Author Date

2026-03-15

Degree Name

Department

Spanish and Portuguese

College

Humanities

Defense Date

2026-03-03

Publication Date

2026-03-16

First Faculty Advisor

Dr. Mac Wilson

First Faculty Reader

Dr. Daryl Hague

Honors Coordinator

Dr. Gregory Stallings

Keywords

Gioconda Belli, motherhood, revolutionary mother, womanhood, poetry, Nicaragua

Abstract

This thesis examines the struggle to reconcile the roles of the revolutionary mother as perceived in the emotive expression that the Nicaraguan author Gioconda Belli presents in her poetry. In her writings, Belli illustrates how the perceived responsibilities of a revolutionary woman to her country and her children come into conflict with one another. Furthermore, she showcases the emotions that a woman experiences in seeking to eliminate discord between her responsibilities while she finds a balance. Belli’s incorporation of her personal experience battling to balance these roles further strengthens her presentation of the revolutionary woman’s emotional conflict. The myriad of emotions and ideas that Belli illustrates on patriotism, ensimismamiento, guilt, fear, pain, vulnerability, sacrifice, love, and resolution introduces not only an enhanced awareness of the revolutionary woman’s mentality in her decision-making process, but Belli’s emotive illustration also sheds light on why her motherhood struggle is relevant to society.