Examine the nature of Browning's optimism in The Last Ride Together Robert Browning s - poem The Last Ride Together shows a very strong and special type of optimism Optimism means to think positively even in sad or painful situations In this poem the speaker is rejected by the woman he loves But still he does not cry or become angry Instead he feels lucky and thankful because he gets to ride with her for one last time Positive Attitude after Rejection At the beginning the speaker accepts that his love has failed But instead of feeling hopeless he becomes grateful He asks for only one thing a final ride with his beloved He says Your leave for one last ride with me This shows that even in failure he finds something good Joy in the Present Moment During the ride he feels happy just to be close to her