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Analysis of Nostalgia

Synopsis= Nostalgia is classed as a desire to return to a former time in our lives which is heavily conveyed in this poem. It is set in the past in the perception of mercenaries from Switzerland who had to leave their homes in search of fortunes. Nostalgia can also be classed as a mental illness that is incurable, sickness is portrayed in this poem both physically as the mercenaries would often suffer from severe altitude pains and pain of being removed from their home setting.

 Key quotations + Analysis=
1.) "Crude coins clenched"
  • This imagery gives the impression that the coins are worthless, just like the memories in their head, it also portrays money in a negative light which suggests that the mercenaries are bitter tat they've had to leave their home for the sake of earning money.
  • The use of consonance conveys the harshness of nostalgia to a persons mental health and the blunt, severe feeling of the altitude pains that the Swiss mercenaries felt. It could also emphasise the progression of nostalgia.
2.) "Sweet pain" 
  • Duffy uses an oxymoronic phrase which could show the mercenaries inner conflict of them trying to battle their emotional turmoil caused by nostalgia. It could also show a shift in emotions from past to present and future, the future for the mercenaries are filled with pain yet the past is sweet which adds a bittersweet tone to the line. The phrase bittersweet can be conveyed heavily in this poem as the financial gain is sweet but the sacrifices to gain it are bitter. 
3.) "Stile" 
  • A stile acts as a barrier between paths which could connote that there is a barrier between the speakers past and present, the emotions from those periods of time do not merge together and it is not a smooth recollection of thoughts.
  • The word choice also signifies that there is something stopping the speaker being able to happily reminisce on their past

 4.) "Some would never fall in love had they not heard of love"
  • Here Duffy may be referring to some of the mercenaries not leaving home as they were aware of the pain
  • It also has a philosophical meaning which is that love has such an influence because of the stories told about it, therefore without these stories people may not have experienced the heartbreak that they claimed to have endured.

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