Poetry at Its Best
In the poem “Is My Team Ploughing” by A. E. Housman, the speaker remains nameless, but it is apparent he is not with the living. The dead man appears to be a good man, and is concerned about everyone he left behind in the living world, and wants to know if they have moved on. The friend of the deceased man is answering his questions, explaining to him that everything is all right, and that he should be still and have no worries. The dead man’s friend seems to be unfaithful, not lying to the dead man, yet not telling him the whole story of what is going on in the living world.