Analysis Of To An Athlete Dying Young By A. E Housman

1113 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Analysis essay "To An Athlete Dying Young" by A E Housman #read by Tom O'Bedlam#

A.E. Housman was a man of great opposites which means his poetry seems to be so very delicate and full of gentle regret, but he himself was a very hash self-disciplined man. He happened to write several poems and one of them is titled “To an Athlete Dying Young” which happens to talk about the advantages of dying young before an athlete’s glory does. This is a very sad topic to write on and gives an insight into the dreary life that Housman lived, but that is a topic for another day. However he did accomplish three messages in the poem “To an Athlete Dying You” like pride is important to an athlete, your people will take you to your home, and you will be able to die a very happy person. Surprisingly, the first message from “To an Athlete …show more content…

What an ironic concept that a person can go to death happy because death is never a joyful experience for anyone. “Eyes the shady night has shut/ Cannot see the record cut/ And silence sounds no worse than cheers/ After earth has stopped the ears” (A.E Housman pg. 1092 lines. 13-16) So, the first part of this particular quote is talking about eyes that have been closed by death will never live to see their record broken by another athlete. This would be the easiest way for an athlete to die happy because they would go down in their own minds as the top or number one person in their sport. The second part of this quote speaks about the sounds a dead person hears which is silence of course, but when he says “silence sounds no worse than cheers” he means to say that the athlete will die remembering the sounds of people cheering and since he is dead the sounds don’t matter. If an athlete could die before that record was broken they could remember the time of everyone cheering and how great that day was which allows a happy death. However, if an athlete lives to see their record broken then they may focus on that moment the record was broke and die a life focused on regret. So, basically an unbroken record means an unbroken heart and that equals a happy

Show More
Related

  • Langston Hughes Poem To A Dead Soldier

    914 Words  | 2 Pages

    “...Put your pistol to your head and go to Fiddlers’ Green.” Throughout literary history, epic stories of heroes dying for their gods and their countries have called men to battle and romanticized death, but Langston Hughes approaches the subject in a different way. He addresses death as a concept throughout much of his work. From his allusions to the inevitability of death to his thoughts on the inherent injustice in death, the concept of human mortality is well addressed within his works. In Hughes’ classic work, “Poem to a Dead Soldier,” he describes death in quite unflattering terms as he profusely apologizes to a soldier sent to fight and die for his country.

    Read More

  • Richard Cory and To an Athlete Dying Young

    687 Words  | 2 Pages

    The speakers in A. E. Housman poem “To an Athlete Dying Young” and Edward Arlington Robinson poem “Richard Cory” serve different purposes but uses irony and rhyme to help convey their message. In “To an Athlete Dying Young” the speaker’s purpose is to show the audience dying young with glory is more memorable than dying old with glory. In “Richard Cory” the speaker’s purpose is to show the audience “you can’t judge a book by its cover.”

    Read More

  • Sullivan Ballou: A War Hero

    1179 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout life, an individual must undergo many obstacles to reach their life's climactic point of success. Regrettably, an individual may not be able to enjoy their life's highest point of accomplishment-because they are deceased! For example, in “A Letter to His Wife, 1861”, Sullivan Ballou (1861) died in the First Battle of Bull Run, a war led by former President Abraham Lincoln. Ballou wrote a letter to his beloved wife named Sarah; the delivery of the letter was contingent upon his death. Ballou fought for what he believed in- civil rights, and the safety of his country; I believe Ballou reached the climactic point in his life when he died for his country: a war hero.

    Read More

  • Analyiss on Jerry Fensteman´s I See Why Others Choose to Die

    745 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jerry Fensterman, in his essay "I See Why Others Choose to Die", talks about how he can understand why terminal ill people after so long in pain with no hope to cure choose to end their life sooner than expected. Fensterman, who was a dignose with cancer, says "I know now how a feeling, loving, rational person could choose death over life, could choose to relieve his suffering as well as that of his loved ones a few months earlier that would happen naturally." I agreed with the writers point of view, and I can also understand why someone would make this type of decisions. It is not only physically devastating for the whole family to go through this type of situations, but it could also be economically damaging, and not to mention the stress that is slowly draining everyone around.

    Read More

  • Housman's To An Athlete Dying Young

    1640 Words  | 4 Pages

    A. E. Housman's "To an Athlete Dying Young," also known as Lyric XIX in A

    Read More

  • What Are The Advantages Of To An Athlete Dying Young

    195 Words  | 1 Pages

    The speaker addresses three advantages to dying young in To an Athlete Dying Young, by A. E. Houseman, these are an athlete’s glory fading, records broken, and being forgotten. After the athlete’s death, the speaker states that the athlete was right to leave “fields where glory does not stay” (10). Moreover, the speaker implies that the athlete is lucky because he will never live to see the glory of his achievements fade away. Similarly, following the athlete’s burial the speaker states that the athlete “Cannot see the record cut” (14). Furthermore, the speaker implies that an early death is to the athlete’s advantage because he will never see his records and achievements beaten by another athlete. Lastly, the speaker states that the athlete

    Read More

  • To An Athlete Dying Young, by A.E. Houseman and Crossing The Bar, by Lord Alfred Tennyson

    1111 Words  | 3 Pages

    Both poems have a propitious view of the theme of death. In “To An Athlete Dying Young” Houseman praises the young athlete for dying relatively young. He says “smart lad…not stay (9-10).” Houseman tells the athlete that he was smart to die at a young age because he can no longer witness his glory fade away as he gets older. His interpretation of death is very ironic. Many people consider it a tragedy when an athlete dies young because the athlete cannot further his career anymore, but Houseman argues that an athlete should not further his career because once he is old, he is a shell of his former self. By taking his life during a young age, the athlete gave himself eternal life in people’s mind. Moreover, in “Crossing The Bar”, Tennyson describes death as something people should not fear. Tennyson k...

