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LITERATURECLASS:ToanAthleteDyingYoung
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LITERATURECLASS
Themajorityofthesepostingsarefromtheinternet.Someofthemareuneditedwhilesomeofthem
are.IjustscouredtheinternetformaterialthatIthoughtwouldbeofbenefittomystudentswhoare
sittingtheEnglishBCSECexam.Iapologisefornotcitingthesitesasreferences.Someofthe
materialcomesfromCliffordNarinesinghcoauthorofAComprehensiveEnglishCourse,Books13
andCXCEnglishA.

Friday,6January2012

ToanAthleteDyingYoung
ToAnAthleteDyingYoung
TypeofWork
ToanAthleteDyingYoungisalyricpoem.Becauseitpraisesanathletewho
diedyoung,thepoemmaybefurtherclassifedasanelegy.
Seing
ThepoemissetinatownandcemeteryinnineteenthcenturyEnglandduring
thefuneralandburialofayoungathlete,arunner.
Characters
Athlete:Runningchampionwhodiedatthethepeakofhisathleticabilityafter
becomingachampion.
Narrator(Speaker):Thepoet,Housman,whoassumesthepersonaofaresident
ofthetowninwhichtheathletelived.
Townspeople:Neighborsandadmirersoftheathlete.Theycarriedhimontheir
shouldersafterhewonarace.
Theme
Gloryiseeting.Theonlywayapersoncancaptureitandmakeitlastistodie
youngafterachievinggreatness.Inthisway,thepersoncanliveforeverinthe
mindsofpeoplewhorememberhimatthethepeakofhispowers.Although
Housmandoesnotwishhisreaderstotakethismessageliterally,the
undercurrentofcynicisminthepoemsuggeststhatlifeinlateryearsis
humdrumandwearisome.Consequently,hepraisestheyoungathletefordying
beforehisgloryfades:Smartlad,toslipbetimesaway/Fromeldswhere
glorydoesnotstay....
Inthelastcentury,theearlydeathsofbaseballplayerLouGehrig(age37),
aviatorAmeliaEarhart(39),actorJamesDean(24),actressMarilynMonroe(36),
femaleathleteBabeDidricksonZaharias(42),U.S.PresidentJohnF.Kennedy
(46),civilrightsleaderMartinLutherKingJr.(39),singerElvisPresley(42),
singerJohnLennon(40),singerJanisJoplin(27),andPrincessDianaofGreat
Britain(36)allseemtestifytothevalidityofHousmansthesis.Bytakingaway
theirliveswhentheywerestillrelativelyyoung,deathgavethemeternallifein
themindsoftheiradmirers.
Commentary
Housmanscynicalviewoflifemayhaveacertainperverseappealforyoung
peopledisenchantedwithlife.Thesearetheyouthswhosometimesactontheir
deathwishesbytakingdangerousrisksinfastcars,byexperimentingwith
drugs,orbycommiingactsofviolencethatendinsuicide.Housmanhimself
wastroubledasayouthasaresultofhisshynessandthefactthathismother
diedwhenhewasonlytwelve.AtOxfordUniversity,hewasabrilliantstudent
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SonnetComposedUpon
WestminsterBridge
WestIndies,U.S.A.
ToanAthleteDyingYoung
ItistheConstantImageofYour
Face
ForgivemyGuilt
OnceuponaTime
OlHigueandLeLoupgarou
TestMatchSabinaPark
EPITAPH,DREAMINGBLACK
BOY,THEMEforENGLISHB
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LITERATURECLASS:ToanAthleteDyingYoung

