Julia Rodriguez

Professor Kultej Dhariwal

ENG 223

15 December 2021

Final Assignment

P1. Preliminary thinking (150+ words)

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.
P2. Relevance (100+ words)

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

the Covid-19 pandemic.

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.
 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

experienced during the pandemic.

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

had some level of strain.

P3. Design (350+ words)

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

instead of audio 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

found this element of the poem particularly striking.

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

of loss which can be found in “Dover Beach”.

 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

speaker reflects on in the poem.

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.
P4. Authenticity (100+ words)

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

our personal problems may seem unsolvable.

I would definitely be sure to keep the adaptation true to the third stanza of the poem:

The Sea of Faith

Was once, too, at the full, and round earth’s shore

Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled.

But now I only hear

Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,

Retreating, to the breath

Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear

And naked shingles of the world.

The couple felt that they had a fulfilled relationship before the pandemic. However, as the

pandemic progressed and gets worse, so does their relationship.

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.
Bonus: Adaptation sample

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

adaptation’s production or distribution (like a trailer or a poster).

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.
 Works Cited

Arnold, Matthew, and Toby Emert. “Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold.” Poetry

Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43588/dover-beach. Accessed 14

December 2021.
Evaluation Rubric

FOCUS: Do the four responses directly and substantially address the assignment prompts?
[ * ]
Meets few criteria Meets some criteria Meets most criteria

ANALYSIS: Do the responses reflect a close study of the literature? Are literary terms and any other
theoretical, historical, or cultural contexts appropriately applied?
[ * ]
Meets few criteria Meets some criteria Meets most criteria

DEVELOPMENT: Are the preliminary thoughts and the ideas about adaptation relevance, design,
and authenticity fully developed? Is there precise, vivid detail and thorough explanation?
[ * ]
Meets few criteria Meets some criteria Meets most criteria

ORGANIZATION: Do the responses each have a beginning, a middle, and an end? Are paragraph
breaks and transitions used effectively to help the reader follow along? Are individual ideas
developed in a logical manner?
[ * ]
Meets few criteria Meets some criteria Meets most criteria

PRESENTATION: Are the responses engaging in style and precise in word choice? Is there evidence
of care and polish at the sentence level, so that issues with grammar, punctuation, and spelling are
at a minimum? Does the paper follow MLA guidelines for formatting and referencing?
[ * ]
Meets few criteria Meets some criteria Meets most criteria

ORIGINALITY: Do the responses demonstrate creativity in thought and expression, imagining the
adaptation from a unique perspective?
[ * ]
Meets few criteria Meets some criteria Meets most criteria

BONUS: Is the adaptation sample original and illuminating? Points --/20

Overall grade and comment (if any):

A
Wonderful adaptation idea, Julia! Most impressive of all is your plan for translating not only the
setting and scene of “Dover Beach” into film, but also the subtle elements of poetic form.