How is the poem To an athlete dying young by Alfred E Houseman as an exposition on heroism?
“To an Athlete Dying Young The time you won your town the race We chaired you through the market-place; Man and boy stood cheering by, And home we brought you shoulder-high. Today, the road all runners come, Shoulder-high we bring you home, And set you at your threshold down, Townsman of a stiller town. Smart lad, to slip betimes away From fields where glory does not stay And early though the laurel grows It withers quicker than the rose…” What are the heroic deeds? He won the race. Townsfolk cheer him along, carrying him on their shoulders. What does Mr. Houseman expose? First, he shows us the sports fan. They’ve run the race vicariously, the whole town sharing equally in the victory. Second, he shows us the fleeting nature of athletic endeavor. After the young man has died, he’s left silent, in the inglorious field of a cemetery.
