Assignments for "To An Athlete Dying Young" by A.E. Housman

(An online version of this poem is available as a link on the left)
"To an Athlete Dying Young", by A. E. Housman, allows the reader to view an early death as an escape from seeing your life's glory slowly fade away and become forgotten, instead of something that is to be mourned.

*Answer and post these questions with a partner. Since there will be 2 of you, I expect you to talk it out and produce quality answers. Remember, identify yourself using your initials and class period. Also, make sure you type in Word and spell/grammar check before you post please.

Interpret and explain the significance of the following lines:
1."shoulder-high, we bring you home" (6) (see the 2 photos above)
2."And early though the laurel grows/ It withers quicker than the rose."(11-12)
3."Now you will not swell the rout/ Of lads that wore their honors out,/ Runners whom renown outran/ And the name died before the man." (17-20)

What literary element is being used in the following lines and what is its purpose?:
4."Eyes the shady night has shut" (13) and "After earth as stopped the ears" (16).

Answer the questions below as thoroughly as you can using evidence from the poem to support your answers whenever possible:
5. In the lines:"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" the speaker talks about the athlete as if he is still alive? (this is called apostrophe) Why do you think this is?

6. In your opinion, when Housman calls him a "smart man" (9), does he mean that the young athlete killed himself? Or does he simply mean that he died of an illness, an accident, a crime, or war?

7. Is Housman right? Are those who accomplish a great deal and die at a young age remembered? Or is it those who live a long life of accomplishment that remain in our/the public's memories?
----------------------------
If you finish, read the article link to left "Remembering Len Bias" and complete the following response based on his life and early death:
1. Who was he and what happened to him?
2. How can his life and death be related to the Houseman poem, "To An Athlete Dying Young"? Do you think this is the type of person the author was writing about?