A.E. Housman To an Athlete Dying Young Page 865

A.E. Housman Alfred Edward Housman devoted his life to teaching and translating the great Latin poets. Most knew him as the author of three slender volumes of poetry that are as romantic and melancholy as any ever written. Won a scholarship to Oxford, where he studied classical literature and philosophy. He was intolerant of any error made by himself or others…he had few friends.

A.E. Housman Poetry had bitter undertones → a direct result of unhappy teen years, and unrequited love. Wrote scholarly articles for academic journals. Became a professor of Latin at University College in London. Maintained that a well-written poem makes a physical impact on the reader, like a shiver down the spine or a punch in the stomach.

A.E. Housman’s style Uses clear language and syntax Uses simple words, his diction is precise and carefully polished. Published only two books of poems. The test of poetry, he believed, is not what is said but how it is said. Expressed his pessimism about the cold emptiness of the world. Housman saw no hope of improvement or change, but only the possibility of enduring and making bearable the conditions of human experience.

Before you Read (in your journals ) How does the public’s attitude toward athletes change as the athletes grow older? What psychological effect might this change in attitude have on the athletes? How does the public respond to the early death of certain athletes? Writing 2.3: Exploring significance

First Reading Follow along with CD Disc 14, Track 7

Rereading & Analyzing Reread the first and second stanza What image is repeated? How is the meaning of the image different in the second stanza? How does the meaning of home differ in the two stanzas? What is the tone of the second stanza? What words made you come to this conclusion? Literary Analysis 3.3. Analyze how irony, tone, mood, style, and "sound" of language achieve specific aesthetic purposes. Reading Comprehension 2.2

Rereading & Analyzing Reread the third –fifth stanzas How would you describe the speaker’s tone, or attitude regarding the death of the young athlete? How would you summarize the speaker's comments in lines 9-20? What does the image of withering laurel convey? What is meant by “the name died before the man”? Literary Analysis 3.3. Analyze how irony, tone, mood, style, and "sound" of language achieve specific aesthetic purposes. Reading Comprehension 2.2

Rereading and Analyzing Lintels (23) are not ordinarily low. What else might the speaker have in mind? In what way is the challenge cup mentioned in line 24 “still-defended”? What double meaning might the poet have intended for the word “still”? Literary Analysis 3.3. Analyze how irony, tone, mood, style, and "sound" of language achieve specific aesthetic purposes. Reading Comprehension 2.2

The End