If it were not phrased in this rhyme scheme, the poem would certainly not resonate with young audiences in the same efficiency. Death is a mature topic, and the best way to convey a mature message is by first connecting with the learner at his or her level of understanding. In the case of To an Athlete Dying Young, the appeal and attraction of rhyming serves as the meeting point for the adolescent and mature, at which point the analysis of life and death is able to take place. Rhythm is the beat to the poem. In this case the rhythm sounds like soldiers marching on foot. The steady beat conveys a sense of time moving forward. .
Another literacy device is the use of figures of speech. Housman digs into his innermost ingenuity to draw comparisons such as a pair of eyes to the sky overhead, a field which lacks glory representative of a graveyard, and a withering rose representative of a diminishing knack for accomplishment. From fields where glory does not stay/ And early through the laurel grows/ It withers quicker than the rose (Housman 10-12). In addition to the effective use of metaphors, inanimate objects are often personified throughout the poem. The most effective example of personification is the phrase After the earth has stopped the ears (Housman 16). Here Housman is simply describing how the earth has ears, but stops others from listening. The historical criticism here uses metaphors and personification that describe fighting at the battlefields. It projects the helplessness of the soldiers and the tragedy of losing soldiers so young. .
The use of imagery is shown throughout this poem as well. The beginning of the poem shows good use of imagery, describing a scene in which a young athlete has just won a race, and is having a victory celebration. Following the celebration, the setting shifts to fields where glory does not stay (Housman 10), or a graveyard, in laymans terms. The beginning of the poem celebrates an athletes victory to an untimely death shortly thereafter.
