2 Poems

After analyzing "To an Athlete Dying Young" and "Ulysses" there is an evident them of time in both, however the content are opposites. In "To an Athlete Dying Young," the poet analyzes what are the affects of dying young and his main point is that you don't outlive the your glory. Contrastingly, "Ulysses" explores the affects of living to an old age and living in the glory of that past. In the athlete poem, the poet talks in second person, so the poet does not truly comprehend the impact of dying young and is just talking in observation. However, in "Ulysses" the poet is talking from first hand experience because he is talking in first person. Interestingly, the lengths of the stanzas of the poems, reflect the content of a short vs. long life. Both poems have a line that slows the reader down when reading, almost like stopping time in a way.