'Noah' Is Based On A Seventh-Grader's Poem

The movie Noah is an epic story about a man and his family preserving humanity against god himself and loading a bunch of animals onto a boat. Christian or not, most people know that this is a Bible story, but the film's director says otherwise. Darren Aronofsky based Noah on a poem he wrote in seventh grade. Um... okay, but I'm pretty sure it's based on the Bible. The poem is titled "The Dove" and, while it's very good for a seventh-grader, I think he might have gotten the idea from somewhere else. Somewhere... holy. If this happened nowadays, his teacher would've taken to Google and he'd be expelled for plagiarism.

Joking aside — the poem is based on the Bible, so the movie is based on the Bible, obviously — Aronofsky really did write the life-changing poem as a middle-schooler when his teacher, Vera Fried, told the class to write about peace. Aronofsky composed his version of the Noah story focusing on Noah's family and the conflict of good versus evil. For a seventh-grader, he was somehow clever enough to not mention Noah directly. Smart kid!

When Aronofsky decided to direct Noah, he contacted his old teacher and she ended up being an extra in the film and attending the premiere. Fried spoke to Variety about submitting Aronofsky's poem for a contest without telling him. "He was headed for a math career. When the poem came back, I said, 'Here kid, you won.'"

Aronofsky surprised Fried at the premiere by calling her up on stage and asking her to read the poem to the crowd. Fried didn't realize he even still had the poem. She said afterward, "I was crying. If he has some of his other papers, I’d take them."

Here is full poem for your enjoyment:

The DoveA Poem by Darren AronofskyJanuary 13, 1982

Evil was in the worldThe laughing crowdLeft the foolish man at his arkFilled with animalsWhen the rain began to fallIt was hopelessThe man could not take the evil crowd with himBut he was allowed to bring his good family.

The rain continued through the nightAnd the cries of screaming men filled the airThe ark was afloatUntil the dove returned with the leafEvil still existed.

When the rainbows reached throughout the skyThe humble man and his family knew what it meantThe animals ran and flew freely with their newbornThe fog rose and the sun shonePeace was in the airAnd it soon appeared in all of man’s heart.

He knew evil would not be kept awayFor evil and war could not be destroyedBut neither was it possible to destroy peaceEvil is hard to end and peace is hard to beginBut the rainbow and the dove will always liveWithin every man’s heart.