"You Break My Heart in the Blink of an Eye"

Author's Note: The song, "The Last Time" by Taylor Swift featuring Gary Lightbody, shows excellent use of point of view.The main concept of this song is explaining a relationship that has gone through a lot of tough times. Gary, (singing the guys part) is continuously leaving Taylor; therefore she's left heartbroken. Right when Taylor feels she can get over him, he shows up at her door making her fall for him all over again. The lyrics are below. 

In life one of the main things every person wants is love. The thing is, love is a game: you either win or loose. When you win, you find the person you want to spend the rest of your life with. When you loose, the relationship you thought was forever, didn't work out the way you planned. Taylor Swift  and Gary Lightbody sing in the song, "The Last Time".  The way Taylor sees this relationship is her falling head over heals for a man, but he takes her for granted and leaves her. Suddenly when everything is better, he shows up again making her want him even more than before. 

 "And all the times I let you in, just for you to go again. Disappear when you come back, everything is better." What Taylor means by saying this lyric is, Gary always comes back for her, making her feel as if nothing has happened; making her feel as if it's all okay. Before Gary has time to come back for Taylor, she will hide so he can't find her and hurt her all over again. "You break my heart in a blink of an eye." Right when Taylor finally believes everything will change, Gary goes and breaks her heart all over again. "This is the last time I'm asking you this. Put my name at the top of your list." Even though they have fallen in love, Taylor still finds Gary choosing others and other things before he chooses her. 

While Taylor believes this is all Gary's fault, he has a completely different way of viewing this relationship. "And you open your eyes into my, and everything feels better." Gary believes no matter what has happened in the past, he can always get Taylor back. He concludes that this is okay to constantly hurt her and come back thinking everything is okay.  "Found myself at your door, just like all those times before. I’m not sure how I got there, all roads they lead me here." This line of lyrics shows the proof that he is always coming back for Taylor, but the way he sees it is, he loves her and can't let her go. When he's lost, she's the only person he can think of. "This is the last time, I won't hurt you anymore." While singing this part, Gary is thinking to himself that he can do this, he won't hurt her anymore.

Taylor and Gary's love is on and off because of Gary always leaving Taylor. This same concept happens in the book, Dear John, by Nicholas Sparks. Dear John is about two people that fall in love during the summer, but the guy, John, is in the Army and has to leave when summer ends. This makes Savannah and John's relationship really hard to work out. "The Last Time" and Dear John are similar because John is always leaving Savannah while they both have huge feelings for each other. Savannah is dying inside because John is always gone and questions how she can love a guy when he's always leaving her. It's the same with Taylor, but Gary chooses to leave, where John has to leave for the Army. 

Sadly for Taylor and Gary, they loose the love game, but for Savannah and John they win the love game. Taylor and Gary don't work out because Taylor knows Gary won't treat her right in the future. "Right before your eyes, I’m aching, run fast, nowhere to hide. Just you and me." They both can agree that they love each other and always will, but for all the times Gary has hurt Taylor she doesn't want to love Gary anymore. "This is the last time I'm telling you this." This is the last time Taylor will make the same mistake; therefore she's sick and tired of his games and ends their relationship forever. 

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"The Last Time"

(feat. Gary Lightbody)

[Gary Lightbody:]

Found myself at your door,

Just like all those times before,

I’m not sure how I got there,

All roads they lead me here.

Gary thinks it's okay to leave and continuously come back for Taylor

I imagine you are home,

In your room, all alone,

And you open your eyes into mine,

And everything feels better,

He's okay with coming back all the time because he believe when she opens her eyes into his.. everything will feel better. 

[Both:]

Right before your eyes,

I’m breaking, no past

No reasons why,

Just you and me.

This is the last time I’m asking you this,

Put my name at the top of your list,- They choose others over each other.

This is the last time I’m asking you why,

You break my heart in the blink of an eye, eye, eye.

[Taylor Swift:]

You find yourself at my door,

Just like all those times before,

You wear your best apology,

But I was there to watch you leave,

Gary comes back for Taylor all the time, but when everything is right, he leaves again

And all the times I let you in,

Just for you to go again,

Disappear when you come back,

Everything is better.

She would always fall for him again thinking he wouldn't hurt her this time, but he always does. Next time he comes back to hurt her, she'll try to hide so he can't find her. 

[Both:]

Right before your eyes,

I’m aching, run fast- Taylor tries to forget him, but he keeps coming back. 

