The eldest of seven brothers and sisters, Alfred Edward Housman was born in 1859 in Fockbury, England. On his twelfth birthday, his mother died, resulting in the pessimism expressed in his poetry. In 1877, Housman studied Greek and Roman classics while attending St. John's College, Oxford. There she fell in love with her roommate, Moses Jackson, who did not share her feelings. In 1892 he became professor of Latin at University College London and then in 1911 at Trinity College, Cambridge, a position he held until his death in 1936. During his life he published only two works of poetry: A Shropshire Lad in 1896. , in which most of his poems were written after the death of his friend, Adalbert Jackson, and Last Poems in 1922. In both of these volumes, centers the poems on common themes such as “fleeting youth, grief, and death” (A.E. Housman), which are seen in the poem “To an Athlete Who Dies Young.” The title, “To an Athlete Who Dies Young,” is relevant to the poem and the central theme because the entire poem is about a young athlete who has just died. The poem provides the reader with a point of view that praises this athlete for dying at a young age. “To an Athlete Dying Young” is considered a lyric poem because of its rhythm and is classified as an elegy, “A somber poem or song praising or lamenting the dead” (Cummings 1). The title affects the central theme of the poem because of the first word, “A.” The word “A” implies that the poem is a toast or salute to those athletes who die young. It also creates a more personal bond between the speaker and the athlete. This is crucial because this title is related to the theme. In the poem "To an Athlete Dying Young", the speaker, ...... in the center of the paper ...... is achieving this glory. Works Cited “A.E. Housman Biography.” Famous poets and poems. Network. March 21, 2012. "AE Housman-Poets.org - Poetry, Poems, Biographies, and More." Poet.org. Network. March 21, 2012. "A.E. Housman." The Poetry Foundation. Network. March 21, 2012. Cummings, Michael J. “Literary Terms.” Free study guides for Shakespeare and other authors. Network. March 21, 2012. Gardner, Janet E. “To an Athlete Who Dies Young.” Literature: a portable anthology. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin, 2004. 542-43. Print.Sullivan, Dick. "A.E. Housman: A Life in Brief." The Victorian Web: An Overview. Network. March 21. 2012. .