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Create a 2 pages page paper that discusses bless the broken road by rascal flatts. Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts

In this paper we will analyse the song Bless The Broken Road by Rascal Flatts and the poem If I Could But Forget by Paul Laurence Dunbar (both are provided in an appendix at the end of the report). Both works are the samples of love lyrics, yet they deal with totally different situations people face in their romantic relationships, and with two different approaches and philosophies.

In Bless The Broken Road, the protagonist describes his happy story about the love that is finally found after many years of sorrow and feeling sad. Basically the approach of the song’s author can be named “whatever happens is meant to bring the good” – and the lyrics show how at the end of the hard journey one will certainly get the prize and meet the true love. The main thing is to believe that everything will happen just the way it should be, and our lives are truly shaped by the way we perceive the events happening to us. Once a person starts viewing his or her life as a miracle – this it will become. As the great Shakespeare had it: “Remember, nothing is evil, lest thinking make it so”.

From the song it is obvious that one can wonder around a lot of roads in life never knowing where and when he or she meets his true love, and these roads can be broken and which is more break the lovers’ hearts. But there is definitely someone meant for each of us our there, and the journeys along the broken roads only makes us stronger by the time we find Mr or Ms Right: “Others, who broke my heart, they were like Northern stars – pointing me on my way into your loving arms. This much I know is true – that God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you”. All the pain in the heart of a lover from previous unsuccessful relationships will be washed away the moment he or she meets the true love.

This song encourages the brokenhearted people to live on and move on, and inspires them with a hope that all their pain and suffering were meant to make them better and stronger for their real love.

The poem If I Could But Forget by Paul Laurence Dunbar is very romantic. Its atmosphere and philosophy are totally different from the previously analyzed song. The poem is about the wonderful romance that is over but the memories of it overshadow everything that had happened before it. It is not clear what happened to the protagonist’s lover, and why they had to separate, although the last lines of the poem say about “the death of that desire” – so perhaps the passion just expired.

The overall mood and philosophy of the poem reminds of a motto “Carpe Diem” – that can be interpreted as “live in the moment, catch the day, and be happy that you have something now and never regret it in the future”. The love shared by the protagonist and his lover inspires him even after it’s gone, and there hardly any sadness in the poem. The protagonist treasures the days that he had but does not shed tears over it: “If I could but forget the fullness of those first sweet days, when you burst sun-like thro’ the haze of unacquaintance, on my sight, and made the wet, gray day seem bright while clouds themselves grew fair to see. And since, no day is gray or wet but all the scene comes back to me”.

The protagonist remembers all these days full of love, passion and even pain with huge gratitude – and this is very mature approach and it makes the poem close to the song analyzed before. The bottom line of both romantic poems is that one should treasure any experience they have in life, and be grateful to God and the Universe for letting them have these events and feelings. No matter what happens – life is about experiences, and the more of these we get, the more interesting and complete our life is.

Appendix

Bless The Broken Road (song performed by Rascal Flatts)

I set out on a narrow way many years ago

Hoping I would find true love along the broken road

But I got lost a time or two

Wiped my brow and kept pushing through

I couldn’t see how every sign pointed straight to you

[Chorus:]

Every long lost dream led me to where you are

Others who broke my heart they were like Northern stars

Pointing me on my way into your loving arms

This much I know is true

That God blessed the broken road

That led me straight to you

I think about the years I spent just passing through

I’d like to have the time I lost and give it back to you

But you just smile and take my hand

You’ve been there you understand

It’s all part of a grander plan that is coming true

Now I’m just rolling home

Into my lover’s arms

This much I know is true

That God blessed the broken road

That led me straight to you

If I Could But Forget (by Paul Laurence Dunbar)

IF I could but forget

The fullness of those first sweet days,

When you burst sun-like thro’ the haze

Of unacquaintance, on my sight,

And made the wet, gray day seem bright

While clouds themselves grew fair to see.

And since, no day is gray or wet

But all the scene comes back to me,

If I could but forget.

If I could but forget

How your dusk eyes look into mine,

And how I thrilled as with strong wine

Beneath your touch. while sped amain

The quickened stream thro’ ev’ry vein.

How near my breath fell to a gasp,

When for a space our fingers met

In one electric vibrant clasp,

If I could but forget.

If I could but forget

The months of passion and of pain,

And all that followed in their train–

Rebellious thoughts that would arise,

Rebellious tears that dimmed mine eyes,

The prayers that I might set love’s fire

Aflame within your bosom yet–

The death at last of that desire–

If I could but forget.