Analysis Of A. E. Housman's To An Athlete Dying Young

In A.E. Housman’s “To An Athlete Dying Young,” the speaker reminisces on all the past achievements of a young and deceased athlete. The poem is filled with praise for the athlete who had died while he was still glorious, successful, and revered by his town. The speaker strangely believes that the star is fortunate to have died before his fame did. The speaker begins the elegy by directly addressing the deceased athlete. Looking back on one of the boy’s great victories, the speaker states, “the time you won your town the race / we chaired you through the market-place” (Housman 1-2). Housman’s use of apostrophe conveys the deep anguish that the town and the speaker feel as the athlete is laid in his grave. In directly addressing the athlete as “you”, despite the athlete not being physically present, the speaker
He utilizes the pronoun “you” to send his message to both the athlete and the reader. Housman discusses how human culture revolves around the idea of fame and how it makes people feel. People are obsessed both with becoming famous and observing celebrities and star athletes. Housman emphasizes how the athlete is a “smart lad” to have died before his name did, showing how he values having fame and success over living. While suggesting that life has no significance without fame, Housman drives the reader to contemplate the true meaning of life. Furthermore, the elegy begins by speaking to the deceased in the past, then transitions to speaking in the present at the athlete’s funeral. Housman wrote this shift to signify the town accepting the end of the athlete’s life. Moreover, the author creates a somber and dark tone that rises when he speaks about death. This forces the reader to consider the uncertainty and ambiguity of their own life. Housman employs apostrophe to underscore how the athlete’s name will remain prevalent years after he has