Theory question 112
Non-African PoetryLiterature 2, Section D. Non-African Poetry
Comment on the effectiveness of Houseman's use of imagery in “To An Athlete Dying Young”.
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Model answer
Housman contrasts the athlete's triumph with his early death.
Image of the town chairing him through the market-place after a victory, then carrying him 'shoulder-high' to the grave.
The road 'all runners come' and the 'threshold' of the dead: death as the final race.
The laurel that withers quicker than the rose: fame fades fast.
His glory kept unfaded: 'the garland briefer than a girl's' will not wither now.
Images of shade and the 'low lintel' of the underworld.
Effect: the images make the paradox clear: dying young preserves his fame.
Explanation
Quote images and say why they work.