Question

Describe the poem "To an Athlete Dying Young" in your own words. What is the main message of the poem? Is it meant to engage a general audience or does it relate only to athletes?

Answer 1

The poem is a tribute to an athlete who died at a young age. The narrator proposes that it may be better to die young, when you are at the peak of your life, than to die at an old age, when the memory of your achievements has faded.

Although the poem is about an athlete, it targets a general audience. All readers can relate to the idea of young people having moments of glory or achievement. The poem’s theme of the fading memory of accomplishments is also something many readers can understand, even if they have not participated in athletics.

Answer 2

In my opinion it relates to athletes only because it talks about winning victory and then at the end of the poem it explains how you will soon be forgotten by saying "the name died before the man."