Ex Basketball Player Vs to an Athlete Dying Young

Research Paper

      In life, everybody has memories and days that they would like to go back and re- experience. “To an Athlete Dying Young” by A.E Housman and “Ex-Basketball Player” by John Updike are two poems that speak about those unforgettable moments, former athletes, and fame. In A.E Housman’s “To an Athlete Dying Young”, a young famous runner dies and in John Updike’s “Ex-Basketball Player”, a famous basketball plater retires after his glory day’s end. Both poems focus on what happens to the athletes after their fateful moments of fame. However, the runner in “To an Athlete Dying Young” dies at a young age even though his fame does not: while in “Ex-Basketball Player” the ex- player’s fame washes away in his growing of age.

     There are many similarities in these two poems. In “To an Athlete Dying Young” and “Ex-Basketball Player”, the men were famous whenever they were young because of sports. In an excerpt of, “To an Athlete Dying Young,” it states, “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” (Housman). This sufficiently explains how the boy in that poem was a local hero that was loved by his fans. This is also seen in “Ex-Basketball Player” whenever it said, “bucketed three hundred ninety points/a county record still!” (Updike) That must have been a might feat to accomplish.

     Both of the poems have a eulogy feeling to them. Of course, A.E Housman’s poem “To an Athlete Dying Young” has a cold, tomblike tone to it, because it is about a death of a young man. John Updike’s poem has a sorrowful mood to it also, even though a person does not actually pass away in it. In “Ex-Basketball Player,” it is as if the man died, because his fame from being an athlete ended. The poem may bring nostalgia, but it still has a melochany tone to it.

     Both “To an Athlete Dying Young” and “Ex-Basketball Player” are extensively comparable to each other, but there are some differences. As stated in the previous paragraph, there was an actual death in “To an Athlete Dying Young.” Even though, there is a death in A.E Housman’s piece, it is almost as if the character received the better end of the deal by dying than having to continue with the hardships he would have had to face later on in life. “Thus, Housman insists that death, especially for youth, is a victory over the impending difficulties, tragedies, and heartbreak that accompany life” (eNotes). Also the poem said, “Smart lad, to slip betimes away/ from fields where glory does not stay.” The famous runner will not have to see someone else beat him or steal the trophy. He will not have to be compared to some one else.

     Flick Webb lived through the sorrow of not amounting up to what his old fans expected him to. “He never learned a trade, he just sells gas, Checks oil, and changes flats.” (Updike)  Flick Webb never pursued his athletic career, he never done anything with his life except work at the local gas station. Even though he was alive, contained a job, and moved on with his life, he still seemed to fail his fans when they see him working at the gas station, Berth’s Garage.

     Another way that these two poems are different is that “Ex-Basketball Player” is more relatable. “This sad tale has been played out countless times in countless cities by countless ex-athletes. That is what makes it so powerful. We all have a mental image of Flick from our own life.” (William). Everybody knows someone from high school that stood out over everyone else because they were known for their athletic skills, and they will never get the days back that they had then. But, not everybody knows what it is like to lose a star town athlete due to a young death.

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