Media or Message? 

Translating Dickinson Digitally

The Challenge

To translate one of Dickinson's poems from strictly text to Text & Visual Other &/or Auditory other.   

The Purpose

To  experience the choices that come with taking a message into a different medium - to make real/present the choices that go into creating messages for different mediums.

The Method

A suggested approach: 

1. Read the poem 
   • note images Dickinson uses 
2. Determine essence of poem - 
   • what does Dickinson want her readers to understand from the reading?
3. Determine what medium you're going to translate poem into.
4. Plan your steps - 
   • 3 columns: poem | essence | corresponding image/sound/etc.
   • 2 columns: poem | corresponding image/sound/etc.
   • bubble map 
   • whatever your personal style happens to be - KEY IS TO PLAN
5. Execute plan - 

The Needed Skills

• Understanding of poetry
  • specifically decoding of chosen Dickinson poem
• Understanding of new medium/s
  • visual literacy 
    • angles
    • shots
    • color
    • framing
  • auditory literacy
    • tempo
    • dynamics
    • cadence
    • symbolism of sounds/instruments
  • digital literacy -
    • use of chosen platform & its
      • ownership
      • purpose 
      • target audience
      • impact on message

Links for Digifying Dickinson

• Bedroom 360 Exhibit - for seeing her context. 

• Timeline of ED's life - for quick zeitgeist

• Dickinson's Lexicon - for definitions from her dictionary. With thanks to all who worked to make this possible! 

• Dickinson's Works - manuscript images

  • Harvard - poems

  • Amherst - poems

  • Boston Library - letters

Example: A Narrow Fellow in the Grass