Athlete
...eve it is taking place at a funeral or some sort of funeral procession. The speaker seems to be observing the deceased athlete, so he must be on display in some manner. Also, the poem is about an athlete in a small town. The entire community is stricken with grief and is mourning the loss together. This is evident in lines five and six: “Today, the road all runners come, Shoulder-high we bring you home...” Line five shows us that everyone is coming to the funeral, even his competitors and the other runners. Also, the use of “we” is a signal of the entire community gathering to honor the young lad. They were together in celebration of his victory and now are together in mourning his death. The tone of To an Athlete Dying Young is definitely one that many will remember after reading it. The first stanza tells about the past accomplishments and celebrations of the athlete. “The time you won your town the race” shows his success in the past. The tone starts out to be one of pride for the athlete, but soon it changes to a very melancholy and solemn one. The next three stanzas are very depressing and tell of a young man who’s “Eyes the shady night has shut.” The final stanzas are perhaps the most dreary of all. They look to the future, a future of things undone, a life unlived, and a young man dead too soon. The tone of the story is very poignant and one that cannot easily be shaken from memory. The tone may be a very depressing one, but the theme is even more piercing. The theme of To an Athlete Dying Young is not apparent after one reading. I gave it much thought and have come to one eerie conclusion; the speaker is viewing the premature death in a positive light. To most, that is a terrible or even sinful thing to contemplate, but it is indeed what the speaker is conveying. The theme of this poem is that it is better to die as a young champion than to grow old and be forgotten by all those who surpass your one-time greatness. He calls the dead athlete a “smart lad” for dying as a champion and not remaining in the “fields where glory does not stay.” He then compares early death to growing old and being forgotten in the lines “And silence sounds no worse than cheers After earth has stopped the ears.” That is a very powerful statement. The speaker honestly believes that it is just as well to die young and be praised as it is to live out the rest of your life and be forgotten. The line “Runners whom renown outran” also indicates the theme. That line conveys the message that the fame and glory is only temporary, and it is better to perish before “the name died before the man.” The last two stanzas paint a picture that the death was a type of victory for the athlete. He died without the taste of defeat; he died a champion. The theme may be rather ugly, but it is one that many people can understand. I thought this was an outstanding poem, and its theme was very touching to me. I am in my final year of athletic competition on the soccer field. When I am done, I must grow old and live with the fact that someone is better than me; someone has elevated past my victories and is now in my spotlight. It is definitely a tough pill to swallow. I can sympathize with the speaker as I too will be in his shoes someday. The poem To an Athlete Dying Young is a very meaningful p...