Although nostalgia is often simply seen as a simple longing for the past, I believe that it operates as a complex rhetorical device with the power to shape emotions, memories, and identities. It has an immense capability to guide individuals toward specific cultural narratives or political messages. In the context of Big Rhetoric, nostalgia is not just a personal emotion; it becomes a persuasive force intertwined with the broader communication and rhetorical practices that permeate every aspect of life. Schiappa’s Second Thoughts on Big Rhetoric explores how the field of rhetoric has expanded to encompass not just political speech but virtually every facet of human activity, allowing us to view nostalgia through the lens of rhetorical style. Similarly, Shouse’s exploration of affect provides a framework for understanding how nostalgia taps into deep emotions that cannot be directly commanded but must be strategically evoked.
The last time I moved houses, there was a great purge of childhood toys. I’ve moved from state to state, as well as country to country, but I always had my same “core toys” brought along with me. My wooden doll house, my Dachshund stuffed animal, and my prized karaoke microphone are some that come to mind. While I was gone one day during our move preparation, my mother threw out my microphone. Granted, it hadn’t been used for its true purpose in about a decade, but I was heartbroken to learn that it was gone for good. A few weeks later, I was in Walmart looking for something in the electronics section, which bordered the toy aisles. Lo and behold, my microphone was stocked on the shelves. It was a newer model – more gadgets and gizmos, but I felt a strong compulsion to make that younger version of myself complete once more. I bought the microphone and serenaded my mother with my songs of choice that evening. Simply put, the strong desire I felt to make that purchase was a byproduct of nostalgia.
I want to examine how nostalgia functions rhetorically, engaging with Schiappa’s concept of Big Rhetoric, Shouse’s theories of affect, and the concept of energy as it relates to emotional intensity. Additionally, nostalgia powerfully utilizes ethos, logos, and pathos to influence audiences through symbolic interactions. Ultimately, nostalgia is a key example of how rhetorical styles operate on multiple levels to guide emotional responses and societal behaviors.
Schiappa defines Big Rhetoric as “the growth of rhetorical scholarship in communication studies and other disciplines as the ‘popularization’ of rhetorical studies” (Schiappa 260). This expansion has led to an understanding of rhetoric as a tool that extends far beyond traditional political or academic discourse, including everyday communication practices such as advertising, social media, and personal reflection. The rhetoric of nostalgia, when viewed through this broad lens, becomes more than just a passive sentiment; it is a strategic, persuasive tool that shapes our emotions, identities, and connections to the past.
Nostalgia in Big Rhetoric ultimately serves as a form of persuasive communication, shaping public and personal perceptions of the past. By engaging with cultural symbols, media, and shared memories, nostalgia becomes a vehicle for persuasive emotional appeal. For instance, iconic rock bands from the 1960s and 1970s, such as The Rolling Stones or Led Zeppelin, have capitalized on their fans’ nostalgia by performing “classic hits” during their live shows. What is the purpose of singing old songs when they have newer ones to perform? These performances evoke memories of youth and rebellion for older audiences and provide an opportunity for audiences to relive their past experiences through the lens of nostalgia. An advertisement that evokes nostalgia through music or imagery taps into cultural memories that guide individuals to associate those memories with the product being advertised. The strategic use of nostalgia in this way aims to create a connection between the past and the present, persuading the audience to reframe their relationship with the product and to experience a deeper emotional connection to it.
Schiappa’s defense of Big Rhetoric pushes against critics that argue the expansion of rhetorical studies weakens its significance. He asserts, “Can we do more, and can we do what we do better? Again, the answer is undoubtedly yes. But again the anxiety advanced by the critics of Big Rhetoric gives us little clue as to how,” (Schiappa 272). Critics, such as Gaonkar, suggest that by expanding rhetoric too broadly, scholars risk losing its focus and specificity. However, Schiappa counters this by highlighting the relevance of rhetorical analysis across disciplines. The application of rhetorical theory to phenomena such as nostalgia reinforces its importance in understanding human behavior across diverse fields, from politics to advertising to social media.
By embracing the idea that rhetoric is everywhere, scholars can explore how nostalgia, as a rhetorical force, guides not only individual emotions but collective cultural experiences. The use of nostalgic symbols and themes appeals to audiences’ shared memories and cultural touchstones, influencing how people perceive the past and make decisions in the present. This shows how nostalgia works as a powerful rhetorical tool, mobilizing emotions and reinforcing specific narratives that can have broad social and political impacts.
