When discussing gay literature in the French, contemporary sphere, one of the most up
and coming and prominent authors is Édouard Louis. His works’ focus on the realism and
violence of the working class offers a critical and necessary perspective of the gay experience in
modern-day France. While recent in their creation, Louis’ works follow a connecting thread that
is inseparable from other autofiction novels that have a narrator with same sex attractions such as
Annie Ernaux’s Ce qu’ils disent or rien and Didier Eribon’s Retour à Reims. Often commonly
discussed as French LGBT literature, these autofictional works that extend from Gide to Eribon
to now Louis demonstrate how the proposed societal dualities, limitations, and hierarchies
described by philosophers like Michel Foucault and Judith Butler affect homosexual
performativity. Louis’ first novel En finir avec Eddy Bellegueule, published on January 2, 2014,
offers another illustration of this analysis. It specifically describes the metaphysical
(metaphysical being the relationship between the outer stimuli and internal perspective) effects
and constraints of current poverty on homosexual performativity. By analyzing En finir avec
Eddy Bellegueule through this theoretical framework of power and poverty, this thesis adds a
theoretical and intersectional nuance to the narrative voice that current literature focusing on the
novel’s landscape mentions but does not reflect on. I argue that it is important to attach an
autofictional timeline that is necessary to promote and apply future ontological doctrines to this
genre.

The objective of this thesis is to further understand the obstacles that impoverished families face, which may include: meeting nutritional needs, an earlier introduction to violence, or struggles with family planning. It is crucial to illustrate the effects of poverty on the physical, mental, and emotional health of both children and caregivers. Additionally, the family dynamics and educational challenges for children will also be explored as supplemental research. This study will draw upon psychological theories with an emphasis on maternal and child health. The goal is to empower families to make informed family planning decisions. This project will be focused on supporting families in low-income areas, particularly in Arizona

Informed by Pope John Paul II’s life and writings, this project takes a faith-based, humanities approach to addressing the issue of homelessness. The thesis combines writing, music, and Catholicism to inspire audiences and motivate them to make tangible changes for those in need. Through poetry, creative nonfiction, and letters, the written portion of the thesis depicts true, individual encounters with people who are homeless. These stories are connected by themes of nature, simplicity, beauty, humility, and human dignity. The creative portion of this thesis is a music video with an original song called Unspoken Words. The song includes violin, ukulele, and vocal tracks, lyrics rooted in Pope John Paul II’s poetry, a strong emphasis on the importance of acknowledging and affirming human dignity, and a call to action at the end. The call to action invites audiences to, if possible, donate financially to organizations within the Diocese of Phoenix, which are linked in the video description. These organizations include the Office of Mental Health Ministry, the Humanitarian Aid Fund for Ukraine, and the Charity and Development Appeal. The video also invites all audience members to be kind with intention in order to mentally, emotionally, and spiritually brighten the lives of those around them.