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P1. Preliminary Thinking (150+ Words) : Rodriguez 1
P1. Preliminary Thinking (150+ Words) : Rodriguez 1
P1. Preliminary Thinking (150+ Words) : Rodriguez 1
Julia Rodriguez
ENG 223
15 December 2021
Final Assignment
Although this may not be very positive, the first thing I thought of that is very relevant to most
people around the world is suffering. More specifically, the suffering that has been caused by the
pandemic. I began to look for literary works that had to do with suffering as this would be very
adaptable and prevalent, but I wanted to find something to adapt that also had some sort of
positivity in it. I eventually chose three possible literary works to adapt which were “Ode to a
Nightingale”, “Mussee des Beaux-Arts” and “Dover Beach”. “Ode to a Nightingale” and
“Mussee des Beaux-Arts” both have themes dealing with human suffering and do have themes
that can relate to many people but I didn't find any positive aspects in those themes. On the other
hand, “Dover Beach” had a focus on something else in addition to the suffering that inevitably
comes along at one point or another in all of our lives. One of the themes of this poem is the
uncertainty and loss of faith that can come with hardships. In addition to this, another theme that
drew me to adapt “Dover Beach” is the speaker’s request in the third stanza for his companion to
be true to him in a world where there is nothing but melancholy, loss, sadness, and uncertainty. It
seemed as though he was asking for support and for someone to lean on or maybe for them to
lean on each other. This theme of love gave me an idea of how to adapt the poem.
Rodriguez 2
When I was thinking of something that could be adapted to audiences in 2022 I was trying to
think of what we can all relate to, something that we have all experienced and that is also
prevalent. In addition to this, one of the first things that came to mind was something I learned in
one of my psychology classes which is a history-graded influence. This is something that a large
group of people experiences together at the same time and that is a very significant part of
history. The first and most relevant example of a history-graded influence that comes to mind is
Whatever or whoever people put their faith in, having faith that things will work out is
oftentimes something that helps people to persevere and get through whatever they may be
experiencing. While people in different countries may have had different specific experiences
from the pandemic, there are still many general experiences that we’ve all had because of it. The
intense, traumatic, and, at times, gut-wrenching things that some of us have gone through and are
still going through due to this pandemic have caused so many to lose faith and hope that things
will get better any time soon. Another variant has just been discovered and is spreading quickly
and one can begin to feel like so many things are out of our control. For the past year-and-a-half,
the only option we have had is to be there for each other and comfort each other in any way we
can. When it comes to mental health and damaged emotional states from constant death and
sickness, at times, all we have been able to do for others is hold each other up and try to find
some consolation in that. These intense and common feelings of loss of faith and extreme
uncertainty connects with a theme in "Dover Beach". Additionally, the need to come together
during trying times is another theme that can be found in the poem.
Rodriguez 3
While the speaker mentions peoples’ drifting away from Christianity and faith, this adaptation
would relate more to everyone as a whole and their loss of faith in general due to tragedies
Whether it’s a relationship with a family member, a romantic relationship, or a platonic one,
there are many people that can say that the pandemic has tested their relationships. Things like
having limited social interactions, being confined to a space with one person or more people
more frequently than normal, and being isolated and stuck at home have all been contributing
factors to the strain of people’s sanity and relationships. We were all used to having to leave the
house for work or school and only being around the people we live with for so many hours in a
day. Online work and school have drastically changed this dynamic and, justifiably, have made
people feel like they’re going insane having to be around the same people all day every day,
running out of things to keep things interesting. At one point or another over the course of this
pandemic, most of us can say that our relationships with our parents, siblings, partners, etc. have
I imagine the adaptation as a film. I think I would be very selective about which elements and
aspects of the poem I would include. The first two literary devices that come to mind in “Dover
Beach” are alliteration and assonance. I would either include them in the script or turn the
devices into another form of repetition and recurrence. For example, a motif could possibly be
used in addition to or in place of the sound devices. The repetition might be in a visual form
In addition to this, I would find a way to focus specifically on the symbolism the author
includes about similarities between the changes of the evolution yet fixed and invariability of the
sea and human nature. The speaker’s comparison of the beach to human nature and experiences
is something that still applies today. Essentially, he says that the beach is always evolving and
altering itself with the constant push and pull of the waves, and yet, in a way stay the same.
Similarly, although one can see a vast evolvement of humans today compared to centuries ago
when viewed through the lens of human nature, we are very much the same. The specific ways in
which we are innovative, scientific, interact with each other, etc. have clearly evolved and
advanced but at the base level, these are things we have been doing since the beginning of time. I
Many TV shows and films use color palettes to influence the way an audience perceives what
they are watching. Certain colors are associated with different emotions, such as red being
associated with anger and yellow with happiness. Blue, gray and generally darker tones would be
included in the film as these are associated with more down or depressed emotions like feelings
The setting would be at a house on a beach named Dover Beach. Many scenes would take
place in the house and only a special select few moments would actually take place on the beach
to draw much more attention to the symbolism that would be present in those scenes. During the
scenes on the beach, the character(s) would be reflecting on some of the same things that the
The film would tell the story of a couple who are living together during a pandemic that has
been going on for a little over a year and the pandemic has no end in sight. The uncertainty that
is shown in the poem would be translated in the film through the couple’s un uncertainty in the
future of their relationship. The pandemic has tested their relationship in ways it has never been
tested before. Over the past year and some months, they have come to see sides of each other
they were initially unaware of in the beginning years of their relationship. They both feel that
they don’t know the real version of the person they married. The film would show nights where,
unbeknownst to each other, they go out to the sea on Dover Beach to reflect on their feelings of
loss of the love they once had and the uncertainty of their future together.
Rodriguez 6
The adaptation will be “true to the original” in the sense that it will still deal with the
significant theme of feelings of uncertainty and loss of faith. A theme that I would include in the
film that is also very present in the poem is the dynamic of the speaker’s relationship with his
companion. The last stanza of the poem stands out to me the most where the speaker says that he
and his companion can only survive in a world so bleak and full of uncertainty by being true to
one another. In a sense, he says that the only way to make it in a world/environment where
everything seems to be falling apart is by being there for each other even when the world’s and
I would definitely be sure to keep the adaptation true to the third stanza of the poem:
The couple felt that they had a fulfilled relationship before the pandemic. However, as the
To translate this particular stanza into the film, I would imagine a scene where the two people are
standing at night on Dover Beach away from each other while they reminisce on parts of their
relationship and its progression with faded images of the ocean corresponding with what they
imagine. The tide would be coming in and receding calmly as they would think of their happier
and better times and as they progress into thinking about how their relationship has gradually
become tumultuous, so would the waves. The waves coming in begin to recede deeper and
deeper back into the water, symbolizing their happiness and content with each other drifting
away.
At some point, the film would build to a moment of realization for them both that while they
may be feeling a great loss of what they once had with each other, they can remain honest with
one another and support each other in their hardship. Even if they can’t necessarily change
what’s happening to them in the near future, they can still find ways to be there for each other.
This moment of realization would be similar to the speaker’s request of his companion to be true
to one another and offer each other support in a world where they feel loss and uncertainty.
Rodriguez 8
For bonus points, take steps toward creating the adaptation. You might create a part of the
adaptation itself (like an excerpt or a design), or you might create something related to the
Please include your adaptation sample(s) directly within this document if possible. Otherwise,
you can upload the material elsewhere and provide me with the URL.
Rodriguez 9
Works Cited
Arnold, Matthew, and Toby Emert. “Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold.” Poetry
December 2021.