To an Athlete Dying Young by A.E. Housman

The poem, "To an Athlete Dying Young" by Housman was a very powerful poem to me.  The poem to me depicts a hero that becomes more than a hero, he becomes a legend. 

Verses 9 and 10:

Smart lad, to slip betimes away
From fields where glory does not stay

These verses to me depict the way he became a legend.  He died an early death while still in his prime which allowed him to rise up to legendary status.  If he were to die at an old age long after his victory he would probably have been forgotten.  But because he died in his prime, people will remember him as a winner and hero, giving him legendary status with the likes of Elvis Presley, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Lou Gehrig...etc.  There are probably hundreds of people we could name who died while in the height of their prime bringing them to legendary status, so I feel this poem is right on with its meaning!

Cathedral

Of the four short fiction stories this week I enjoyed the Cathedral the most.  I felt the story was easy to read and understand.  I was also able to follow along and comprehend each step of the story unlike the first two stories, "A & P" and "A Rose for Emily".  I have known people like the narrator of Cathedral who always seem to look negatively at life and constantly look for ways to criticize the people around them.  What a horrible and unfulfilled way to live.  I also viewed the narrator as a very jealous person by his actions and his belittling of the blind man whenever his wife were to speak about him.  The drug and alcohol consumption also forces me to believe that the narrator is rather unhappy with life in general and does these things in order to cope with his unhappiness. 
The end of the story was the only part of the story I did not quite understand.  Did the end of the story hold the epiphany?  If it was, I did not quite understand what the epiphany was.  To me it just sounded like the drugs talking.