Diamonds in the Rough is a dramatic coming-of-age novel, chronicling the experiences of college student Sofia Dayan. The intricacies of the Forty-Seventh Street diamond exchange are revealed during Sofia's time as an office assistant to a Hassidic diamond dealer, and she slowly discovers that her boss is involved in an illicit transaction concerning her father. Also coping with the symptoms of a newly diagnosed illness, rheumatoid arthritis, she begins a relationship with David Cohen - her father's former friend and business associate. Tensions build as Sofia manages her disease, attempts to strengthen her bond with David, and discovers what her father and boss are conspiring. Like a diamond, all the characters within the story are flawed beneath the surface and, to some degree, are living in illusions. Visual art and music enhance this primary theme; both often depict something beautiful but contain a darker subtext. / by Efrat Friedman. / Thesis (M.F.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web. FboU

Modernity has changed the world and subsequently has caused emotional wounds and a sense of nostalgia for those pleasant times and places left in the past. In fact, nostalgia and modernity were two principle notions that people face in the early 20th century. This study calls on the notion of nostalgia defined by J. Wilson, which suggests that hard life situations and modernity enforcing unwanted changes in life, bring a feeling for the past like missing something left behind. Taking Wilson’s definition as a point of departure, this study analyses the protagonist's nostalgic feeling and nostalgia in the novel Coming Up For Air written by George Orwell. It also compares Coming Up For Air with two other Orwell’s writings which demonstrate that a grief for legacy of the past is recurrent in his writings. In addition, this study argues that nostalgia is not only a sentimental motion or mourning for the lost past but it also creates a pleasant space for the protagonist to recover from hardships caused by the modern life in the early 20th century. This study investigates the protagonist’s returning to his childhood town to make his dream of home real. The notion of Place Attachment by Ben Dowler is applied in this study, which demonstrates that the hometown means happiness and a safe place for the protagonist because he was in connection with a sense of happiness and joy in that place. In addition, Abraham Maslow’s theory about human basic needs, which demonstrates that the protagonist looks for a safe place because of his aroused basic need of being secure in the war times, is addressed. Furthermore, this study applies Sigmund Freud’s theory of Mental Structure. The theory is about the three layers of mind from instinct to mature and demonstrates that three different layers of the protagonist’s mind lead him to reply differently to his need of returning home. The main claim of this theory is that although the protagonist has no control over his aroused basic need for security, the mature one makes him more connected to the real world and helps him to cope with his nostalgia.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A partir de nove entrevistas semi-estruturadas, conduzidas entre os meses de abril e outubro de 2008 com homens homossexuais entre vinte e seis e quarenta e dois anos de idade, oriundos de camadas médias e médias baixas do Rio de Janeiro e adjacências, o presente trabalho tem por objetivo compreender as maneiras pelas quais estes indivíduos se descobrem atraídos por pessoas do mesmo sexo e buscam meios de lidar com esse desejo. Ao mesmo tempo, procura entender como essa diferença se desloca do plano subjetivo e fala de si, o que é conhecido como sair do armário ou fazer o coming out, processo que parece ocorrer de modo descontínuo e incompleto, na medida em que estratégias de manipulação e ocultamento da orientação sexual frequentemente se mostram necessárias perante os diversos círculos de sociabilidade nos quais se transita regularmente, dentre os quais a família, o ambiente de trabalho e os amigos. A análise do discurso dos informantes, aliada a uma fundamentação teórica de cunho majoritariamente sócio-antropológico, permitiu depreender que há um anseio por reconhecimento, aceitação e respeito. Observou-se também a existência de certos mapeamentos, que abrangem preocupações com a aparência, controle de gestos e manifestações de afeto e a evitação de lugares tidos como hostis ou pouco tolerantes, visando a uma redução dos riscos de discriminação e violência. / Based upon nine semi-structured interviews, conducted between the months of April and October of 2008 with homosexual men between twenty-six and forty-two years old, arising from middle and middle-low classes from Rio de Janeiro and surroundings, this work aims to understand the ways by which these individuals find themselves attracted to same-sex people and look for means to deal with this desire. At the same time, it tries to understand how this difference is dislocated from the subjective level and speak