The Wagon Wheel

“Wagon Wheel”
A “narrative” is defined as being a “written or spoken account of connected events” (“Narrative”). Narratives come in various forms. For instance, in English class many of the short stories we read are narratives. However, movies, television shows and songs, are also examples of narratives. Even our lives are considered our own personal narratives in which we are the writer, the main character and often times the reader. The writings of our narratives help us make sense of some of the traumatic events we face throughout our lives (Gobodo-Madikizela and van der Merwe 2). In some cases, we make sense of these events by reading or listening to other people’s narrative.
“Life as a Narrative” demonstrates how certain events, both

When I hear the song I feel very at peace, and I experience very whimsical feelings and feelings of being free. These feelings usually come to me when I hear the chorus and the lyrics, “Picking me a bouquet of dogwood flowers,” and “if I die in Raleigh at least I will die free,” to name a few. I like the lyric about the flowers because it become very visual and flowers are something I associate with being beautiful and delicate. The lyric about dying in Raleigh and being free, is one of my favorites because it is sung with such conviction that it expresses to me how much being home means to him. I think the whimsical feeling that is created also comes from the way Darius Rucker sings the song and the instruments used and how they’re played. I think the free feeling comes from it having such an easy going melody. Also in the lyrics the idea of escaping whatever you feel is holding you back from what you desire makes you feel a sense of freedom. I’d like to imagine myself being that adventurous and courageous. People want to be happy but often times end up accepting complacency or misery because it is the right thing to do. I’d like to think that if I were that unhappy I’d have the guts to do something about it. However, the topics it discusses, hitchhiking, smoking, and gambling, are all actions our society views in a very negative way. When you hear the song the narrator seems like a good guy, someone you

However, when you hear the song for the first time, for me it was on the radio, the song sounds very poetic and the protagonist seems to be going on a journey of self discovery. It also takes the form of a love song because he is reuniting with the love of his life. Finally, when you hear about the writer’s perspective of why and how he came to write the song it takes on a whole new meaning. Now it becomes a song about homesickness and the desire for familiarity. Those ideas were based on my personal thoughts and experiences with that song and I mean to mention these things because that is part of the beauty of narratives, they are up for interpretation. The writer is entitled to his meaning of the song or story; the reader is allowed to interpret it in his or her own way as well. This song could mean just about anything to every person and you can make that choice and let it mean what you want it to. It’s meaning may reflect the way you feel or maybe what you are experiencing in your life. Your interpretation is a reflection of who you are and if you can realize this you may be able to discover something about yourself you didn’t