“The Raven” Rewritten
(50 pts)
"I asked myself - 'Of all melancholy topics, what... is
the most melancholy?' Death - was the obvious
reply. 'And when,' I said, 'is this most melancholy of
topics most poetical?'... 'When it most closely allies
itself to Beauty: the death, then, of a beautiful woman is, unquestionably,
the most poetical topic in the world -- and equally is it beyond doubt that the
lips best suited for such topic are those of a bereaved lover.'"
-- E. A. Poe, "The Philosophy of Composition," 1846
Poe wrote about the “most poetic topic in the world” in 108 lines, 1087 words. Now it’s
your turn. Rewrite “The Raven” or compose a poem inspired by “The Raven” in 108
words, one from each line of the poem.
From each line, choose one word. Create a word bank of the 108 words you have
chosen. Then, craft these words together in any order to create your own poem.
You can follow Poe’s lead or you can go your own way – for example, you could write a
poem made of 108 lines, each with only 1 word. You could write a poem of 12 lines,
each with 9 words. You might also write a concrete poem in the shape of a bird
(concrete poem = a poem in which the lines form the shape of an object.)
You do not have to use the words in the order you take them from the poem, meaning
you don’t have to use the word from the first line first, the second line second, etc. The
words you choose become your word bank, and you may use them however you see fit.
You may mimic Poe’s tone and theme, or you can take your poem in a whole new
direction. Beside each word please put the line number it comes from in parenthesis.
For example “I heard the whisper “Nevermore” (line 12) I should be able to find a
word for every line.
Be creative and have fun! You MUST use all 108 words and your poem MUST make
sense. And by all means, choose your words carefully!