Homesickness And Nostalgia During The Civil War

Nostalgia is a term that was coined in 1688 by Johannes Hofer as an equivalent to the German term Heimweh, which means homesickness (Tierny). Because of that, the word homesickness and nostalgia are closely linked to each other and are sometimes used interchangeably. Like many others, I will tackle both homesickness and nostalgia; namely their history, their effects, people’s views on them and how important they both are as emotions. The history of nostalgia and homesickness is a fascinating one; dating back to the late 17th century. Whereas nostalgia was introduced in the year 1688, it wasn’t until the 1750s that the English language introduced the term, homesickness. Nostalgia’s origins teach that the term originated by a Swiss Physician
This was no exception in North America during the Civil War. Military Officers had to order military bands not to play home sweet home as it might instigate homesickness and eventually nostalgia which could lead to death. Nostalgia would continue as a diagnosis up to even World War II, where both soldiers and civilians experience it. Nostalgia and homesickness weren’t common only in soldiers who were away from their homes, but also immigrants. In the late 19th century, and early 20th century, many immigrants began to arrive in the United States. Many immigrants began to feel homesickness and as a result many left back to their countries, others remain, but still were left with the feeling of not being quite sure where home was. This clearly affected how and where people settled in America. There were places with prominent Italian food, culture and restaurants. These places are evidence that in order to get a feel for home, immigrants began to recreate the feeling of home in a new
It had gone from a medical problem to a sign of weakness. This was around the time were when social Darwinism was on the rise, and the idea that people who couldn’t adapt to new environments and situations was a flaw and a biological weakness. It is no surprise that nostalgia and homesickness began to have a look of inferiority and a sign of weakness. We then begin to see a split between nostalgia and homesickness. More and more people realized that they really can’t go back to the place and time they called home. Even when they did go back to the place they called home, they realize that home wasn’t what it used to. A lot of changes were happening rapidly, because of technological advances, and hence the modern sense of nostalgia developed. This modern feeling of nostalgia deals with remembering the past and the memories that accompany it. In contrast, homesickness searches for a lost place called home. The main difference here is, whereas nostalgia refers to searching for a lost time and feeling, homesickness refers to searching for a lost place and