up, what is known as to come out of the closet or simply coming out, a process that seems to occur in a discontinued and incomplete way, since management and concealing strategies of sexual orientation are frequently required before the various sociability circles in which they move through on a regular basis, among which family, workplace and friends are included. The analysis of the informants‟ discourse, combined with a mainly socio-anthropological theoretical foundation, led to conclude that there is a yearn for recognition, acceptance and respect. Certain mappings, which cover concerns with appearance, gesture and affection display controls and avoidance of places considered to be hostile or little tolerant, were also observed as a way of lowering discrimination and violence risks.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A partir de nove entrevistas semi-estruturadas, conduzidas entre os meses de abril e outubro de 2008 com homens homossexuais entre vinte e seis e quarenta e dois anos de idade, oriundos de camadas médias e médias baixas do Rio de Janeiro e adjacências, o presente trabalho tem por objetivo compreender as maneiras pelas quais estes indivíduos se descobrem atraídos por pessoas do mesmo sexo e buscam meios de lidar com esse desejo. Ao mesmo tempo, procura entender como essa diferença se desloca do plano subjetivo e fala de si, o que é conhecido como sair do armário ou fazer o coming out, processo que parece ocorrer de modo descontínuo e incompleto, na medida em que estratégias de manipulação e ocultamento da orientação sexual frequentemente se mostram necessárias perante os diversos círculos de sociabilidade nos quais se transita regularmente, dentre os quais a família, o ambiente de trabalho e os amigos. A análise do discurso dos informantes, aliada a uma fundamentação teórica de cunho majoritariamente sócio-antropológico, permitiu depreender que há um anseio por reconhecimento, aceitação e respeito. Observou-se também a existência de certos mapeamentos, que abrangem preocupações com a aparência, controle de gestos e manifestações de afeto e a evitação de lugares tidos como hostis ou pouco tolerantes, visando a uma redução dos riscos de discriminação e violência. / Based upon nine semi-structured interviews, conducted between the months of April and October of 2008 with homosexual men between twenty-six and forty-two years old, arising from middle and middle-low classes from Rio de Janeiro and surroundings, this work aims to understand the ways by which these individuals find themselves attracted to same-sex people and look for means to deal with this desire. At the same time, it tries to understand how this difference is dislocated from the subjective level and speak up, what is known as to come out of the closet or simply coming out, a process that seems to occur in a discontinued and incomplete way, since management and concealing strategies of sexual orientation are frequently required before the various sociability circles in which they move through on a regular basis, among which family, workplace and friends are included. The analysis of the informants‟ discourse, combined with a mainly socio-anthropological theoretical foundation, led to conclude that there is a yearn for recognition, acceptance and respect. Certain mappings, which cover concerns with appearance, gesture and affection display controls and avoidance of places considered to be hostile or little tolerant, were also observed as a way of lowering discrimination and violence risks.

The screenplay (creative production component) follows Sunny, a young South African Indian woman, who relocates to Cape Town to study fine art. She sets her eyes on a significant award, but makes the critical mistake of falling for her greatest rival. Despite facing crippling cultural expectations and biases, Sunny discovers that being different - and loving who she wants to love - is not a crime, but an imperfect truth. The screenplay explores the protagonist's first year at university, complicated by questions of identity, race, gender, sexuality and their intersection with tradition and culture in contemporary South Africa. Taking the form of a coming-of-age Indie drama (with an artistic twist), the main character embarks on a journey of self-discovery and learning, as she confronts these challenges. The reflective creative explication serves as an accompaniment to the screenplay. It is used to expound upon the creative process of writing the screenplay: highlighting key scenes, beats and decisions whilst interrogating the theoretical frameworks surrounding representations of ‘othered' groups - specifically queer womxn of colour - and their perception in society, aided by the lens of personal lived experience. This is followed by a review of the Indie and coming-of-age genres, in which the screenplay operates. The piece acts as a critical reflection intended to contextualise and justify the creative decisions made in the screenplay, so as to provide a means of accessing the larger themes and concerns at hand.

