Breakfast Club

Breakfast
Club
Students Talk About Cliques





What is a clique?
Why do people form them?
Do you need to act in a certain way? Hurt
people to be in one?
What advice would you give to your peers about
cliques?
Create a chart: What’s good about cliques /
What’s bad about cliques.
Students Talk About Cliques





What would you tell grade 7’s
“Find out who you are before someone else tells
you!” – Kari Blanchard.
Stick to the Status Quo
What does this mean? What groups are
represented? Why is it hard to break away? What
is the message? Is this real life?
If you wanted to change, how can you do it?
Students Talk About Cliques

Write a one page journal type entry discussing
cliques. Do you think they are an important part
of school life? How do they help or hurt
students? Talk about which group you belong,
or if you belong anywhere. Why or why not.
Feel free to state your opinon.
Breakfast Club




General Questions:
Why don’t the students get along at the
beginning of the film?
What are guys like Bender? Are there guys like
him here?
Are academic clubs different than other clubs?
Which is better?
Breakfast Club




Why didn’t they tell Vernon Bender broke the
door?
Why did Bender keep it up with Vernon? Why
would he do this? Explain.
Do you think Vernon wants to spend the next 2
months with Bender? Why would he do this?
Why did Bender go at Clair with the fat talk?
Does it bother girls? What about being with
guys? Explain.
Breakfast Club
Breakfast Club




Why did Andrew step in? Is he a gentleman?
What do you learn about the characters when
they meet the custodian, Carl? Why did Bender
smile? What is the significance of the grad
picture regarding Carl?
Why does Bender pick on Brian so much?
Explain.
Why didn’t the gang believe Bender about his
homelife? Why did he tell them?
Breakfast Club




What does Bender mean when he says “Being
bad feels pretty good?”
Why did the director, John Hughes, show the
character’s footwear? What does it say about the
character?
Why did Bender save the others from Vernon?
Does this make him a hero? Explain.
Was Vernon too hard on Bender in the storage
closet? Do teachers have a right to feel like this?
Breakfast Club




Why did the gang cover up for Bender? Would
they have done this at the beginning?
Why were they all willing to try the marijuana?
Explain.
Why did Carl give Vernon a hard time in the file
room? Why did he stick up for the kids?
Why did Allison get so upset with the boys?
Why did she fight with Andrew? What is their
connection? Explain.
Breakfast Club
Breakfast Club



Do kids change, or teachers? Does Carl really
know what is going on?
Why do they use sex to label each other? Why
does Clair have a hard time deciding what to
say? Is it like that today?
What do you think of Andrew’s bullying? Can
you understand why he did it? Do you feel bad
for him?
Breakfast Club



Is Brian’s problem different from Andrew’s?
Explain.
What is Bender’s problem? Did he sabotage the
fun? Why?
Why would Brian consider suicide? Wouldn’t he
be happy?
Breakfast Club
Breakfast Club



Essay: Choose 1 of the following questions and answer.
This should be at least one page and will be submitted
for marks. (10)
What are your thoughts on Allison’s makeover? Do you
agree or disagree? Is this a good message? Do people
feel the same today?
Just like the students in the film, you will have to write
an essay describing who you are. However, you must
choose a character you are most alike and explain how
you are similar.
Breakfast Club
Explain the following quote:
“…And these children
that you spit on
as they try to change their worlds
are immune to your consultations.
They’re quite aware
of what they’re going through…” David Bowie
Changes

Breakfast Club

Don't you forget about me
Dear Mr. Vernon,
We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for
whatever it was that we did wrong. What we did was wrong, but we think
you're crazy to make us write an essay writing about who we think we are.
What do you care? You see us as you want to see us—in the simplest terms,
in the most convenient definitions. You see us as a brain, an athlete, a basket
case, a princess, and a criminal. Correct? That's the way we saw each other at
7:00 this morning. We were brainwashed. But what we found out is that each
of us is a brain, and an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal. Does
that answer your question???
Sincerely yours,
The Breakfast Club
ASSIGNMENT






Clique assignment:
1) cover page
2) read poems – pp. 14 -15 “What’s Fair” Mag.
3) 1 pg. journal entry on cliques. – What are
they? Do you belong to one? Do they affect
school life? Etc.
4) Breakfast Club question – 1, 2, or 3.
5) Movie review – like? Why? Fave Part? Rating?