quickly. His success would have ended, everything comes to an end so if he passed away quick his achievements would still be in the townspeople heads. “early though the laurel grows” (11) His crown and achievements would be there while it lasted. So, it was eventually going to go away. His success is very great and is in everyone heads but it the achiever dies then it will be away like the wind. This is what I found out about poem by A.E. Housman To an Athlete Dying young.