Nostalgic Memories: Personal Experiences, By Mark Joseph Stern

Every song I’ve heard can to connected to a memory in my life. It doesn’t have to be an important memory; certain songs flash images of the radio playing while driving down highways or hearing a song playing in the background of a commercial. Others inspire memories like times I’ve danced with my family, or covered songs with friends. These are the memories I will hold on to forever, and I’ll do it through these

The political cartoon “American Grandma’s Story” by Dr.Seuss features a grandmother wearing a sweater that says, ‘America first’ who is reading her children a story titled: Adolf the Wolf. The caption on top states: “...and the Wolf chewed up the children and spit out their bones… But those were Foreign Children and it didn’t really matter.” The cartoon was created in 1940 before the U.S. was forced to join the war after the bombing of Pearl Harbour. At that time, Hitler has already gained control of most of mainland Europe and forced France to surrender.

The impact that music has on individuals lives varies greatly from person to person and often provides a unique lifestyle to each individual. An author by the name Oliver Sacks talks about the unique cases that he has dealt with in the past in his writings. The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat and “Brainworms, Sticky Music, and Catchy Tunes” from Musicophilia are two articles written by Oliver Sacks, which show the relationship that music has on the mind and how music can change how a person perceives reality. The human mind is a complex machine and yet there is something about music that transforms a person’s thought process completely.

Music is like the wardrobe to Narnia. It sends an individual into a whole new world and causes one to forget about the world and problems they are living in now. In the novel A Long Way Gone: Memoir of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah, Beah becomes a child soldier unwillingly during a civil war in Sierra, Leone when he is twelve years old. All he had was his rap music that kept him going. In Ishmael Beahs novel he uses detail and diction to highlight how music provides a means by which ones life can be saved by the power of music, can temporarily escape the harsh realities of life, and can connect to happier times.

For as long as mankind has walked on this earth, music has been an important part of our culture and lifestyles. Each walk of life beats to a different drum. Different cultures use music for many aspects of their lives; for religious purposes, for celebrations, for comfort, for sorrow, for relaxation, for sports, for dances, for energy, for learning, for sleeping, and for sexual experiences. Everyone uses music for something. Music connects with people and reaches them in ways that words simply cannot. Music is a representation of what feelings sound like. It expresses emotion and brings that characteristic out from within us; it tells us a story. Every generation has its’ own sound and different music styles have emerged and become

Many of us have listened to certain songs in the past which have taken us back to a previous experience, time or place. Music can take trigger the mind and take you to experiences you have had in college, a relationship you had, a tragic family event or anything. It takes your mind to a certain event or moment in your life, like a birthday party or other celebrations. If you ever think you need to be inspired for something, such as goal, music can help you get there. It’s about connecting to what the artist has to say, or how the sound of the rhythm makes you feel which can give you your own motivation in your life. It sparks the mind and acts as a very strong catalyst which can lead to creative ideas you never thought you can

Brazil can be compared to the United States in several aspects. Both countries have a lot of things in common; however, we can point some differences too.

It is when we experience discontinuity in our life, such as the death of or sudden separation from a loved one, that nostalgia may come into play. Ironically, while we combat feelings of sadness or mourning by allowing our minds to re-live moments when our lives felt more whole, we are also reminding ourselves of what we have lost. Nostalgia is not just a search for the past within the mnemonic, but also within the temporal, ‘a yearning for a different time- the time of our childhood, the slower rhythms of our

Nostalgia lives in our veins, we breath and vision it all the time. Nostalgia was a disease throughout the early 1700’s, was coined with a mixture of Greek words of returning home and pain: Throughout the war, nostalgic were affecting the troops over the scale of homesick to perform their duties and the only option to recover the troop was by sending them back home. Now nostalgia has influenced modern day as generations expresses time back at their “good old days”, wishing that they could flashback. Nostalgic has even swayed the media perceptive as recreating their old films or shows in the new modern days to fill the gap of their childhood, and showing their children their favorite shows on television when they were a kid.

However, there was one thing my great-grandmother could recognize and remember; music. When her daughter played some of her favorite tunes she would bob her head to the beat of the music. On some days, she’d mouth the lyrics she had learned up to 50 years ago. The memories that had seem hopelessly lost forever had been temporarily restored through music.

Do you remember waking up on a Sunday to old school music? It was the kind of music that makes you step side to side while your mother cleaned the house. The words were filled with emotion, as if a story was being told with deep connections. The rhythm helped you through situations. But violence has taken over the music industry and corrupted the minds of the younger generation. The generations grow juvenile, music has lost it’s sense of style, meaning, and brotherhood.

In the world today, music has become a big influence on everyone. With the power of music, each person has the ability to accomplish goals even if the music is country or rap. Most people believe that music can change a person’s mood or behavior which is true. Without music people could not control the way they act. Most music has the power to affect a person’s mood and other music can get them out of control. If music did not exist the world would be tedious. Without having music, people would not be able to motivate their moods. With the magic of music all people tend to have clear minds and better spirits. Music has the ability to put a smile on their face and a special song in their hearts. Even though most people feel confident about a special song, this can change their mind about how country music is better than rap music.

Throughout its history, music has permeated the significant events of American history. Its effect on American society and the way the American people cope with each event has only grown as popular music evolves and new genres reach more and more individuals. People can remember where they were and their exact surroundings to amazing detail when asked about life-changing events in history. Older generations will remember the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Their children will remember when Kennedy was assassinated and when man walked on the moon. Their grandchildren will remember much of the turmoil of the ‘70s and ‘80s and their great grandchildren grew up in the world impacted by the events of September 11, 2001. Even one’s surroundings during the start or end of a relationship or personal events such as graduation, getting a driver’s license, or getting married can all be paired with the music that was popular at the time.

French Poet Victor Hugo once said, “music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent.” We already know the saying a picture is worth a thousand words, but music plays an important role in further expressing our feelings embedded in a picture. Music has the ability to convey the feelings one would like to express but is unable to do so through pictures and words. Our feelings often come from memories; American musician Stevie Wonder (2004) mentioned, “music, at its essence, is what gives us memories. And the longer a song has existed in our lives, the more memories we have of it.” For someone like me that loves listening to music, we almost always try to picture the scene the song is describing while

Have you ever wanted to fulfill your greatest Sci-Fi fantasies? Ever dreamt of wielding a lightsaber to protect the Cosmos from the greatest of evils? Is piloting a vast spaceship the first thing on your bucket list? Well, you’re in luck. Thanks to the decline in Earth’s resources and its inevitable incapability of supporting humanity, we are one step closer to making Sci-Fi fantasies come true!