Beneath the City

Date

2015-05-07

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Abstract

My Senior Honors Thesis is a science fiction novel draft edited with the eventual goal of publication. The manuscript follows Keith Hayes, a seventeen year-old immigrant who moved with his father from Earth, to a new colonized planet whose primary focus is the pursuit of knowledge and venerating the ideals of intense study and education. The main premise of conflict for Keith is his inability to keep up with the rigorous structure of education outlined by this new planet, leaving Keith to be the fly in the ointment of their advanced education system. However, when a failed philosophical quest for Enlightenment goes terribly wrong, and seven of the universe's most prized scholars go missing, the oligarchy of the planet seeks to rid themselves of their 'flies' under the premise of sending a rescue mission to recover those that they lost. Sent underground as part of a haphazard crew of misfits, Keith Hayes suddenly finds himself facing the same dangers that annihilated some of the universe's most capable, intellectual minds. This science fiction novel is a social critique of the public schooling system. It works with themes of the real meaning of education and the toxic truth behind our own society's No Child Left Behind and state testing initiatives.

Description

Thesis completed in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Alfred University Honors Program.

Keywords

Honors thesis, Literature, Science fiction, Social criticism

Citation

DOI