Dead Poet’s Society

  1. Setting and Plot:
  1. This movie was set in an exclusive boys preparatory school in the fifties. A newly appointed teacher (an alumnus) used unconventional methods to inspire his students in classic poetry and in life.
  1. Director: Peter Weir
  1. Characters: John Keating

Nolan

Neil Perry

Todd Anderson

Knox Overstreet

Cameron

Meeks

Dalton

  1. Memorable quotes and scenes:
  • Tradition, Honor, Discipline, Excellence

Tapestry, Horror, Decadence, Excrement

  • Keating: Carpe diem! Seize the day boys, make your life extraordinary.
  • Keating: We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is full of passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.
  • Keating: I thought the purpose of education was to learn to think for yourself.
  • Nolan: At these boys’ age? Not on your life.
  • Neil: for the first time in my life, I know what I want to do! And for the first time, I ‘m going to DO IT! Whether my father wants me to or not! Carpe diem!
  1. Questions for discussion:

a)A film maker can use various means to introduce the setting and plot of a movie. What visual clues in the film show you that the movie took place in late fifties?

b)Every student has at least one teacher like John Keating to remember…. The ones who give you something beyond what they teach.

Would you like to have a teacher like Keating? Does he deserve your respectand admiration?

c)What do you think of Nolan? Would you do the same thing to Keating if you were in his situation?

d)Does the movie inspire you in one way or another?

e)Pick your favorite character. Which settings deeply affect the character’s decisions and feelings? Identify one or two settings and clearly explain the impact each has on the character.

f)What emotions did the movie make you feel? Did you feel nervous? frightened? excited? worried? angry? sad? Take turns sharing a passage or scene that roused your emotions.

If it were a passage, read it aloud, and then point to the words, phrases, and events that stirred a specific feeling.