Dead Poet's Society Recap

I appreciated all of your discussion yesterday about Dead Poet's Society. I am especially impressed by all of your willingness to speak English all of the time. That is really amazing and I appreciate your challenging yourself to speak only in English when in my classroom. Great job!

Roger Ebert wanted to "throw up," but I wanted to cry. I'm a sucker for the dramatic.

Yesterday we talked a lot about Welton Academy, Mr. Keating and our feelings on the movie.

We found that there were many similarities between Welton Academy and Korean schools. Both have a strict atmosphere and place a lot of pressure on their students.

Most of us also really like Mr. Keating for his passion, progressive thinking and his compassion.

A lot of us really liked the movie because it was interesting and inspirational.

Interestingly, we read a movie review that felt the opposite. Roger Ebert said he was "so moved, I wanted to throw up." And "the story is also old stuff, recycled.." He found Dead Poet's Society to be unoriginal and disingenuous.

That is the beauty of movies. You might love it, someone else might hate it. We're all entitled to our opinions!

Thanks for joining in the conversation.

Remember: We will discuss Little Miss Sunshine in the next class at 1PM on Monday! ;)

Dead Poet's Society Review

Have you watched Dead Poet's Society yet? Me neither. But I have plans to re-watch it this weekend after not seeing it for years.

I went back in the news archives and found this old movie review by one of America's most famous movie critics, Roger Ebert. Take a look here. Does he like it or not? Why? After you watch the movie, read it again. Do you agree with him or disagree? Why or why not?

Roger Ebert started as a print journalist, but then became famous on television for his movie-review show. 

Movies are great because we all have a different experience when we watch them. We also relate to them on different levels.

So think hard about how you felt during this movie. What was your experience? How did you relate to it? Or did you?

Happy watching!  

Welcome to Movie and Drama class!

Hello class!

So we have the unique pleasure to enjoy and discuss films and television shows with each other for the next 5 weeks. I want us to take advantage of that opportunity and enjoy it!

It has been years since I've watched this movie. It is one of my all-time favorites. I hope you enjoy it too.

Think of this class as a movie club with your friends where anything you say will be heard and respected. Do not be afraid to speak your mind in my classroom. Most importantly do not be afraid to make mistakes. Learning a new language is about making mistakes. All of you are speaking English as your second language, mistakes are inevitable. Do not worry! I will always be proud of you for trying!

Remember that this week we will watch Dead Poet's Society at home and discuss it next Monday in class (June 7). I ask that you try to write a brief synopsis of the movie and prepare yourself for the questions at the end of the worksheet. Be sure to find some words or phrases that you do not understand from the movie. Finally, prepare a question or two that you think will create a class discussion.

If that seems too hard, just decide if you liked the movie or didn't like it and tell us why.

This class is to help you learn and enjoy learning English. How much you learn and enjoy it is entirely up to you!

Comment below if you have any questions!