Possible Ideas

I too have been perusing my bookcase in the hopes of finding an appropriate text for the rewrite. However, all the stories I'm familiar with seem to take place after the turn of the 20th century. Nothing particularly "colonial" appears in my collection. With the exception of The Other Boleyn Girl. I'm not sure how this would work though, seeing as Mary Boleyn initially appears the weaker character, overshadowed by her sister and bullied by her elders. Yet the story favours her viewpoint, and it's her that gets the happiest ending. I could maybe rewrite a scene in the perspective of Anne, giving her a voice and a reason for her actions, rather than just Mary's depiction of her. Perhaps her nastiness and apparent selfishness are not unwarranted. She is but a victim of the society into which she was born. I'm not sure about this though.

I'm currently reading George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, which inspired the Game of Thrones TV series. Although this is high fantasy, based in a medieval fictional world, I believe it to have the potential and certain qualities needed for a rewrite. Firstly, it features a vast number of characters, many of which are often silenced or underrepresented. The chapters are divided into the viewpoints of selected protagonists, all of whom are pursuing their own individual means. Therefore, the boundary between good and evil becomes blurred, and neutral characters can be shed in a negative light. The themes of the series are difficult to define. They include everything from love and chivalry, magic and sorcery, to family honour and humility. The story does however include matters such as slavery, sexism and the struggle for power, which are also reflective of colonisation issues. I could perhaps give a voice to the character Grey Worm, who has liven his life in slavery, and knows nothing other than serving his superiors. Or Ser Jorah who, despite being a likeable minor character, is exiled and labelled a traitor. However, the immensity of the text, the range of characters  and intricate plot could perhaps be the downfall in this situation. Pinpointing a particular occurrence and creating a message might prove difficult.

The other thing that came to mind, not surprisingly, was Shakespeare. The bloodbath that is Macbeth has always been a point of interest for me. It highlights the dark internal struggles that humans experience, and the lengths some will go to in order to obtain power. Lady Macbeth is a fascinating character. Admirably fearsome and strong to begin with, before evil engulfs her.  The fact that she takes her life is crucial to the plot, however it takes place off stage. I thought of perhaps rewriting her final moments (although it seems terribly morbid). I could use her struggles to portray the effects of all-consuming power, and the dangers of being a conqueror. 

Hopefully I'm on the right track.

Ideas

I have been looking over my bookshelves and trying to find a piece of colonial fiction that would be appropriate for re-writing.

Initially The Tempest struck me as being a classic with colonial theme, but I saw that is has been rewritten many times and I wanted to do something more original.

I got out Joesph Conrad's Nostromo but it is a very complicated and has proven to be a difficult read so I don't think I could pull it off given my busy timetable this semester.

Out of Africa is one of my favorite books and I am thinking of looking over it again and choosing a chapter/scene to rewrite.  I may also watch the film and attempt a script rewrite, a monologue, or something more visual.

Another  book I have been looking into is The Outsider by Albert Camus, as Camus has been accused of being a colonialist writer and sided more with the French than the Algerians. I know very little about the history of Algeria and would be interested in doing a re-write of his books with a more openly political character.

I was also thinking about On the Road by Jack Kerouac. A book I enjoyed but think objectives women. I remember reading about a Mexican girl Terry, that Sal meets on the bus to LA.  She has run away from her husband. They spend “the next fifteen days…together for better or for worse". The Sal picks up and leaves. I feel that she is silenced in the book and could be given a voice.

Another idea I have is to re-write the diaries of Columbus or Francis Drake as a satire.

Research

Hey Guys,
below are some of my ideas of things i've read and i've found very interesting as they portrayed what I think Esther is looking for to help with my rewrite lol. The colonialism books however I have not read but I'm in the process of. I had to search up some books to do with Colonialism as most of the material listed are post colonial like Esther has said.
Majority of the poems and short story stuff I've read you can see that i'm a fan of Witi Ihimaera. Though he's maori and i'm of Tongan decent I can relate and see myself re-writing some of his work from another persons point of view in his story but use my experiences of stereotype etc.
Still in the process of thinking and looking for THE right book, poem, song or whatever to start my writing until then I look forward to reading your comment and suggestions.

Pacific stories that show;

-The effects of Post Colonialism and Colonialism
-Racism
-Personal Stories about struggle

Books;

-To Kill a Mockingbird
-The Kite Runner
-Sons for the return home

Colonialism Books;

-A passage to India
-Poisonwood Bible
-The Quiet American

Short Stories;

-The Hills
-Dustbins

Poems;

- Dinner with a Cannibal
- The Waste Land

Songs

-Lyrics tell a story of singers struggle.