# Memory and Nostalgia in Poetry

> Theme guide for Poetry by Sarah Louisa Forten Purvis.

Memory of lost homes, loved ones, and happier times is a recurring source of both comfort and pain, especially for those forcibly displaced from their native lands.

## Where it surfaces

- [Past Joys](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_20_se/chapters/past-joys): Memory makes the lost loved ones and home 'dear,' but for the enslaved, these memories bring only painful visions of what can never be regained.
- [The Farewell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_20_se/chapters/the-farewell): The speaker dwells on the fear of being forgotten and the bittersweet memory of a brief meeting.
- [Life](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_20_se/chapters/life): The poem looks back on the bright morning of life and the dreams that pass, evoking a sense of longing for what is lost.
- [Hours of Childhood](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_20_se/chapters/hours-of-childhood): The entire poem is a meditation on memory, recalling the joys of childhood and the bittersweet longing for days gone by.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_20_se/themes/memory_and_nostalgia
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_20_se/themes