Using the focus group methodology, this thesis investigated Instagram’s impact on Knapp’s (1978) relational model, which conceptualized romantic relationships as occurring in stages. In particular, the purpose of this thesis was to gain insight on the ways that young adults (18–25) utilized Instagram’s affordances during the stages of romantic relationships. The focus groups elicited eight themes that provided insights on the motivations and behaviors of individuals who use Instagram’s affordances during romantic relationship processes. These themes included: 1) information seeking, 2) reciprocal idiosyncratic “Like,” 3) unequivocal comment, 4) significant first picture, 5) expected profile engagement, 6) reciprocal photo sharing, 7) jealousy provoking behaviors, and 8) supplemental termination behavior. The first four themes showed that Instagram’s affordances play a large role in the coming together stages of romantic relationships. The next two themes indicated that Instagram’s affordances play a large role in relationship maintenance. Finally, the last two themes indicated that Instagram’s affordances play a moderate role in the coming apart stages of relationships. The uses and gratifications theory was used to explain the findings.

A collection of short stories and personal essays, Please Don’t Interrupt Me While I’m Ignoring You weaves a lamé of humor and private desperation on the page. An actor in one story craves career gratification, while a United Nations coordinator in another finds herself attracted to a nervous NGO. A housewife attempts to convince her husband to commit an infidelity, while an architect finds that his new pet companion isn’t helping him to get over his ex-girlfriend. Having a difficult time relating, these characters often find themselves stuck in a miscommunication loop, and their journey to get what they want is subtle. These stories are followed with essays about the author’s own experiences while he was stuck in a miscommunication loop. Driven by his obscene fear of conflict, the author chronicles what happens when conflict is inevitable. Travel and self-loathing abound in these narratives depicted with sensitivity and sarcasm—bitterness and love. Together they leave a lasting impression of the impermeability of worldly citizens, and the internalizations they have to combat to get there

Social support is a key factor influencing older adults’ health and well-being. Disclosing one’s lesbian, gay, or bisexual identity at any age has great potential for altering, if not destroying, existing relationships with family, friends, and others. With long-established social roles and personal relationships, the potential risks may be accentuated for those who come out in mid- or later-life. Yet, researchers have paid scant attention to this phenomenon. This exploratory qualitative study examines the impact of coming out “late” on older adults’ social networks. In-depth interviews were conducted with a sample of fourteen older adults who disclosed their non-heterosexual identity at or after age 39. Interviews inquired about participants’ past and present social networks and the coming out process, particularly the influence of coming out “off time.” Findings show coming out is a dynamic, continuous, and non-linear process that simultaneously characterizes and is characterized by social network gains and losses.

A collection of short stories and one novella featuring women’s issues, fairy tales, a coming-of-age story, and a pregnancy that turns out differently than expected upon delivery.

Tundra is a murder mystery/coming-of-age novel about a fifteen-year-old boy named Ethan and his high school biology teacher, Pam, who come together over a mysterious text-based video game and unwittingly use it to resolve an unsolved murder from 1994. The novel is largely interested in bodies—their perplexities, pleasures, and limitations—as well as what it means to “come of age” as a queer person in a time and place where queer folks are denied so many markers of adulthood—marriage, families, oftentimes job and housing security. This is also a book about the myriad of ways in which technology enables us to pursue modes of connection and intimacy outside of the limitations of both our bodies and repressive social strictures. This thesis contains the first seven chapters of the novel, constituting Part One.