Degree Name
MA (Master of Arts)
Program
English
Date of Award
5-2019
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Dr. Thomas Alan Holmes
Committee Members
Dr. Jesse Graves, Dr. Theresa Lloyd
Abstract
Jim Wayne Miller’s poetry examines how human history and topography join to create place. His work often incorporates images of land and ecology; it deliberately questions the delineation between place and self. This thesis explores how Miller presents images of water to describe the relationship between inhabitants and their location, both with the positive image of the spring and the negative image of the flood. Additionally, this thesis examines how the Brier, Miller’s most prominent persona character, grieves his separation from home and ultimately finds healing and reunification of the self through his return to the hills. In his poetry, Miller argues that an essential piece of people’s identity is linked with the land, and, through recognition of the importance of topography on the development of the self, individuals can foster a deeper sense of community through appreciation of their place.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
McCrotty, Micah, "North of Ourselves: Identity and Place in Jim Wayne Miller’s Poetry" (2019). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 3581. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3581
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.
Included in
American Literature Commons, Appalachian Studies Commons, Ethnomusicology Commons, Fine Arts Commons, Literature in English, North America Commons, Literature in English, North America, Ethnic and Cultural Minority Commons, Modern Literature Commons, Oral History Commons, United States History Commons