A Taxidermist is a Keeper of a Quiet Zoo: An Examination of Voicelessness in the Written Narrative

This thesis examines the literary mind within institutions of confinement. The chapters focus on slave narratives, prison literature, and contemporary hip-hop lyrics and musicality, as well as real life experiences in a local juvenile detention facility. Ultimately this thesis is an exploration of the politics or narrative, legacies of trauma, and fictions of freedom.