Date of Award

Spring 2012

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Dr. Kristin Bezio

Second Advisor

Dr. Peter Kaufman

Third Advisor

Dr, Monika Siebert

Abstract

This paper closely looks at Julia Alvarez's How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents and Junot Diaz's The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao in order to understand literature as a form of leadership. Alvarez and Diaz draw upon historical Dominican memory to frame their characters' identities and recreate communities in a new landscape. Their works challenge cultural authority, deconstruct borders, and provide the language to dialogue about the realities of multiculturalism.

Share

COinS