Honsman’s pessimism about life is clearly portrayed in the poem.

In the poem, sorrow is seen to accompany every success in life. So, the joy of the young athlete is short lived. The destruction and brevity of life is highly emphasized in the poem.

There is a general picture of gloom surrounding every step of man’s existence in life.

Most candidates were able to understand the demands of the question but, poor command of the English Language was the major problem in putting their points across.