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1	North of Ourselves: Identity and Place in Jim Wayne Miller’s Poetry McCrotty, Micah 01 May 2019 (has links) Jim Wayne Miller’s poetry examines how human history and topography join to create place. His work often incorporates images of land and ecology; it deliberately questions the delineation between place and self. This thesis explores how Miller presents images of water to describe the relationship between inhabitants and their location, both with the positive image of the spring and the negative image of the flood. Additionally, this thesis examines how the Brier, Miller’s most prominent persona character, grieves his separation from home and ultimately finds healing and reunification of the self through his return to the hills. In his poetry, Miller argues that an essential piece of people’s identity is linked with the land, and, through recognition of the importance of topography on the development of the self, individuals can foster a deeper sense of community through appreciation of their place. Jim Wayne Miller Appalachian Poetry Southern Poetry Landscape The Mountains Have Come Closer Place Theory American Literature Appalachian Studies Ethnomusicology Fine Arts Literature in English, North America Modern Literature Oral History United States History