ENGLISH 1-2

La Jolla High School

Name:________________________________________ Period:____ Date:______________________________

Mini-Unit #3: Notes for Dead Poets Society

Directions: Answer these questions as you watch the movie over the course of the next couple of days. Day 1 (27 minutes: from opening scene to second classroom scene with Mr. Keating) 1. 2. What are the four values at the school? Tradtion, _____________, Discipline, ________________ Why do you think the students are setting up study groups on the first day of school? What have you already learned about these characters from the first 27 minutes of the movie? Knox Overstreet

3. 4.

Describe the assignments and rules that the students have on the first day of school in... science: Latin: math: What is different about the English teacher's first day of school?

Neil Perry

Todd Anderson

Charlie Dalton

5.

What does carpe diem mean?

Meeks (his first name is Steven)

6.

What does Mr. Keating tell the students to rip out of their English textbook? Discuss what you think of the following statements by Mr. Keating: Words and ideas can change the world. Why do we read and write poetry? What will your verse be?

Pitts (his first name is Gerard)

7.

Cameron (his first name is Richard)

ENGLISH 1-2 La Jolla High School

Name:________________________________________ Period:____ Date:______________________________

Mini-Unit #3: Notes for Dead Poets Society

Directions: Answer these questions as you watch the movie over the course of the next couple of days. Day 2 (from the meal up to Todd's oral presentation in class) 1. What is the Dead Poets Society? Why are the boys interested in it? from "The Congo" by Vachel Lindsay ...Boomlay, boomlay, boomlay, BOOM. THEN I had religion, THEN I had a vision. I could not turn from their revel in derision. THEN I SAW THE CONGO, CREEPING THROUGH THE BLACK, CUTTING THROUGH THE JUNGLE WITH A GOLDEN TRACK...

2.

Mr. Keating asks, "What one reason was language developed for?" What's the answer?

3.

Why does Mr. Keating stand on his desk?

4.

What is the weekend homwork assignment?

5.

What is Neil going to do (even though his father won't like it)? Walt Whitman

6.

What does Knox do?

7.

What do you think Mr. Keating is trying to teach when he has the boys kick soccer balls and recite lines of poetry?

7.

Does Todd try to do his homework? How does he finally succeed?

ENGLISH 1-2 La Jolla High School

Name:________________________________________ Period:____ Date:______________________________

Mini-Unit #3: Notes for Dead Poets Society

Directions: Answer these questions as you watch the movie over the course of the next couple of days. Day 3 (from after Todd's poem to just before study hall) 1. 2. 3. Guess what these two words mean (then later look them up in the dictionary): sonorous conformity What do you learn about Knox when he calls Chris? What is Mr. Keating trying to teach when he has the boys march in the courtyard?
She walks in beauty, like the night Of cloudless climes and starry skies; And all that's best of dark and bright Meet in her aspect and her eyes: Thus mellow'd to that tender light Which heaven to gaudy day denies. -by Lord Byron Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And Summer's lease hath all too short a date: Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And oft' is his gold complexion dimm'd; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd: But thy eternal Summer shall not fade Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest; Nor shall Death brag thou wanderest in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou growest: So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. -Sonnet #18 by William Shakespeare O Me! O Life O ME! O life! of the questions of these recurring, Of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities filld with the foolish, Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?) Of eyes that vainly crave the light, of the objects mean, of the struggle ever renewd, Of the poor results of all, of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me, Of the empty and useless years of the rest, with the rest me intertwined, The question, O me! so sad, recurring - What good amid these, O me, O life? Answer. That you are here - that life exists and identity, That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse. (1854) from Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman

4.

What do you learn about Todd's family based on his birthday gift?

5.

What do you learn about Neil based on how he deals with Todd's birthday gift?

6.

What did Nuwanda put in the school newspaper and what was his punishment?

7.

What do you think about these two philosophies about education: "I always thought the idea of education was to learn to think for yourself." "Prepare them for college and the rest will take care of itself."

ENGLISH 1-2 La Jolla High School

Name:________________________________________ Period:____ Date:______________________________

Mini-Unit #3: Notes for Dead Poets Society

Directions: Answer these questions as you watch the movie over the course of the next couple of days. Day 4 (from the study hall to when Neil leaves the play) 1. What do you think about Mr. Keating's advice: there is a time for daring, and a time for caution? What do you now know about these characters? Knox Overstreet 2. What is Neil's father's concern about Neil's participation in the play?

Neil Perry

3.

What advice does Mr. Keating give to Neil?

Todd Anderson

4.

What does Knox do to "seize the day"?

Charlie Dalton

Meeks (his first name is Steven) 5. What does Neil claim his father said? Pitts (his first name is Gerard) 6. Predict how Neil and his father will deal with this situation:

Cameron (his first name is Richard)

ENGLISH 1-2 La Jolla High School

Name:________________________________________ Period:____ Date:______________________________

Mini-Unit #3: Notes for Dead Poets Society

Directions: Answer these questions as you watch the movie over the course of the next couple of days. Day 5 (from when Neil arrive home to the end of the movie) 1. What other options did Neil have for dealing with his father?

2.

What do you think about the end of the movie?

3.

How far would you go to seize the day? What would keep you from going too far? What is your definition of too far?

4.

What did you learn about reading/schooling/education after watching this movie?

5.

What did you learn about life after watching this movie?