Many believe that dying young is one of the greatest tragedies that life holds. However, in the poem “To An Athlete Dying Young,” author AE Housman contradicts these beliefs. Housman uses the character of an athlete who dies early in life to demonstrate the benefits of dying at the height of one's glory. It does so by presenting all of this through the eyes of a speaker with a pessimistic view of life. Although it is a sad reality, according to the speaker of the poem, dying young is not as bad as it is naturally perceived. The speaker tries to make the best of the situation by explaining that the athlete is a “smart boy who runs away early” (3). By saying this, the speaker implies that death in youth, rather than being a sad and mournful time, is rather an escape from seeing life's work be forgotten and faded. The speaker believes that such an event was a positive experience for the athlete because he died at his peak, long enough to see his glory, but ceased just before he could see his fame decline and "see the cut of the record" (4). Death did not help the athlete ...