Essay 19

Colin

Mr. Salsich

8 English

4/8/10

My Song:

An Essay about the "Traveling Soldier"

By the Dixie Chicks and

Romeo and Juliet

_____(TS)Emotions are important characters in the play of life. (CM)In the novel Romeo and Juliet, there are emotions portrayed on every page, every paragraph, and every sentence. (CM)These emotions are also evident in the song "Traveling Soldier," a story about pain, love and bravery. (CS)Both song and story share a theme of deep love and loss that is expressed by the characters.

_____(TS)The song Traveling Soldier by the Dixie Chicks contains a hodgepodge of themes (Apt. Thesaurus Word). (SD)In the beginning of the song, the soldier states, "I got no one to send a letter to." (CM)To me, this is showing he is alone and sad, with no one by his side, no family and no friends (Appositive). (CM)When I first heard this song, I had mixed emotions of sadness and joyfulness all at the same time because at first he was alone, but then he finally found someone. (SD)In addition, "nobody really cared" about the Traveling Soldier, except for "a pretty little girl with a bow in her hair" and she became his true love. (CM)This helped to show me how much pain and loneliness the war could cause. (CM)It also revealed to me how little some people cared about these brave soldiers. (CS)"Traveling Soldier" is a passionate song filled with fear, courage, and love, and these are some of the themes which relate it to the novel Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.

_____(TS)There are many great songs that would portray different themes from Romeo and Juliet, but one I particularly admire is the "Traveling Soldier" by the Dixie Chicks (Apt. Thesaurus Word). (SD)In the book, Romeo sees Juliet for the first time and falls in love with her instantly and the same thing happened in the song with the soldier and the girl. (CM)Boy meets girl and it was love at first sight. (CM)In addition, Romeo and Juliet both want to love each other for ever just like the traveling soldier and the waitress; they say to each other "our love will never end." (SD)At the end of Romeo and Juliet, both lovers have their lives taken away; similarly, at the end of the "Traveling Soldier,'' death keeps the two lovers apart . (CM)Death had robbed the girl of her love. (CM)Both of these couples thought their love would last forever, yet death overcame them. (CS)Romeo and Juliet, and the couple in the ''Traveling Soldier" both shared a rare type of love that was ended by death.

_____(TS)In the game of "Life," emotions play a heavy role. (CM)You may see them near the break of war, or in the 1800s. (CM)Hiding from fear, love, and others is not feasible. (CS)You must embrace these gifts, these punishments, these emotions.