In the first line the poet presents a praised young athlete that is being remembered because he won a race for his town. Lines two through four are describing how the townspeople congratulated and honored the athlete due to his victory of the race. Line two it states, ”We chaired you through the market-place” and line four reads, ”And home we brought you shoulder high”. These lines describe the townspeople reaction. The narrator points out the fans of the athlete as men and boys. The book “Poetry for Students” states that this could be “…the classical Greek concept of the love of males for the physical beauty of the perfected young male body”.

Lines five through eight are describing the townspeople reaction of the death of the at

The theme is keeping your glory, during and after death. Glory appears to be an immense deal to the narrator. The narrator admires an athlete because he died young but he still had his glory. The narrator also suggests that others should die young too and as long as they die with glory it is acceptable.

hlete. Lines five reads, “Today, the road all runners come” suggest that he has died just as any other runner and it does not matter who you are, you will eventually die. Line six the townspeople are carrying him “shoulder-high” but this time they are carrying him in a coffin to his grave. Using the words “shoulder-high” tells you the townspeople still honor him. In line seven the narrator uses the word “threshold” meaning a new beginning or life. For example, when the groom carries the bride over the threshold it means a new beginning. In this case it means the athlete is starting his life in the world of the dead. Line eight is saying that the athlete is now a “townsman of a stiller town”. Meaning he is a townsman of the dead.

Lines nine through ten the diction begins to change cunningly from uncomplicated style to a more difficult style. The lines are not direct you have to read the lines more than once to figure what is The narrator is stating. Lines nine through ten, The narrator describe the athlete as a “smart lad”. He says the athlete is smart because he died at his climax and that in this world “glory does not stay”. When an athlete grows older and cannot perform as he use to people forget about them and go to the next athlete who can perform to win. The narrator is also saying that the world is shallow and if people get tired of you they can toss you replace you in a heartbeat. Line eleven the word laurel is a symbol for the honor won. An athlete accomplishment grows fast but it will be even faster when people forget about them. The laurel “withers quicker than the rose” as it states in lines eleven and twelve and The narrator also strengths his idea of glory vanishing away due to time.

Lines 13 through 16 the narrator repeats his idea that is better to die

Some topics in this essay:
AE Housman, Poetry Students, Dying Young”, athlete died, died peak, narrator admires athlete, admires athlete, die peak, narrator admires, died glory, athlete died peak, world dead, admires athlete died, lines five, Athlete Dying, , idea die peak, people forget, create image, athlete “smart lad”,