I decided to choose Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep as whilst I was reading it, I could already start to visualise an idea for my fiction adaptation piece. However, before jumping straight into forming an idea / narrative for my piece, I wanted to understand the sonnet better and pick it apart to uncover all the possible opportunities it offered.
Do not stand at my grave and weep:
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft starshine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry:
I am not there; I did not die.
There were certain questions we were advised to consider about our sonnets:
Note the imagery the writer uses:
There's a lot of descriptions of nature. (wind, snow, sunlight, rain, birds, stars)
What is the writer’s intention?
The sonnet was written as a funeral poem - something to comfort the people who have lost their loved one. The writer intends the reader to feel comfort and reassurance from the sonnet and achieves this using natural and sentimental imagery as well as descriptions of soft sounds.
What do they want you to think or feel?
The writer wants you to feel comforted by the poem - not grieving or mournful. The writer also challenges the reader to look to places where they can remember their loved one. The writer still wants you to feel connected to your loved one - that they're still around in everything around them.
What is the controlling idea/ the central theme?
Whilst the central theme of the sonnet is death, it is more about reassurance and comfort rather than mourning the loss of someone. The controlling idea is that whilst someone may not be there in body, they are still around in spirit and can be found everywhere (as described by the natural imagery).
What are they trying to communicate?
They are trying to communicate that death doesn't always have to be about loss. The person's spirit can still be found all around you.
How might this be achieved visually?
I think the poem offers a lot of opportunities to use natural imagery to symbolise the presence of someone's spirt. This could be achieved by showing the person who has passed away in the locations described in the sonnet and then showing the audience that they are not there in body but in spirit. I would like to use the idea of layering different opacity shots.
Does it need to be literal?
It does not need to be literal and I actually think it would be very difficult to adapt this sonnet literally. I would like to take aspects of the sonnet (such as the imagery of nature and the soft sounds) and apply that to a narrative. I would still like to keep the theme of loss / death and use this to form a narrative.
What genre does the poem suggest, and what conventions might be useful?
The poem suggests a sombre / sad genre. Some conventions may include; close up shots of emotion, low saturation shots, blue / purple colouring, slow pace, classical / cinematic non diegetic music.
What visual references can you find for inspiration?
I have found that music videos have been a great source of inspiration as many revolve around the idea of loss (whether that is loss in death or loss of a relationship).
I want to find a lot of visual references including:
- nature
- dolly shots following a person
- use of colour - especially purples, blues, pinks - cool tones
- contrasting uses of colour
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