CUP Undergraduate Research
Title
Date of Award
Spring 4-1-2018
Document Type
Thesis
College
College of Arts & Sciences
Department
Humanities
Degree Name
English, BA
First Advisor
Ceiridwen Terrill, Ph.D.
Abstract
I, Stephen is a memoir of the author’s time at basic training for the United States Navy. The primary theme explored through this piece is death as a metaphor for change, with smaller themes of relationships, perception versus reality, freedom versus security, and courage. The journey begins with the author’s first experience with near-death as an infant, then moving into his time in basic training which depicts the struggles with daily routines, interactions with officers, and physical ailments, ultimately leading to the author’s departure and eventual attendance at Concordia University – Portland. Through the creative process of this memoir and research into other writers, the author undergoes an evolution where the old version of the author dies and begins the process of rebuilding into a stronger individual, ready to face new challenges ahead.