Dead Poets Society - Key Scene Close Study Worksheets

A careful study of Dead Poets Society is a valuable addition to any English/media classroom. This resource contains worksheet sets on three key scenes from Dead Poets Society as well as a BONUS poem study on The Congo, with 12 pages of activities in total. The key scenes studied are:

• The opening scene with the assembly to begin the school year (and establish the tone of the school)
• The first meeting of the reconvened Dead Poets Society in the cave
• The final scene with students standing on their desks to salute Mr Keating.

Each scene is covered in a three-page close analysis worksheet, considering the way the scene has been constructed and discussing elements like symbols, camera work, use of sound, themes and so on.

In addition, there is a bonus worksheet on The Congo, the poem chanted by the boys when they leave the first meeting of the Dead Poets Society. The poem is included in full in this worksheet, as well as three pages of questions/activities exploring the sometimes problematic themes of the poem and the way it is constructed.

All worksheets are included in Word and pdf formats for flexibility, and an answer key provides suggestions or ideas for most questions in the scene analysis worksheets.