This thesis consists of three short stories in very different genres but tied together by a intensely personal look at the lives of its protagonists culminating in epiphanies. One of these epiphanies is intended solely for the reader, but in two cases, the reader and character gains the insight. “The Tears of Angels” looks at the effect one person in a moment, even a stranger, can have on the protagonist’s life. “Climbing Heaven and Gazing on Earth” focuses on the haunting power of history and the need we as humans can feel to share a story, to make sense of it, no matter how personal. In “To Set It Right,” I take history in a different direction, giving it a voice and a power to reach from the past. In all of the stories, the epiphanies serve to point towards meaning and enlightenment in different ways
","abstract_html":"<p>This thesis consists of three short stories in very different genres but tied together by a intensely personal look at the lives of its protagonists culminating in epiphanies. One of these epiphanies is intended solely for the reader, but in two cases, the reader and character gains the insight. “The Tears of Angels” looks at the effect one person in a moment, even a stranger, can have on the protagonist’s life. “Climbing Heaven and Gazing on Earth” focuses on the haunting power of history and the need we as humans can feel to share a story, to make sense of it, no matter how personal. In “To Set It Right,” I take history in a different direction, giving it a voice and a power to reach from the past. In all of the stories, the epiphanies serve to point towards meaning and enlightenment in different ways</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Benton, Jonathan David"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"MA (Master of Arts)","degree_level":"Thesis - unrestricted","degree_discipline":"English","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2004,"date_issued":"2004-12-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2004-12-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:19:35Z","subjects":["Epiphany","Flannery O'Connor","James Joyce","Creative Writing","Arts and Humanities","English Language and Literature"],"languages":[],"rights":["Copyright by the authors."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/973","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Benton, Jonathan David"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["1995-01-01T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2004-12-01T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["English"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis - unrestricted"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["MA (Master of Arts)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Epiphany","Flannery O'Connor","James Joyce","Creative Writing","Arts and Humanities","English Language and Literature"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright by the authors."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://dc.etsu.edu/context/etd/article/2130/viewcontent/BentonJ121004f.pdf","https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/973"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This thesis consists of three short stories in very different genres but tied together by a intensely personal look at the lives of its protagonists culminating in epiphanies. One of these epiphanies is intended solely for the reader, but in two cases, the reader and character gains the insight. “The Tears of Angels” looks at the effect one person in a moment, even a stranger, can have on the protagonist’s life. “Climbing Heaven and Gazing on Earth” focuses on the haunting power of history and the need we as humans can feel to share a story, to make sense of it, no matter how personal. In “To Set It Right,” I take history in a different direction, giving it a voice and a power to reach from the past. In all of the stories, the epiphanies serve to point towards meaning and enlightenment in different ways
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Meaning of the Moment: A Collection of Short Stories."]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Benton, Jonathan David"],"dc:date.available":["1995-01-01T08:00:00Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2004-12-01T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This thesis consists of three short stories in very different genres but tied together by a intensely personal look at the lives of its protagonists culminating in epiphanies. One of these epiphanies is intended solely for the reader, but in two cases, the reader and character gains the insight. “The Tears of Angels” looks at the effect one person in a moment, even a stranger, can have on the protagonist’s life. “Climbing Heaven and Gazing on Earth” focuses on the haunting power of history and the need we as humans can feel to share a story, to make sense of it, no matter how personal. In “To Set It Right,” I take history in a different direction, giving it a voice and a power to reach from the past. In all of the stories, the epiphanies serve to point towards meaning and enlightenment in different ways
"],"dc:identifier":["https://dc.etsu.edu/context/etd/article/2130/viewcontent/BentonJ121004f.pdf","https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/973"],"dc:rights":["Copyright by the authors."],"dc:subject":["Epiphany","Flannery O'Connor","James Joyce","Creative Writing","Arts and Humanities","English Language and Literature"],"dc:title":["The Meaning of the Moment: A Collection of Short Stories."],"thesis:degree_discipline":["English"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis - unrestricted"],"thesis:degree_name":["MA (Master of Arts)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:19:35Z"}