NON-AFRICAN POETRY
How does Houseman present the theme of death in the poem To an Athlete Dying Young?
Death is the central theme of the poem. Houseman focuses on the inevitability of death and compares the two major motes, life and death. Houseman treats death as a transition from a world of transience to one of permanence. The earthly world he describes as 'fields where glory does not stay'. He suggests here that fame does not last in the world. Houseman also sees death as providing a welcome escape from the travails of this world. The disillusioned youth from his village have outlived their fame. They are 'Runners whom renown outran. Death for Houseman provides rest and peace. The grave is a 'stiller town' and the silence is not regarded as cheerless. Death is welcome because apart from the rest and peace it provides, it preserves honour.
Houseman visualizes the grave in a powerful image at the end of the poem as preserving the garland (honour) which the youth won when he was alive. In the grave, the head will still be 'laureled and the 'garland' unwithered. In spite of the fact that Houseman appears to value death, an atmosphere of fatalism and a mood of resignation dominate the poem. The images associated with death are somber, for example, 'a stiller town', 'shady night', `strengthless dead'. Houseman gives the impression that there is death in the midst of life and focuses on what he sees as its more positive rather than grim aspects.
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