With this activity, students will take Poe’s “The Raven” and adapt it for the modern day.
An excellent way to get students thinking about the poem is to have them make a modern day adaptation. To make an effective adaptation, students must understand the poem, and what makes it unique. Keeping the elements of the poem in mind, student's adaptation should parallel the plot, but may use a more modern setting, word choice, and speaker.
This adaptation of “The Raven" maintains a similar meter, and keeps the same subject matter. A proper adaptation preserves the underlying structure of the work. Students should be able to reread their first draft, and recognize the sound and feel of the original work.
Once upon a night so stormy, while I wandered with my homies,
With a pile of hero comics, from ages now long yore,
I felt a tiredness quite sapping, and went home, to start my napping.
When out of nowhere, came a scratching, scratching at my bedroom door.
I told myself, "it's just a rat", scratching at my bedroom door;
Just a rodent, nothing more.
Quickly then I did remember, Uncle Pete in last December,
Who had ignored the noisome scratching, that came at his basement door.
I took up my mag-light, fading, its batteries, they need replacing,
And forced myself up to the door...
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Create a storyboard of a modern day adaptation of "The Raven" and remember to keep in mind the feel and atmosphere of the original story.
In order for students to create a modern adaptation of “The Raven”, they need to understand the original poem fully. Teachers can arrange one fully detailed session to discuss the original poem. Here students can discuss all aspects such as themes, important elements, structure of the poem, and how Edgar Allan Poe uses language to create that particular eerie feeling.
Once the students are familiar with the objectives of the activity and the poem itself, ask them to brainstorm ideas for the modern adaptation. Students can work individually or in groups and build on each other’s ideas. Encourage the students to come up with ideas that would be relevant for the audience in today’s setting and embody the essence of the original work.
Urge the students to include contemporary components that correspond with the context they have selected. Slang, cultural allusions, societal concerns, and technology may all be examples of this. Students can take inspiration from their personal lives and try to shape the story with their creativity and imagination.
Talk about the necessity to modify the language and diction to suit a contemporary audience. Encourage students to use modern vocabulary and idioms while preserving the original poem's tone and atmosphere. Students can use a combination of original words from the poem and modern vocabulary to create something interesting.
Ask the students to present their ideas after putting them into a proper structure and format. Discuss the various strategies used by the students in their modifications after the presentations. Discuss how this activity helped them gain some interesting insights and changed their perspective on various things.
Encourage the students to think about the ways that contemporary technology can contribute to the story. To improve the narrative and its topics, this may entail utilizing cell phones, social networking sites, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, or any other pertinent technical components. For instance, characters can have their own social media profiles or talk to each other through text messages.
Students should be encouraged to consider their decisions and the effects of updating the poetry. Ask students to think about the original topics the work covers, as well as any fresh insights or viewpoints the adaptation adds. Students will be using already present information to make something new which will improve their analyzing skills and enhance their critical thinking.