Graduation Date
5-2017
Document Type
Campus Access Only Honors Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Literature and Languages
Director of the Honors Program
Gigi Gokcek, PhD
First Reader
Amy Wong, PhD
Second Reader
Thomas Burke, MFA
Abstract
Zoe: Notes from a Millennal is a collection of both prose and poetry that takes the form of a journal written by a young millennial woman. The collection explores the ways in which the world today influences and shapes the lives of people reaching adulthood. The word “millennial” is a buzzword in countless articles that attempt to draw conclusions about this generation, likely because millennials seem so foreign to those that have come before. In some ways that is true; the fact that advanced technology has developed alongside millennials reaching adulthood has certainly ensured that. The prevalence of and reliance upon constant communication, unlimited access to infinite information, and instant gratification have inevitably shaped millennial norms. However, millennials still navigate the same issues that young adults have for centuries. The pieces of writing included here provide a view into the life of a young woman reaching adulthood as a mimetic representation that fellow millennials can relate to and that other generations can gain understanding from. The collection focuses on her relationships with friends, family, romantic partners, and herself, as well as with the modern world that shapes those relationships.