butfailedhisnalexaminations,andheendedupacceptingahumdrumjobas
acivilservant.
Obviously,ToanAthleteDyingYoungisathoughtprovokingpoemof
considerablemerit.Itmakesthereaderthinkaboutlifeanditsmeaning,andits
beautifulimageryandrhymeschemepleasetheeyeandtheear.And,though
Housmanisrightwhensayspeopletendtorememberpublicguresofgreat
promisewhodieyoung,heneglectstomentionthatpeoplealsoremember
importantmenandwomenwholivedwellbeyondmiddleage,including
Sophocles,thegreatestplaywrightofantiquity,whowas91whenhedied;
AugustusCaesar,theemperorofancientRomeduringitsGoldenAge,whowas
77whenhedied;MichelangeloBuonarroti,theextraordinaryRenaissanceartist
andsculptor,whowasnearing89whenhedied;Victoria,queenoftheBritish
Empireattheheightofitspowerinthenineteenthcentury,whowas81when
shedied;PabloPicasso,perhapsthemostinuentialartistofthetwentieth
century,whowas91whenhedied;AlbertEinstein,developerofthe
revolutionarySpecialandGeneralTheoriesofRelativity,whowas76whenhe
died;andMotherTheresaofCalcua,theNobelPrizewinningnunfamousfor
herworkamongthepoor,whowas87whenshedied.Andwhowilleverforget
MahatmaGandhi,thefatherofmodernIndia,whowas79whenhewas
assassinated,andPopeJohnPaulII,whohelpedtoppleSovietcommunismand
promotedecumenismwithJewsandothernonCatholics.Hewasafewmonths
shortofhis85thbirthdaywhenhedied.
Yes,dyinganuntimelyandearlydeathcanearnheadlinesandtelevision
eulogiesforthedeceasedperson.Butlonglastingfamedependsmoreon
compilingarecordofaccomplishmentsthanongoingoutinablazeofglory.

GODSGRANDEUR
TheWomanSpeakstotheMan
whohasemployedHerS...
THISISTHEDARKTIME,MY
LOVE
DULCEetDECORUMEST
CONTEMPLATIONUPON
FLOWERS

AboutMe

Mrs.Dunkley
Viewmycomplete
profile

Format:RhymeandStanzas
Thepoemhassevenstanzas.Eachstanzaconsistsoftwopairsofendrhyming
lines,orcouplets.
FiguresofSpeech
Followingareexamplesofguresofspeechinthepoem.
Alliteration
Line1:....Thetimeyouwonyourtowntherace
Line5:....roadallrunners
Line8:....Townsmanofastillertown
Line22:...fleetfoot(line22)
Apostrophe
Apostropheisagurespeechinwhichthespeakerofapoem,thewriterof
anotherliterarywork,oranactorinaplayaddressesanabstractionorathing,
presentorabsent;anabsententityorperson;oradeceasedperson.InToan
AthleteDyingYoung,thespeakeraddressesthedeceasedathlete.
Metaphor
Line8:...stillertown
................Comparisonofacemeterytoatown
Line10:eldswhereglorydoesnotstay
................Comparisonofglorytoapersonorthingthatleavestheelds
Line13:Eyestheshadynighthasshut
................Comparisonofdeathtonight
Line19:Runnerswhomrenownoutran
................Comparisonofrenowntoanathlete
Oxymoron
Line14:silencesounds
Simile
Line12:Itwithersquickerthantherose
................Comparisonoftheenduranceofalaurel,asymbolofgloryand
victory,totheenduranceofarose
................(Somesimilesusethaninsteadofasorlike.)
Synecdoche
Fleetfootonthesillofshade(footrepresentstheentirebody)
AnotherPersonsViews
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LITERATURECLASS:ToanAthleteDyingYoung

