Analysis Of To An Athlete Dying Young

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To Die a Hero or Live Long Enough to Become the Villain? Many people will remember famous actor, Robin Williams, for his legacy will live on for many years to come. Why is this? Not only was he an amazing actor and person, but he died before his fame could be tarnished or forgotten. In the short poem, “To An Athlete Dying young”, written by A.E Housman, a well known athlete dies before it was his time, and his legacy is preserved throughout time. Parrelly, in an alternate poem, “Ex-Basketball Player”, written by John Updike, the town’s basketball star continues with his life and fades into nothingness after his glory days. The legacies of both of these athletes varies drastically, which is shown in both poems through personification and the author's …show more content…

When the athlete dies young his town reacts to his passing with praise, “Man and boy stood cheering by, And home we brought you shoulder-high.To-day, the road all runners come, Shoulder-high we bring you home” (Housman, 3-6). The mood throughout these sentences shows how the crowd reacts to the athlete's death, standing by him even after death. Shoulder high before his death, and shoulder high after his death. Mood and personification often work hand in hand in Houseman’s poem, “And silence no worse than cheers, After earth has stopped the ears” (15-16). When someone dies, cheers and silence will sound the same for you when you are dead, as you can not hear anything. The author solidifies this thought by personifying the earth, saying it stopped the ears of the dead, or in this case the athlete’s. The positives of dying before your time is shown here again, through the literary device mood. Yes, he died early, but now he can have cheers forever, which is the same thing as silence when you are dead, giving him eternal recognition. Housman does not want you to feel sorry for this fallen athlete, he wants you to look at the

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