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Nostalgia Billy Collins Analysis

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Born in 1941 in New York, Billy Collins has grown to become an excellent writer. He currently appointed as the Poet Laureate of the United States. Billy Collins poems discuss human experiences with in life to relate to the reader. The experiences discussed or remembrance, questioning, and love. A common theme of life that can be seen "Nostalgia" is remembrance. Throughout this poem Collins talks about these characters who remember a time period, "These views assume that nostalgia depends, in some way, on comparing a present situation with a past one" (Howard). The first character begins with, "Where has the summer of 1572 gone? Brocade and sonnet marathons were the rage" (6-7). The first character is remembering a time when a certain activity …show more content…

Collins opens up with this to show how important his lover is to him, by doing this he sets the tone of the poem. People tend to do this as well, often people tell each other how important or valuable they are to them to create a sense of love. Collins refers to Shakespeare when he compares a woman to his favorite season (1). As humans, love is a natural thing, and Collins makes that very prominent in the way he flatters his lover so easily. This is relatable because when people love each other they often say sweet complements. Then Collins explains how to flatter, "…the convention of flattering the beloved by comparing her to various aspects of nature" (1140). In the second stanza the poem takes a turn when he begins to insult the woman (Collins 1140). With every relationship comes the bitter part as well. He begins to say this woman does not smell good or look good (10-15). Collins does an excellent job by truly capturing the whole picture of love, even the bitter parts. Love is a definite characteristic of life that can be seen in Collins poems. Billy Collins is an excellent writer that is easy to read, yet is relatable. Billy Collins poems have an insightful look on life is a reoccurring theme. Characteristics of life that are seen are remembrance, questioning, and

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