Fiction Adaptation: Project proposal

Project proposal

Do not stand at my grave and weep

By Mary Elizabeth Frye

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.

This is the sonnet that I am choosing to adapt, because I feel like I can get the best result from this sonnet over the other choices.

I plan to film part of this in a graveyard, with my main actor standing at a war memorial. I think that it would be good to have a military grave or memorial, due to the play on words I could do for I am a thousand winds that blow. I would want to tell part of a soldier’s story, with a twist at the end of the soldier not actually dying, but standing behind the main actor at the end of the film.

I want to try and include some general shots, such as the rain falling onto trees, along with the wind blowing some leaves into the air, or just show the trees blowing in the wind. I would like to have a shot of the stars,

The line I am the diamond glints on snow could be achieved through imagery by having snow glisten on dew or frost instead of snow. This would be equally effective, without taking the words to the poem literally

The sound in this adaptation will be very important, as there are some lines in this poem that cause the reader to imagine sounds, such as I want to evoke emotion in this film, as it is meant to be sad, so I think I will have some soft piano music in the background, as I think that this will bring out the most emotion in the audience.

The main thing that I need to work on is the actual narrative for this poem

Mary Elizabeth Frye

The original poem was written in 1932 by Mary Elizabeth Frye (1905-2004) from Baltimore, MD. There are in existence many slightly different versions of the poem. This extremely famous poem has been read at countless funerals and public occasions. The author composed this poem in a moment of inspiration and scribbled it on a paper bag. She wrote it to comfort a family friend who had just lost her mother and was unable to even visit her grave. This is the only surviving poem of Mary Elizabeth Frye and quite possibly her only poem.

https://beamingnotes.com/2014/02/06/summary-analysis-stand-grave-weep-mary-elizabeth-frye/

She uses numerous metaphors to bring relief to her mourners. The speaker uses metaphor to express the message that she is still present in the surroundings even if she is dead. She uses the various aspects of nature to symbolize freedom, happiness and comfort. She tells her loved ones that they can think of her when they see the snow and the sun, feel the wind and the rain. Phrases like ‘sun on ripened grain’ and ‘gentle autumn rain’ are signs of comfort and relief.