Nostalgi The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Mohsin Hamid

Chuck Klosterman, in the article “Nostalgia on Repeat,” there is two sides of nostalgia, how it can be good and bad for you. Klosterman, gives examples from both sides. Memories are the past, it is ok to remember them and think about them, maybe even smile from them, just don’t live there. Looking at the past can hinder growth, if a person cannot move on from it and wants to keep reliving that part of their life. The Authors purpose is to shine light on both sides of nostalgia, it is not all bad to remember the past and even flash back to it. However, trying to relive the past is not all good either. It stunts growth and keeps a person from living their life in the now. Chuck Klosterman, writes in a casual tone for those readers that are too

According to Erikson, this is when the elderly start to be proud of their accomplishments, but are also faced with disparity of the goals they never reached (Berger, 2011). Noah is proud to be telling Allie about their past and wants her to remember it because he is taking so much pride in it. Even though Noah wants Allie to remember their past, he is dealing with the disparity that his wife may not ever remember him. An example from the movie is when Allie remembers who Noah is for just a few moments, and he is so glad and has thought she is back forever, but Allie immediately goes back into not knowing who Noah is (Cassavetes, 2004). Noah is immediately sad and despised that his wife will never be the same.

“I didn’t think the Twinkie would thrill the way it used to, and it didn’t. But it tasted like memory” In this quote from “Goodbye to My Twinkie Days”, author Bich Minh Nguyen, is describing a sense of nostalgia. Nostalgia, as defined by the Cambridge English dictionary, is a feeling of pleasure and sometimes slight sadness at the same time as an individual thinks about things that happened in the past. This feeling can be evoked through old photographs, food, music, and even literature. Nostalgia provides a temporary relief of present times, which is why people actively seek a feeling of nostalgia.

Nostalgia is most comparable to déjà vu. It’s familiar, but at the same time new. But, where déjà vu is unsettling, nostalgia is a comfortable sort of bliss that is distinct and undeniable. We all have re-watched a childhood

We can see this nostalgia being brought out when Arundel says, “The chance to kiss Leslie Wertmann, and, later, that redhead in seventh grade that could buckle steal” (Arundel 1). In writings such as this, you can infer that he wishes he would have changed things when he was younger. Another part we can see something like this was when he says, “The ability to drink until late at night and go to work the next day feeling like I need to be zipped inside a body bag” (Arundel 2). Interpreting this quote, you get the sense he is really opening up about the past and wants to go back and make

  Memories are works of fiction, selective representations of experiences actual or imagined. They provide a framework for creating meaning in one's own life as well as in the lives of others. In Toni Morrison's novel Beloved, memory is a dangerous and debilitating faculty of human consciousness. Sethe endures the tyranny of the self imposed prison of memory. She expresses an insatiable obsession with her memories, with the past. Sethe is compelled to explore and explain an overwhelming sense of yearning, longing, thirst for something beyond herself, her daughter, her Beloved. Though Beloved becomes a physical manifestation of these memories, her will is essentially defined by and tied to the

The term ‘retro’ carries a pervasive, if somewhat imprecise meaning; gradually creeping into daily usage over the past thirty years with few attempts to define it: usually used to describe cultural predisposition and personal taste, carrying nostalgic associations. Scientific literature on nostalgia usually refer to nostalgia regarding the personal life. Smell, touch and music are strong evokers of nostalgia, with recollections of one’s past usually being important events, people one cares about and places where one many have spent time. Nostalgic preferences, the belief that the past was better than the present, has been linked to partisanship in memory. The definition of nostalgia has changed massively over time, as it was once being considered a medical condition similar to that of homesickness. However, nostalgia now is considered to be a maverick and

The Nation of Islam is one of the most recognizable symbols of an organized African American voice in the United States. Starting from a few followers in the Great Depression, this movement and religion eventually grew to include thousands. It has also been the starting point for several famous African American individuals, such as Muhammad Ali and Malcom X. The Nation of Islam has been the source of much controversy and speculation from outside members. The group is no stranger to accusations regarding its beliefs and practices. It can be seen be the history of the Nation of Islam that it gained publicity and popularity due to its racial, socioeconomic, and political ideals, not by its interpretation of and relation to the orthodox Islam.

Throughout the history of present day Iran it has been contested whether the Shi’i ulama or the Shah are the logical leaders of the community. It is true that the ulama have gained control of Iran, and that Islam “changed much in Iran, but in some respects continuity from the past was far stronger than the new concepts” (Frye 36) due to the fact that the power of the Shah remained for hundreds of years after the introduction of Islam. The Iranian people have a long history of traditions and culture and even when Islam spread throughout the country it was adapted to include some of the Iranian traditions. The most significant example of this is the Shah’s adaptation and endorsement of Islam. The long history, tradition, and the decline of

The Dictator is nothing more than silly comedy with rough sexual content and a propaganda of a century old anti-Muslim depictions. In my community advocate role of liaising with the entertainment industry, I attended an advanced screening of the new Sasha Baron Cohen film earlier in the week. Afterward, I was glad I saved myself 12 bucks and a trip to the

As a Muslim, I have been looking forward to this day for my entire life. Since the fourth pillar of Islam states that Muslims must perform Hajj at least once in his or hers’ lifetime, so I am very excited for this opportunity. I don’t remember my parents. The only thing I have that reminds me of them is a beautiful necklace that was given to me right before they were killed. I weared it ever since. A mean slave managers tried to make me give it up, but an incredibly nice man named Mansa Musa let me keep it. I am very excited for this journey. As we set out on our journey, Mansa Musa assigns jobs to everyone. He assigns me to carry the gold, which I am very excited to do. I’ve never seen gold up close. It is so shiny and sparkly, and is truly

Jihad – a dispute or war between followers of Islam faith and those who do not follow the Islam faith; a struggle within a Muslim between good and evil (Dictionary)

Mohammad’s creation of a trans-tribal state occurred during his population of Medina. After he was persecuted in Mecca, Mohammad sought refuge in Medina. After successfully gaining protection from its tribes Mohammad sought to make Medina a better place. Mohammad immediately planted crops, created employment, found water alternatives, and created a town center. After surpassing necessities Mohammad moved on to his ultimate goal- a unified, religious state. Mohammad sought to make Medina a monotheistic state in contrast to the rampant paganism. Those who lived in Medina and did not agree with Mohammad’s ideals were either kicked out or ended up converting. Mohammad created an environment in which different tribes could live while following

Admittedly, this is me romanticizing a bit. Well, not a bit, a lot. I long for the times of the past, not so much so that I travel to that time (maybe in my dreams, but not in reality), like Owen Wilson's character in Woody Allen’s Magic in the Moonlight (though, compared to me, I’d say the dear man had a mild case of nostalgia, while I have a severe and

Explain the history of Islamic fundamentalism. Is it similar in nature to the fundamentalist movements of the early twentieth century?