What is the theme of the poem ‘Nostalgia’ by Billy Collins?

Subject: Literature

Soln:
The theme of the poem ‘Nostalgia’ by Billy Collins is evident in the very title of the poem. The poem refers to different periods in the history in each stanza of the poem, until the very last where it refers to a point in the future. In this mapping of the past and the present, Collins traces the changing landscape of things. However sardonic it might be, it still harks back to a past which was infinitely better, or to a future, which also promises to be better, despite not knowing enough about it. However, what the poet cannot stand is the present – the thought of it and dwelling in it terrifies the poet. By using nostalgia as a point of departure, the poem depicts the idea that human beings either romanticize the past or the present; nobody wants to savor the present moment as a moment of complete human experience. There is either a harking back to a romanticized past or the wish to rush to an uncertain future. Why can human beings not enjoy the present? – this is the primary thematic concern of the poem. @CanoePimple3043

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