Nowhere to hide,

Just you and me…

This is the last time I’m asking you this,

Put my name at the top of your list,

This is the last time I’m asking you why,

You break my heart in the blink of an eye, eye, eye…

This is the last time you tell me I’ve got it wrong,

This is the last time I say it’s been you all along,

This is the last time I let you in my door,

This is the last time, I won’t hurt you anymore.-He tried to tell her he'll change. 

Oh, oh, oh,

This is the last time I’m asking you this,

Put my name at the top of your list,

This is the last time I’m asking you why,

You break my heart in the blink of an eye.

This is the last time I’m asking you this (this is the last time I’m asking you this)

Put my name at the top of your list (put my name on the top of your list)

This is the last time I’m asking you why (this is the last time I’m asking you why)

You break my heart in the blink of an eye (You break my heart…)

[x4]

This is the last time I’m asking you,

Last time I’m asking you,

Last time I’m asking you this...

Pretty much this is Gary coming back to Taylor telling her he'll change and won't leave her, but Taylor leaves him and doesn't fall for it again. 

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What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger

Author's Note: In school we have been understanding the concept of writing about theme. This topic can be very challenging, but I feel like I have grown as a writer by being introduced to theme. My essay is about coping with death. I used the books, Heaven is for Real, A Walk to Remember, and The Hunger Games to show the connections of coping with death as the books theme's.  

What is the most distressing moment every person has so cope with? A lot of things in life are hard to cope with, but by far the hardest thing is death. The feeling of loosing someone you love or care for is the hardest thing a person can go through. While reading books, Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks, you can really relate to the theme of the books. Every character in these novels goes through a death or hearing about a death they have to learn to cope with. By coping with death we learn to become stronger and are able to  overcome anything.

"Daddy, I died and went to heaven." Imagine those words coming from your five year old son. How would you respond to that? In the book, Heaven is for Real, you hear the exquisite story about a young boy, Colton, dying while he was in surgery; how he went up to heaven and met Jesus. Colon then came right back to earth and explained what he witnessed. Visualize how Colton's dad managed to understand how his son went to heaven and came back to earth. Not only did Colton's father have to comprehended to his son meeting Jesus, but when Colon starts talking about how he met his grandpa in heaven his father starts to understand his son did go to heaven and he's thankful for him coming back to life. Even though Colton and his family had troubles understanding the fact that Colton died, their family becomes even closer than they ever were. 

In Heaven is for Real, the people were fortunate enough for Colton to come back to life. This was a different story in the book, The Hunger Games: everyday you're forced to either kill someone or you could be killed. Katnis is a poor girl who is entered into the The Hunger Games or what I call it: the killing games. Picture being in an arena and knowing anyone could be anywhere about to kill you. The meaning of the Hunger Games is you can't get close with anyone because for all you know they could die in the next minute. Katniss teamed up with a young girl named Rue and they became very close. Sadly, Rue dies and Katniss feels many emotions and doesn't understand with how she's suppose to cope with the loss of her friend and still be the last one standing in the Hunger Games. Lastly, Katniss doesn't only have to live with the memories of all the people dying in the Hunger Games, but she also had to go through her dad dying. This effected her a ton because her mother became depressed and Katniss had to step up and take care of the family. If I was in Katniss’s position I would just give up, but with Katniss being so strong, she learns to fight through the pain.

It's hard to watch someone die by being shot or being stabbed, but it's a whole different feeling watching someone you love die slowly from a sickness. While reading, A Walk to Remember, I remember crying: envision a young man falling in love with a young girl and coping with her having cancer. We can relate sicknesses to the book, Heaven is for Real. This is a connection because both characters, Jamie and Colton, are very ill and the people surrounding them have the same fear of them dying. Lucky for Colton he lives, but Jamie gets so sick she passes away. With being heartbroken Landon, the boy in love with Jamie, he understands that if Jamie was still alive she would want the best for him. Landon then learns to deal with Jamie's death by becoming a very successful doctor just like she would have wanted. Jamie too went through what Landon went through. At just a young age Jamie's mother was diagnosed with cancer just like Jamie. It was hard for Jamie, but she did as Landon did: she moved on.  

All the books, Heaven is for Real, A Walk to Remember, and The Hunger Games have the similarities of death. Colton and his family became stronger as a family, learning more about each other from Colton’s death. Katniss grew as powerful young girl who could take down anything from seeing death. Lastly, Landon was going nowhere and being inspired by Jamie changed him into becoming a successful young man. Death can cause pain at first, but as time goes on people learn to understand that death is in the present; therefore they develop a tough mind and are able to challenge themselves to defeat everything.