Dead Poets Society Film Questions

Dead Poets Society Directions:Answer the following questions over Dead Poets Society. Please be sure to answer in complete sentences and to address each part of the question. Mr. Keating’s motto is “carpe diem” (seize the day!). What does the motto encourage? Infer why this motto was not necessarily a good one to have at Welton Academy in 1959. Use textual evidence (details from the film) to support your claim. Mr. Keating explains that The Dead Poets Society “was dedicated to sucking the marrow out of life.” What is meant by this phrase? Does it take courage to “suck the marrow out of life” as a Welton student in 1959? Explain thoroughly. How does Mr. Keating get the boys to look at life differently? Why does Keating believe this is important to teach the boys? Provide textual evidence (support from the film) in your answer. What does The Dead Poets Society encourage and represent? Who, among the members of the new Dead Poets Society, embraces its message the most? How does his decision to do so affect his life? How would you characterize the way he is treated (by his father) once his decision is revealed to his father? Why do you believe Welton Academy is so anxious to hold Mr. Keating responsible for the tragedy that occurs to one of his students? Why does Mr. Nolan decide to disband The Dead Poets Society? As you see it, explain whether it is or is not a good idea for the students’ sake? Symbol Meaning Flock of birds (near the beginning) Neil opening the window Boys standing on their desks (closing scene of film) This movie shows the battle between conformity and individuality in an exemplary way. In general, how were the boys at Welton expected to conform specifically on a daily basis? What about Mr. Keating? Individuality: Next to the names in the chart below, please describe briefly what each person does to express his individuality in the movie (in a sentence or two). Character What he contributed as an individual or creatively Neil Perry Charlie Dalton Knox Overstreet Todd Anderson Gerard Pitts Steven Meeks Mr. Keating O Captain! My Captain! by Walt Whitman Read this poem. While reading, think of how it connects to Dead Poets Society. To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time by Robert… Read this other poem featured in Dead Poets Society. Think about how it reflects events in the movie. Choose ONE of the poems linked above from Dead Poets Society (“O Captain! My Captain!” or “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time”). In a paragraph, discuss what the poem means, and then draw connections between the poem you choose and how it applies to the plot of the film.