Critical Essay

Heather SandersENC 1102Dr . BlanchardCRITICAL ESSAY - POETRY : Immortality and Hero Myth in To an Athlete demise YoungDeath is the condition in Hous human s To an Athlete last Young , but the poetry chooses to focus on the validating degree side of dying at the peak of unmatched s race rather on the possibilities that will neer be fulfil . In the same vein , Housman s poetry whoremonger be read as a tribute to all in all those who fork over died new-fashioned and have non been able to live a long support . The poem proposes that the suspensor , who dies childly , is immortalized and whence transformed into a hero mythThe poem is about a runner who was a local town hero - he has won many races and has been a celebrated figure as he set winning records , but he dies other(a) days . The cause of death is not reveal ed the objective reality in the poem shows the tribe carrying the athletic supporter s coffin on the draw and quarter to the cemetery . The nation remember the glory days of the youth athlete as a runner as they study him to his final run - to the grave . The persona the narrator , penury the athlete for dying untested and at the peak of his unravel because then he will forever live young and successful in the minds and memories of the townsfolk - he will never be a has-been , his sur bring out will not be tainted with failure , but only associated with dreams of chance and potential if only he lived longer .

Further , the athlete will not kno! w whether his record has been broken , when the people will stop cheering him on because he is no longer alive to hear it (And silence sounds no worse than cheers / After earth has stopped the ears , 15-16The tone and structure of Housman s poem fits perfectly for the athlete s praise - more than an elegy , the poem is a tribute to the exertion of the young athlete , not merely for winning the race and making a name for himself , but for dying young and in the process achieving immortality . The verse scheme that Housman employs adds to the solemn yet exultant tone he sets - s til now stanzas with couplets ( race / place by / high , bring up / home , down / town , away / pose , grows / travel , shut cut , cheers / ears , rout / out , outran / man , die / shade , up / cup head / stagnant , curls / miss s . He also utilizes alliteration (honours runners , renown , outran , 17-20 (fade , transcend base of operations , and so set , echoes sill of shade , shut away , 21-24 ) and assonance (where , archaean , medallion withers , quicker , 10-12 . This rhyme scheme and posture add to the vastness of the athleteThe athlete s greatness comes from achieving immortality and preserving his success by dying young a necromancer . It was a feat , because success fades more quickly than life in the common course of events especially in a case wish his where he achieved success early (And early though the laurel grows / It withers quicker than the rose . 11-12 , and even death cannot take...If you want to get a full essay, dress it on our website: OrderCustomPaper.com

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