Date of Award

Spring 2002

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Department

English

Program/Concentration

Creative Writing

Committee Director

Sheri Reynolds

Committee Member

Luisa Igloria

Committee Member

Gary Short

Call Number for Print

Special Collections; LD4331.E64 A55 2002

Abstract

Robert Phillips describes confessional poetry as work written by a "poet who places few barriers, if any, between [her] self and direct expression of that self, however painful that expression may prove" (8). This Island's History exemplifies his definition. The manuscript is a compilation of poems documenting the writer's childhood, sexual orientation, and coming-of-age experiences. It is divided into three parts: "Civil Wars", "The Expansion Era", and "Secession". Taken from defining periods in American History, the section titles embrace relevant themes in the poems that follow.

"Civil Wars" relives the writer's tumultuous childhood. The pieces offer an intimate look into a family's four walls ravaged by an abusive father's actions. "The Expansion Era" captures the poet's "corning of age" experiences, including the mental highs of first loves and the proclamation of the gay lifestyle. In the final section, "Secession", the poet reconnects with family members on an individual basis. These pieces also display the poet settling into a newfound maturity, one which acknowledges her past yet strives to find comfort in the present.

This Island's History, in its entirety, expresses the importance and relevance of our personal expe1iences. Or as Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, "There is properly no history, only biography." We cannot undo our pasts. We cannot bury them in the passing of time or in silence. We can only attempt to learn from our history and others' histories. In order to do so, we must tell our stories.

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DOI

10.25777/hx3j-dc05

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