Going into this class, I didn’t know a lot about nostalgia or think about it much other than my own experiences. I was able to recognize that silly bands brought me back to my childhood or that the smell of my pillowcase reminded me of my grandma’s house. After taking this class, I now know that nostalgia was once considered a disease, something that only affected the Swiss. I can confidently recognize when media appeals to kairos and tries to make audiences feel nostalgic. Composing with multiple modes makes nostalgic media even more effective. 

 

Nostalgia can be bittersweet, sometimes more bitter than sweet. However, oftentimes, we choose to view the world through rose colored glasses, choosing to selectively remember parts of our past. Reflective nostalgia can feel good because of this selective remembrance. Sometimes reflective nostalgia turns into restorative nostalgia, where instead of simply reflecting on the past for what it was, we try to make the present our imagined histories. People can also choose to have the lens of deconstructive nostalgia, where they criticize the past.