Category Archives: Creative Writing

Activites meant to sparkle the students’ creativity and the production of written texts (essays, comments, poems) or digital objects.

4F:The Monster is back!!

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CREATIVE WRITING COMPETITION: THE MONSTER IS BACK!!

Read the very last lines of the novel by Mary Shelley.

(…) Some years ago, when the images which this world affords first opened upon me, when I felt the cheering warmth of summer, and heard the rustling of the leaves and the warbling of the birds, and these were all to me, I should have wept to die; now it is my only consolation. Polluted by crimes, and torn by the bitterest remorse, where can I find rest but in death?   “Farewell! I leave you, and in you the last of human kind whom these eyes will ever behold. Farewell, Frankenstein! If thou were yet alive, and yet cherished a desire of revenge against me, it would be better satiated in my life than in my destruction. But it was not so; thou didst seek my extinction that I might not cause greater wretchedness; and if yet, in some mode unknown to me, thou hast not ceased to think and feel, thou wouldst not desire against me a vengeance greater than that which I feel. Blasted as thou were, my agony was still superior to thine; for the bitter sting of remorse will not cease to rankle in my wounds until death shall close them for ever.

“But soon,” he cried, with sad and solemn enthusiasm, “I shall die, and what I now feel be no longer felt. Soon these burning miseries will be extinct. I shall ascend my funeral pile triumphantly, and exult in the agony of the torturing flames. The light of that conflagration will fade away; my ashes will be swept into the sea by the winds. My spirit will sleep in peace; or if it thinks, it will not surely think thus. Farewell.”  He sprung from the cabin-window, as he said this, upon the ice-raft which lay close to the vessel. He was soon borne away by the waves and lost in darkness and distance. THE END

Now, imagine that (for unknown reasons that you may find out) he monster has come back!frankenstein

SITUATION: It’s 2017. You are either a scientist (WHAT KIND? DEFINE YOUR ROLE) or a computer nerd living in (CHOOSE WHERE: COUNTRY & TOWN) and have seen him (say WHERE and WHEN). Write down an e-mail to (WHO?BE SPECIFIC)  telling him/her what you have just witnessed.  (max 200 words)

WRITE THE EMAIL DOWN BELOW AS A COMMENT. WE’LL THEN CHOOSE  THE WINNER OF THE CONTEST IN CLASS.

VOTE HERE AFTER READING ALL EMAILS. BE HONEST AND DO NOT VOTE FOR YOURSELF 🙂 

 

I’M VERY HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE WINNER IS GIORGIA S. with 7 votes!! Second came Beatrice, Micael, Alessandra, Valentina Romeo & Luana with 4 votes each. Bronze medal to the group of Federica, Martina, Elisabetta, Michelle & Serena. I know it was hard to make a choice so … well done to you all!!

3F: The WIFE/GIRL OF…

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Hi! After reading and analyzing both G.Chaucer’s Wife of Bath & Patience Agbabi’s Wife of Bafa (from your textbook Performer Culture & Literature, Zanichelli) I’d like you to create a modern version of “the wife” working in groups. As you know today is the INTERNATIONA DAY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF  VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN . So I thought to integrate your cooperative CREATIVE WRITING activity and give it a social purpose.

First of all, let’s see what a SLAM poem is. It’s a type of poetry expressing a person’s personal STORY OR STRUGGLE usually in an intensely EMOTIONAL style. Very powerful, sincere, and moving.

Step ONE:  in your group choose and agree on the profession, age, cultural background, and nationality of your woman/girl character.

Step TWO: give your “woman/girl” a name & town she’s from. e.g The WIFE OF … or THE GIRL OF Grigo 😉

Step THREE: Identify with her, put yourself in her shoes and WRITE HER SLAM. Use a google doc to share with your group/schoolmates so that you can write in a cooperative way and correct each other. Here’s my short tutorial.

If you need a rhyme you can use the RHYMING DICTIONARY

Step four: Paste the link to your google document or copy the text as a comment. Then you’ll recite it in front of the class. 🙂 Don’t be shy, it’s going to be fun! I know how brilliant you can be.

5 TIPS for your poem:

  1.  Make it original.
  2. Time. You have  3 minutes to perform. While practicing your poem, time yourself to make sure you do not go over the time limit.
  3. Simple & Relatable. Your poem should be able to reach your audience the first time it’s heard. It must be clear and convey a message.
  4. Rhythmic & Passionate. Your poem should have a rhythm that shows through your passionate performance.
  5. You can add multimedia if you like. (images, videos as background)

Here’s an example of a serious & provocative Slam by a girl your age: What Guys Look for in Girls.

This is Patience Agbabi’s slam- ‘The Wife of Bafa’ – July 2013

I cannot help ending this post with the trailer of a movie I watched many years ago in 1998 when we still used videotapes – and found really inspiring:  Slam.

Last but not least, with great pride, I want to share the video made by Giulia B & Chiara T. “THE WIFE OF FAKE LOVE: A STORY OF LOVE AND HATE. For the international day against Violence against women”. It’s really impressive for its text charged with deep meaning and for the choice of images (they had to make it twice because the first version did not comply with (respect, conform to) the copyright regulations, while for the second version they chose free from copyright images).   It shows a great deal of commitment, creativity and also the courage to use their own voices that sound so beautiful! Well done girls!!! here’s link to the text they have written.