To understand how nostalgia works rhetorically, it is important to consider the role of affect—an emotional intensity that can shape human experience in powerful ways. Shouse explains that affect is “-an ability to affect and be affected. It is a prepersonal intensity corresponding to the passage from one experiential state of the body to another” (Shouse 1). This definition of affect underscores its role as an underlying force that precedes specific emotions, shaping how individuals react to stimuli before they are able to consciously label those reactions as specific feelings such as joy or sadness.
In the case of nostalgia, affect plays a critical role in the way emotions are triggered. When nostalgic elements, such as a familiar song, image, or phrase, are introduced, they do not immediately evoke a specific emotion but rather create an affective state that prepares the body and mind to feel a particular way. For example, a television commercial that uses a classic song from the 1980s may not directly tell the viewer to feel nostalgic, but the song itself generates an affective response. This response is not simply a matter of recollecting past events but of experiencing an emotional shift that prepares the viewer to engage with the past in a particular way.
Shouse further argues that “The power of affect lies in the fact that it is unformed and unstructured (abstract). It is affect’s ‘abstractivity’ that makes it transmittable in ways that feelings and emotions are not, and it is because affect is transmittable that it is potentially such a powerful social force” (Shouse 1). The abstract nature of affect allows it to transcend individual experiences, making it a powerful social force that can shape collective memory and influence behavior on a broad scale. Nostalgia, is a form of affective engagement and works through this transference. It taps into shared cultural memories and evokes an emotional response that connects individuals across time and space, making it a deeply persuasive rhetorical tool. Affective rhetoric, as demonstrated in nostalgic appeals, does not just trigger specific emotions—it creates a shared emotional experience that links people together through a common sense of longing. This emotional intensity can be harnessed to persuade people to align with particular values, ideologies, or products.
Another important consideration when examining nostalgia’s rhetorical power is the role of energy. While affect refers to emotional intensity, energy involves the dynamic force that propels emotions and ideas into action. Energy can be seen as the driving force that moves people from mere reflection on the past to active engagement with the present. Ingraham, discussing the concept of energy, notes that “-in a modern context, physics is probably the field that has most laid claim to ‘discovering’ energy and detailing the scientific laws whereby it operates” (Ingraham 262). While this scientific perspective focuses on physical energy, rhetorical energy similarly involves the potential to move audiences from passive spectators to active participants in cultural and emotional exchanges.
Nostalgia harnesses emotional energy to prompt action, whether that action is a purchase, a vote, or a shift in worldview. The emotional energy generated by nostalgic symbols can drive individuals to engage with the past in a way that affects their present decisions and future actions. This process is not simply about evoking a feeling of longing; it is about creating an energetic, persuasive force that motivates people to take action based on that feeling.
As such, nostalgia functions as a dynamic force that moves between individual and collective experiences, drawing on affective intensities to create a broader energy that shapes social behaviors and political choices. Through a careful selection of nostalgic symbols and emotions, people can channel this energy to influence public opinion, consumer behavior, and even political movements. The energy of nostalgia thus becomes a vital component of its rhetorical style.
In conclusion, nostalgia is more than just a sentimental emotion; it is a persuasive rhetorical tool that engages deeply with ethos, logos, and pathos to affect audiences. Through the lens of Big Rhetoric, nostalgia is seen not only as an individual experience but as part of a broader social and rhetorical practice that shapes memory, identity, and culture. By invoking affective intensities, nostalgia taps into emotions that are unstructured and abstract, making it a powerful transmittable force. This emotional energy motivates audiences to engage with the past in ways that influence their present decisions and future actions.
Schiappa’s expansion of rhetorical studies to include all forms of communication helps us understand how nostalgia functions as a persuasive force in both individual and collective contexts. By examining nostalgia through the frameworks of Big Rhetoric, affect, and energy, we gain a deeper understanding of its rhetorical power and its role in shaping human behavior and societal values. Nostalgia can lead us to make a silly purchase like a toy microphone, but it can also move entire groups to collective actions.
My Sources:
- Ingraham, Christopher. “Energy.” The Encyclopedia of Energy Studies, vol. 5, 2003, pp. 261-263.
- Shouse, Eric. “Feeling, Emotion, Affect.” Rhetoric Review, vol. 23, no. 2, 2004, pp. 1-10.
- Schiappa, Edward. Second Thoughts on Big Rhetoric. Oxford University Press, 2019.
Delaney Bridges 
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