Tattooing, graffiti, and hip-hop: Understanding the self through alternative art

In an effort to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between an artist and their work this thesis attempts to show the different ways artists engage in their craft. Utilizing narrative response, the analysis explores the relationship between three types of alternative art (tattooing, graffiti, and hip-hop) and the artists who create it. The propose of this thesis is to explore ways that education disenfranchises these young people by systematically devaluing their literary contributions as being less significant than more traditional understandings of literacy