Type

Text

Type

Thesis

Advisor

Advisors: Sheehan, Julie; Eady, Cornelius; Doty, Mark

Date

2017-12-01

Keywords

Creative writing, African, Identity, Migration, Poetry

Department

Department of Creative Writing and Literature | Thesis

Language

en

Source

This work is sponsored by the Stony Brook University Graduate School in compliance with the requirements for completion of degree.

Identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/11401/78295

Publisher

The Graduate School, Stony Brook University: Stony Brook, NY.

Format

application/pdf

Abstract

“Resurrection” is a poetry manuscript that seeks to understand the connection between spirituality and Blackness (African and African Americans) by scrutinizing twin paradigms of migration and identity loss. It explores these themes under the Biblical myth of dying. It presupposes, through various poetic forms, that the Black saint or sinner must endure the pressures of getting into ‘heaven,’ or escaping the fires of ‘hell.’ Furthermore, they must die to the burdens of society to be ‘born again’ in order for a wholesome existence. These poems also carry personal and literary perspectives, sharing my migratory experiences form Ghana to the United States and interacting with works of poets like Lucille Clifton and Jericho Brown who similarly explore such themes. Ultimately, the poems raise questions of belonging and suggest that the Black identity in the American society continues to be complex and one must be ready to experience a difficult transition on the journey to self. | 83 pages

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