Movie Connection

Dead Poet Society is a movie starring Robin Williams about a man with a deep passion for poetry and literature. Like the film's main character, John Keating, Juliet Ashton is a lover of literature. She has been in love with books ever since was yet a little girl. She even sacrificed her life in an attempt to save the books bombed in the library in London. It is this bond with writing and reading that forms the plot of the whole novel. After all, the title of the book IS the name of a literary society!

Connections

Last year in Level 1 English we studied a novel called Night by Elie Wiesel. It was an autobiography about Mr. Wiesel's experience with the holocaust and discussed the concentration camps. In class we looked at a number of pictures and videos to get an idea of what Elie would be sharing with us in his book. here are some of the ones I remember the most.

David Olère paintings

The paintings and drawings explain a little about what Elizabeth and Remy went through at Ravensbruck. The cruelty, humiliation, and horror seen everyday in these camps cannot be comprehended unless experienced first hand but, these pictures allow you to feel what the artist felt as he went through the chaos himself.

Winfrey & Wiesel - Auschwitz

I thought of this when I was reading the letter from Remy about Elizabeth’s life in the camp and her death, especially the scene where he walks through the barracks. I can’t imagine Remy going back to Ravensbruck. She couldn’t even be near a dog. Elie went back a long time after the war but, it still must have taken extreme courage and willpower for him to go back to a place where so many were killed and he, being one of few, managed to survive.

War

World War II was one of the most deadly, if not the worst, war in world history. Throughout the book, the characters discuss whether or not the war will ever end. Amelia writes to Juliet saying that it is death that goes on, for the living die and the dead stay dead. The war gave the whole planet hardships that were almost unbearable; sending away children to a safer place, watching little boys wither away in gated areas like dogs, and hearing of the deaths of close friends and family. But without the war, Dawsey would have never gotten that book of Juliet’s, she would have never found out about The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and she would’ve never met her closest friends and even her husband. The war provided stories of strength and courage, like Elizabeth’s or Remy’s. The truth is the war will never be forgotten and can never be erased but, there will always be the light of joy and love that shines through the darkness of death and grief.

Juliet Ashton's Love Interests

Sidney Stark

A beloved friend, confident publisher, and voice of reason fro Ms. Juliet. On a professional level they work together like peanut butter and jelly but, when it come to their love lives it could never work because, as the reader finds out later in the book, he is homosexual.

Mark Reynolds

Logically this pairing makes perfect sense. But in reality, Mark is too controlling for Juliet. She is an independent woman and not the type that wants to look to her husband every time someone asks her a question. Mr. Reynolds’ true colors showed after being rejected by Juliet when he asked her to marry him. He turned angry, then endearing, and then angry again. Instead of wanting what was best for the woman he supposedly loves, he was just using every persuasion technique in the book.

Dawsey Adams

To Ms. Ashton, this man was a complete stranger only 6 months before she discovered feelings for him. She was confused when Mark unexpectedly arrived in Guernsey. She had wished he would go away so she could finish her moment with Dawsey. She wondered why she did not want to be with someone as rich and gorgeous as Mark Reynolds, yet she wanted to hold hands with a man who was very shy and raised pigs. This was the beginning of Juliet’s fondness for Mr. Adams. With the help of Miss Isola Pribby, Juliet gained the confidence to finally find out if Dawsey had feelings for her. And of course, he did. If the novel went on and on for the rest of Juliet’s life I’m sure Mr. and Mrs. Dawsey Adams would have lived happily ever after.