African American Studies Commons^™

Exorcising Power, John Jarzemsky

Theses and Dissertations

This paper theorizes that authors, in an act I have termed “literary exorcism,” project and expunge parts of their identities that are in conflict with the overriding political agenda of their texts, into the figure of the villain. Drawing upon theories of power put forth by Judith Butler, I argue that this sort of projection arises in reaction to dominant ideas and institutions, but that authors find ways to manipulate this process over time. By examining a broad cross-section of English-language literature over several centuries, this phenomenon and its evolution can be observed, as well as the means by which …

South Shore And Everyplace You Don't Belong, Gabe Bump

MFA Program for Poets & Writers Masters Theses Collection

South Shore and Everyplace You Don’t Belong tracks a young man, Claude, raised by his grandmother on Chicago’s South Side. We follow Claude as he experiences tropes familiar to young Chicagoans: segregation, gun violence, gang recruitment, death, police brutality, and crooked politics.

We also follow Claude though universal experiences familiar to all young persons: falling in love, social anxiety, making friends, losing friends, rebellion, and identity crises of all shapes and sizes.

We follow Claude as he experiences America as a young black man.