    Read More

  • Becoming Sports Medicine Essay

    666 Words  | 2 Pages

    While not many acute injuries, or injuries that are associated with a traumatic event can be prevented, nearly all overuse injuries can be! Nevertheless, sports medicine physicians receive training to treat any kind of injury; acute, chronic, overuses or even psychogenic pain. Sports medicine dates back to Susruta of India who was the first “recorded” physician to prescribe moderate daily exercise around 600 B.C. (Tipton). Since then, professionals have redesigned and renovated the techniques and equipment used in this field. Sports medicine physicians go through years of education and training in order to effectively treat and interact with patients, as well as thrive in any workplace they are needed.

    Read More

  • Macbeth's "Tomorrow, Tomorrow" Speech Vs. Robert Frost's "Out, Out - "

    514 Words  | 2 Pages

    An unknown author once wrote “Never take life too seriously; after all, no one gets out of it alive”. When reading this quote, there can almost be an immediate connection between two very good works of writing: Macbeth’s “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” speech from Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth, and the poem “Out, Out --” by Robert Frost. Both allude to the idea that a single life, in its totality, denotes nothing, and eventually, everyone’s candle of life is blown out. However, each poet approaches this idea from opposite perspectives. Frost writes of a young, innocent boy whose life ends suddenly and unexpectedly. His poem is dry and lacks emotion from anyone except the young boy. Whereas the demise of Shakespeare’s character, Macbeth, an evil man, has been anticipated throughout the entire play. Through these writings, we are able gather a little more insight as to how these poets perhaps felt about dying and life itself.

    Read More

  • Essay On Sports Specialization

    1315 Words  | 3 Pages

    As a child, Stephen Curry was raised like any other child, except he grew up playing multiple sports. “In an age of hyper-specialization, Curry has reached the pinnacle of his sport by doing the exact opposite. He played basketball, but he also played some baseball, football, soccer and basically everything else in a sports buffet” (Cohen). Now, Curry is known as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Is this because of his vast background of many sports? In today’s world, children should be introduced to a variety of different sports in order to promote discipline and hard work, prevent injury, and fulfill their college desires.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Here Bullet By Brian Turner

    1714 Words  | 4 Pages

    One must look at this poem and imagine what is like to live thru this experience of becoming so tired of expecting to die everyday on the battlefield, that one starts to welcome it in order to escape the anticipation. The effects of living day in and day out in such a manner creates a person who either has lost the fear of death or has become so frighten of how they once lived the compensate for it later by living a guarded life. The one who loses the fear for death ends up with this way of living in which they only feel alive when faced with death. The person in this poem is one who has lost their fear of death, and now thrives off coming close to it he expresses it when he states “Here is the adrenaline rush you crave, that inexorable flight, that insane puncture” (LL.6-7). What happens to this persona when he leaves the battlefield? He pushes the limit trying to come close to death to feel alive; until they push

    Read More

  • The Link between Sports and Success in Death of a Salesman and Fences

    1120 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sports have become one of the most dominant elements in society. Today sports are an integral part of lifestyle, entertainment and leisure. Sports have become an outlet for success and prestige. The recurring emphasis on sports appears in both Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman and August Wilson’s Fences. While Death of a Salesman portrays sports as a means to popularity and subsequent success, Fences portrays sports negatively, discouraging sports, in spite of an unmistakable talent.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Corinna's Going A Maying

    713 Words  | 2 Pages

    Herrick’s examination of death and decay is without gore or sadness rather he uses positive and beautiful imagery of writing and sun and “raine” (63). The optimistic, excited tone of the poem keeps it from sounding like a lesson rather than a love charm. In lines 65-66, the speaker is romanticizing death by using the infinity of writing to preserve their love in “a fable, song” for everyone to experience (65-66). He wants his love to realize that even though they can be immortalized in words, before that time comes they need to “goe a Maying” to make their story more significant when they are older and when they are gone (70).

    Read More

  • Sports Psychology Essay

    1053 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sports psychology is the study of how psychology influences sports, athletic performance, exercise and physical activity. Some sports psychologists work with professional athletes and coaches to improve performance and increase motivation. Other professionals use exercise and sports to enhance people’s lives and well-being. While finding ways to help athletes is certainly an important part of sports psychology, the application of exercise and physical activity for improving the lives of non-athletes is also a major focus.

    Read More

  • Essay On Sports Teach Life Lessons

    774 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sport, according to the oxford dictionary, can be defined as an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment. Sport may seem like just another, simple five letter word yet it has the power and aptitude to teach humanity such fundamental and intellectual life lessons. In my speech I will explore these vital lessons, such as failure, success, perseverance, teamwork, tolerance, responsibility and discipline by exhibiting how each lesson can be learnt and utilised.

    Read More

More about Analysis Of To An Athlete Dying Young By A. E Housman

Open Document