What Bill had them do was discuss the movie in the context of Revolutions, which was their content for History today. The original essential questions for the day were:- What are the causes and effects of revolution?
- Were these wars of independence or civil revolutions?
- What were the limits of revolutionary ideals?
I think it was a really effective choice to make because the students were at first, answering the questions using the movie. There were a lot of different opinions and perspectives coming from the students, which brings into view the contradiction and complexity of "revolutions", which was ultimately one of the objectives of the lesson.
Bill also asked the students if they thought they could handle an "instantaneous autonomy from their parents". And if so, what would the effects be on their life. They then compared it to if the students in Dead Poets Society gained "instantaneous autonomy". A couple of questions that the students raised were:
- Was it worth giving up their life-style for a principle?
- Did they have something worth fighting for?
- Do we have something worth fighting for?
- What are the things we fight for?
- How superficial are those things?
- How do they compare to the things the boys in Dead Poets Society fight for?
The excited Freshmen then went into lecture mode on background information on Post-Enlightenment Revolutions (Atlantic Revolutions). Even though their conversation earlier in the period was not directly referenced, they were already warmed-up for the lecture and they could directly identify with the content of the unit on several different levels.
