Here is the passage:
If you are a dreamer, come in.
If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,
A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer...
If you're a pretender, come sit by my fire
For we have some flax-golden tales to spin.
Come in!
Come in!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Come In? Come In!
If you are following the progress of this Book Passages series, this is chapter eleven. Welcome to the visual interpretation of Shel Silverstein's "Where the Sidewalk Ends".
Here is the passage:
If you are a dreamer, come in.
If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,
A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer...
If you're a pretender, come sit by my fire
For we have some flax-golden tales to spin.
Come in!
Come in!
Here is the passage:
If you are a dreamer, come in.
If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,
A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer...
If you're a pretender, come sit by my fire
For we have some flax-golden tales to spin.
Come in!
Come in!
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7 comments:
That was a lot of fun Bill, I'd love to work with you again.
Shel Silverstein has always fascinated me and I knew that if you read some of his stuff and looked into his life he would do the same for you. Although a famous author of children's poetry, he had many sides and I've always been drawn to his dark side. (I'm really not totally demented. Although Edgar Allan Poe is also one of my favorite authors I like puppy dogs and pretty flowers too.)
This excerpt from one of the books about Silverstein, "A Boy Named Shel," points to a passage I thought you would especially enjoy. "...walked upstairs to his bedroom and found a person sitting in a chair in the dark...turned on the light and saw it was a mannequin of a woman that looked like something straight out of a horror movie... we asked him about it and he said he had conversations with her every night...what struck them specifically about the mannequin was that it looked evil, something from a zombie movie, along with much of the stuff he collected - the books, puppets, and knickknacks."
Great job, as usual, of bringing out the nuances of what, on the surface, could be interpreted many different ways.
Thanks for the brief insight into Shel Silverstein. It has peeked my curiosity. I will have to do some further investigating. Thanks also for the supportive words on the work.
what a fantastic passage to work from! I am partial to the first and second photo, but particularly the second. So I vote for number two, because of the position of the shot. Fantastic look on the guys face in the first one though, jeez!
As always, you've given us many different interpretations. The one that stands out to me: the lollipop image. I like that the man feels like a less prominent focus than the lollipop. Even though you can see his eyes, it's hard to tell exactly what he's inviting. Especially because he's behind the bars.
Thanks Frieda and Naomi for your opinions. I too am leaning toward the image with the lollipop. It leaves a bit more mystery and openness to interpret the passage. I do like the third one almost as much and ultimately it will be between #2 or 3. With the third image I really like seeing into the cell and seeing the chair and bunny doll in the background. Haven't decided yet?
Phenomenal work, Bill! Just happens to be on of my überfav writers and books.
Though I agree that the one with the lollipop does successfully incorporate an air of mystery, it’s perhaps a bit too measured, too calculated in a way, to convey the subtleties inherent in Silverstein's writing.
I’m partial to the third image myself. There’s something about the model’s pose and expression in that image that speaks to Silverstein's amazingly ability to draw the reader in with a combination of sensitivity and power, eliciting feelings of trepidation, even danger, and yet the attraction cannot be denied.
The line of focus you’ve created--leading from the softness of his hand, running up to his face and back to the doll on the chair--also enhances the contradictory sense of welcoming comfort and disquieting unease found in Silverstein's writing.
All of his work is multilayered and highly complex in theme and presentation, and regardless of what category Silverstein's books are placed in, they are not just for children.
Again, great work, Bill. I look forward to more!
Oh yeah, I gave ya shout-out on CricketToes:
http://www.crickettoes.com/blog/2009/07/an-invitation-to-beautiful-madness.html
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