Honors Theses
Date of Award
2011
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Journalism
First Advisor
Tom Franklin
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
My purpose for writing this type of thesis is to be to engage the reader first and foremost. Any attempt at allegoiy or personal opinion is immediately lost without an entertaining and believable stoiy. I sincerely believe that the best pieces of writing are the ones that inspire change rather than just advocating it. As with any work of fiction, hopefully the readers can find some amount of truth in the storytelling and apply it to their lives. In the case of Play by the Rules, even if the allegory seems brittle, I also hope as an author that readers can at least relate to some aspect of the storytelling. While writing this thesis 1 have found that there is a significant difference between appreciating an author’s symbolism and fabricating hazing allegorical illusions. I can appreciate the symbols that 1 have created, but 1 don’t value their worth above the literary worth of the characters. The allegory offers an interesting wrinkle to a story that can stand alone without it. The worth of the story should not dependent upon the believability of the allegory. However, 1 do realize that the believability and strength of my thesis as a whole depends on the characters’journalistic representations. On an allegorical level, realism was the most important aspect of character development for me. Humans are far from perfect and my characters should therefore represent real, glaring embodiments of imperfection. This approach may have made the characters more difficult to relate to cheer for but it should also make the reader appreciate small changes in attitude or perception. As outlined in the Afterword, Ty can represent the cuiTent state of journalism. or IV His transfomiation senses as a plot device to illustrate certain symbols as well as fuel the engine for a well constructed undergraduate thesis. I feel like I am taking a big risk defending a creatively-written thesis with a journalism degree, but if the journalism department has taught me anything, it’s that the backbone of the industiy is all about taking risks. Trying to balance fairness with authority is a risk, balancing human rights with the right to information is a risk, and so is deciding what information is pertinent and what is defamatory or vulgar. The right to infomiation and freedom of speech are two of the most hotly contested topics in the public realm, and therefore 1 am willing to defend my choice to take a creative risk in the name of the first amendment.
Recommended Citation
Sanders, Thomas Koonce, "Play by the Rules: An Allegroical Respons to the Contemporary Problems faced by the Print Journalism Industry" (2011). Honors Theses. 2116.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/2116
Accessibility Status
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