ToanAthleteDyingYoung,byA.E.Housman,givesthereaderanalternateview
ofdeath.Ratherthandeathinyouthbeingasadandmournfultime,thespeaker
seesitasanescapefromseeingyourlifesworkforgoenandfaded.
Thespeakerofthispoemtakestheformofoneofthedeceasedsfriends.This
canbeseenfromtheline,shoulderhigh,webringyouhome(6)becauseina
funeral,itiscustomforthedeceasedsclosestfriendstocarrythecasket.The
speakerplaysanironicpartinthispoem,seeinglifeendedearlyasagreatand
luckything.Thespeakerviewsanearlydeathasanescapefromseeing
hisaccomplishmentsforgoenandfaded.ThelineAndearlythoughthelaurel
grows/Itwhithersquickerthantherose.(1112)isacleardescriptionofthe
speakersview.Alaurelisanevergreentreethatistheemblemofvictory,
distinction,andaccomplishments.Knowingthis,itbecomesobviousthatthe
speakerissayingthataccomplishmentshappenearlyinlifeandbecauseofthis,
itisbeertodieinthegloryofyouththentoresttoolongononeslaurelsonly
toseethemfade,beatenout,andforgoen.Tothespeaker,beingforgoenis
theworstthingthatcanhappentomansaying,Nowyouwillnotswellthe
rout/Ofladsthatworetheirhonorsout,/Runnerswhomrenownoutran/And
thenamediedbeforetheman.(1720).Thespeakerisclearlyenviousofthe
deceased,andonegetsthefeelingthatheisreectingonhisownlifeinthis
poem,onhisaccomplishmentsandhowtheywereovershadowedbythe
accomplishmentsofothers.Thespeakerwishesthathecouldhavediedinhis
primesothathedidnothavetofeelthepainofbecominganothernameless
forgoenblobinaseaofnamelessblobs.
Therhymeandmeterarealsoveryimportantinthispoem.Therhymescheme
isinAABBformat,producingathenandnowfeel.Thisishowitoncewas,and
nowthisishowitisandhowitwillbe.Themeterisalsoimportant.Eachline
haseightsyllablesandwhenreadingthispoem,itseemstosetapace,muchlike
thefootstepsofarunner.Thisisimportantnotonlybecausethepoemisabout
thelifeanddeathofarunner,butbecauseitalsoshowsthepaceoflifeandlife
afterdeath.Itshowsthatlifestillgoeson,andthatlifedoesnotstopbecauseof
adeath.Infact,lifecaneraseanyevidenceofadeceasedpersonslife.
Therearetwoprominentliterarydevicesusedinthispoem,personicationand
apostrophe.PersonicationcanbeseeninthelinesEyestheshadynighthas
shut(13)andAfterearthasstoppedtheears(16).Nightcannotshut,and
earthobviouslycannotstoponesears,ithasnohands.Yetinthispoemthese
twolinesprovidethereaderwiththefeelingthatdeathisanaturalandpeaceful
blissforthisman,protectinghimfromseeinghisgloryfadeandhisfame
forgoen.
ApostrophecanbeseenintheopeningstanzaThetimeyouwonyourtownthe
race/Wechairedyouthroughthemarketplace;/Manandboystoodcheering
by,/Andhomewebroughtyoushoulderhigh.Thespeakerhereisspeakingto
therunnerasifheisstillalive.Byspeakinginthismannerthroughoutthe
poem,itfeelsasifheisreminiscingontheyoungmanslife,andthenreassuring
himthatdyingyoungisbeerthendyingafteronesprime.Thisbringsthe
readerintothepoem,andmakesthemfeelaconnectiontoboththespeakerand
theyoungman.
AnswertheseQuestions
1.Whatisthethemeofthepoem?

2.Whatistheintentionofthepoet?
3.Findtwoexpressionsinstanzaone(1)whichindicatethe
spectatorsresponsetotheathletesvictory.
4.WhatdoesthelineTownsmanofastillertownsuggestabouttheathlete?
5.Quotetwoexpressionsinstanzathree(3)whichshowthepoetsviewon
gloryandlaurels.

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LITERATURECLASS:ToanAthleteDyingYoung

6.Whywouldsilenceandcheerssoundthesametothedyingathlete?
7.WriteTnexttothestatementsthataretrue.
Bydyingyoungtheathletesglory
a.diedwithhim.
b.isunchallengedontheeld.
c.doesnotgainwideacclaim.
d.isnotworndownbytime.
e.issuppressedbyotherrunners.
8.Thepoembestexemplies
a.reectionsonthetransienceoffameandglory.
b.atributeonthedemiseofayoungsuccessfulathlete.
c.ovationonthevictoryofayoungadult.
d.thoughtsonlifeafterdeath.
PostedbyMrs.Dunkleyat15:07
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1comment:
MeganWilliams 4March2013at02:45
OurownBobMarleydiedatage36.
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