First off, "To an Athlete Dying Young", by Housman was about fame and death. To die, one can be killed, or die of natural causes. Some fear death, others look upon death as a crossing point to another life, but no human can stop its rampage. Housman's poem talks about the gradual death of fame and the more sudden death of its owner. As commonly known, the laurel represents victory and triumph. Yet, as with fame, the laurel dies faster than a rose. This poem is focused on the disappearance of fame, and how an athlete is better off dying, than witnessing the death of his/her fame. Strangely enough, the poet does not lament the death of the athlete. Instead, he talks about all the benefits of dying an early death, and how lucky the athlete was.
Next up, the poet Yusef Komunyakaa, and his " …show more content…
In the poem, the speaker talks about
"the waking", as in birth, and "sleeping", as in death. Everyone starts as a baby, travels through life, then dies. The speaker does not fear death saying things like, "I feel my fate in what I cannot fear" (570). This line means that the speaker has come to terms with the fact that all thing must die, and that having been born, he was thrust into the cycle of life and death. While the speaker does not seem to fear death, he does seem to be a little shaken by the prospect, "This shaking keeps me steady" (571). Unlike the first two, this poem puts life and death into contrast.
"We real cool", by Brooks, was a well written piece. The poem touches on the fact that death is every present. By not taking care of their bodies the people in the poem, as the poet puts it, "We die soon" (775). The poem is blunt and to the point. By trying to be "cool", the characters participating in the poem end up slowly killing themselves. This is a sad fact, death is always ready to strike. This poem puts into perspective the importance of taking care of oneself. By not doing so, the people in the poem paid the