“We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute.
We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with
passion.”
Dead Poets Society explores the
conflict between realism and romanticism as these contrasting ideals are
presented to the students at an all-boys preparatory school. Welton Academy is
founded on tradition and excellence and is bent on providing strict structured
lessons prescribed by the realist, anti-youth administration. With the dawning
of each new semester, hundreds of parents abandon their sons, leaving them in
the tried hands of Welton staff in hopes that they will raise doctors and
lawyers. When a replacement English teacher arrives, who happens to be a Welton
alumnus, he brings with him a passion for teaching romanticism, thus opening a
never-before-seen world to his students.
What can we learn from this movie?
It’s not who you are but what you do
that defines you. Keating
conveys this message to his students because he doesn’t want them to be held
back by preconceived ideas. It’s not about race, gender, age, or even
experience. People are measured by what they accomplish. Keating encourages
action on the part of his students. He wants them to relentlessly pursue their
passions.
Act
as if you have nothing to lose. Keating’s students are young boys with
their lives in front of them, but he encourages risk-taking. He pushes his
students to move outside their comfort levels. He consistently tries to
demonstrate that the worst thing that can happen really isn’t all that bad. And
through his encouragement, the boys discover that they are capable of so much
more than they thought possible.
Encourage
independent thinking. You need to get your students looking at
things from a new perspective. Warning: In the movie, it costs Keating his job,
but it leaves an impression on a group of boys and changes their lives.
Carpe
diem—seize the day. Keating tells his students to seize the
day. It’s OK to talk and dream, but in the end, it’s action that will allow you
to grab the prize.
It's About Relationships. Students don't care what you know if they don't know
you care. Mr. Keating's students loved him because he
was interested in them. He delighted in their successes. He laughed with them (near them,
not at them). He truly saw them. And that's pretty much what
every kid we teach wants to be seen and be noticed.
Lessons
Mr. Keating teaches us:
On finding your voice and Perspective
On the value of the humanities
On thinking for yourself
MAIN CHARACTERS
Mr
Keating
The new teacher and
previous student at Welton. He inspires the boys to 'seize the day' and restart
his old club, the Dead Poets Society.
Neil
Perry
Played by: Robert
Sean Leonard
One of Keating's
students, who decides to restart the Dead Poets Society. He has a strained
relationship with his controlling father.
Todd
Anderson
Played by: Ethan
Hawke
A new student at
Welton, and Neil's roomate. He starts out as the most timid of the poets, but
gains confidence thanks to Keating and Neil's encouragement.
Charlie
Dalton
Played by: Gale
Hansen
Another of
Keating's students and the most rebellious member of the Dead Poets Society.
Knox
Overstreet
Played by: Josh
Charles
Member of Keating's
class and the Dead Poets Society. Spends most of the movie attempting to win
the love of local girl, Chris
