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Unseen America

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Date Issued:
2016
Abstract/Description:
Unseen America is a glimpse into the lives of what American society considers to be low status men. (")Kumbaya(") involves a Cub Scout dealing with the fallout from a neglectful father and an alcoholic mother. (")Devil's Tower(") is about an overweight boy trying to prove himself in front of his peers. In (")True Patriots,(") we see two displaced working class men forced to come to terms with an America that doesn't belong to them anymore or need them anymore. (")Zippo Heart(") deals with a recently divorced young woman spurring on the advances of a loser coworker while dealing with her grief over September 11th. Finally, (")Devil's Backbone(") showcases two days in the life of Caleb Jacobson, a native of West Virginia who can't let go of his heritage even when it puts him in danger. With Unseen America, I hoped to give light to men who are often seen as caricatures if they're even noticed at all. The stories wrestle with the questions of what it means to be a man in contemporary American society. Should a man do the right thing, and for what reasons: societal pressure or a tug of conscience? Does a man live for himself or does he devote himself to a higher ideal? Does he let others define who he is or does he live by his own code? Low status men wrestle with these questions every day, but it goes unseen.
Title: Unseen America.
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Name(s): Shuster, Jeffrey, Author
Neal, Mary, Committee Chair
Roney, Lisa, Committee Member
Poissant, David, Committee Member
University of Central Florida, Degree Grantor
Type of Resource: text
Date Issued: 2016
Publisher: University of Central Florida
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: Unseen America is a glimpse into the lives of what American society considers to be low status men. (")Kumbaya(") involves a Cub Scout dealing with the fallout from a neglectful father and an alcoholic mother. (")Devil's Tower(") is about an overweight boy trying to prove himself in front of his peers. In (")True Patriots,(") we see two displaced working class men forced to come to terms with an America that doesn't belong to them anymore or need them anymore. (")Zippo Heart(") deals with a recently divorced young woman spurring on the advances of a loser coworker while dealing with her grief over September 11th. Finally, (")Devil's Backbone(") showcases two days in the life of Caleb Jacobson, a native of West Virginia who can't let go of his heritage even when it puts him in danger. With Unseen America, I hoped to give light to men who are often seen as caricatures if they're even noticed at all. The stories wrestle with the questions of what it means to be a man in contemporary American society. Should a man do the right thing, and for what reasons: societal pressure or a tug of conscience? Does a man live for himself or does he devote himself to a higher ideal? Does he let others define who he is or does he live by his own code? Low status men wrestle with these questions every day, but it goes unseen.
Identifier: CFE0006182 (IID), ucf:51122 (fedora)
Note(s): 2016-05-01
M.F.A.
Arts and Humanities, English
Masters
This record was generated from author submitted information.
Subject(s): bully -- racism -- bears -- environmentalism -- 9-11 -- 9/11 -- tiny house -- appalachian mountains -- coal -- achohalism -- cub scout -- inititiation rights
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006182
Restrictions on Access: public 2016-05-15
Host Institution: UCF

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