To An Athlete Dying Young Essay

Today, we live in a fame-obsessed society. Media seems to exclusively follow celebrities and broadcast even their most trivial actions. Some people spend their whole lives trying to achieve fame and, once this goal is achieved, stay in the limelight. In the poem, “To an Athlete Dying Young,” A. E. Housman uses contrasting imagery, symbolism, and diction to reflect society’s infatuation with fame and the despondency that comes with its expiration. The tones of triumph and nostalgia in the poem also reflect the novelty of youth and the dismay that comes with age. Despite the fact that the poem was written in the late 1800’s, the themes directly relate to today’s society. The poem begins with the celebration of a young athlete who has won a race for his town. A. E. Housman’s imagery depicts the victory of the young athlete as “man and boy stood cheering by, and home we brought you shoulder

E. Housman applauds the young man with his scintillating diction and expressive imagery in the next stanza, stating that the boy is a “smart lad, to slip betimes away, from fields where glory does not stay.” The fields symbolize life, and indicate that fame and glory do not last long. Housman calls the boy a “smart lad,” or otherwise lucky, to have died in his prime, presumably because the dead are oblivious to sights and sounds, including the surpassing of their own great records and achievements. They become unattached from the world and life in general. In the athlete’s eyes, he will forever be shrouded in fame and glory, even if the townspeople no longer see him as a prominent figure. The poet’s appreciation for fame in the presence of death is also mentioned in the next line as he claims that when a laurel grows early—which symbolizes fame in youth—it “withers quicker than the rose.” This truthful, matter-of-fact but melancholy tone shows the the author's thoughts reflecting life’s intolerance of lasting