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Dead Poets Society Summary & Study Guide

Dead Poets Society Summary & Study Guide Description

“Dead Poets Society” is the story about a group of junior year boys at the Welton Academy, an exclusive private school for boys. The story unfolds during the opening ceremony for the new school year. The indoctrination is held in the school’s chapel. To the melodious sound of bagpipe music, four boys enter the chapel carrying banners. Each banner is inscribed with a word representing what the school stands for: Honor, Discipline, Excellence and Tradition. Parents seating in the pews are smiling, excited and proud of their sons.

Todd Anderson is a new student that year. He suffers from low self-esteem brought on by the outstanding academic performance of his older brother, Jeffrey, who was also a student at Welton. Todd feels, with good reason, that his parents favor Jeffrey and that he is little more than an afterthought. The Dean is less than tactful when he reminds Todd that he has big shoes to fill. Just what Todd needed to hear! Neil Perry welcomes Todd as his new roommate. Neil is a positive young boy whose domineering father has a future all planned out for Neil, but it’s not the future that Neil wants.

The conservative private school is steeped in tradition. But that tradition is about to have a huge challenge from one of its former students. John Keating has been hired by the school to become the new English teacher. He was a brilliant student, natural leader and a Rhodes Scholar. John always marched to the beat of a different drummer, a trait of the very bright.

John Keating basically turns aside the school’s curriculum and teaches the boys about poetry and life. He reads the poetry he loves and explains to the boys how it applies to real life. He encourages them to abandon tradition and be non-conformists and free spirits. A fellow teacher warns Keating that he may be setting the boys up for disappointment because not everyone can be an artist. Keating tells the teacher he missed the point. He is not telling the boys to be artists but to be free thinkers.

When the boys find out that Mr. Keating had formed a secret club called the Dead Poets Society when he was a student at Welton, they want to know all about it. Keating tells them that he and his friends established the club and that only dead poets could be members. Keating and his friends were just pledges. They met in a cave and read poetry, created gods and vowed to suck the marrow out of life. The boys are inspired to revamp the club and begin meeting in the same cave as Keating and his peers did years before.

When the school administration gets wind of the secret club – something that is against regulations – the dean promises to suspend any student who is a member. The dean is beginning to regret that he hired Keating because of his unorthodox way of teaching. He fears that it can come to no good end. When tragedy strikes, Keating is the perfect fall guy on which to place the blame. Keating is terminated over the incident. On his last day as the boys shout that Keating wasn’t to blame, the boys all stand on their desks in solidarity with him.

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Dead Poets Society

• Maverick teacher John Keating returns in 1959 to the prestigious New England boys' boarding school where he was once a star student, using poetry to embolden his pupils to new heights of self-expression.
• Painfully shy Todd Anderson has been sent to the school where his popular older brother was valedictorian. His roommate, Neil Perry, although exceedingly bright and popular, is very much under the thumb of his overbearing father. The two, along with their other friends, meet Professor Keating, their new English teacher, who tells them of the Dead Poets Society, and encourages them to go against the status quo. Each does so in his own way, and is changed for life. — Liz Jordan <[email protected]>
• A new English teacher, John Keating, is introduced to an all-boys preparatory school that is known for its ancient traditions and high standards. He uses unorthodox methods to reach out to his students, who face enormous pressures from their parents and the school. With Keating's help, students Neil Perry, Todd Anderson and others learn to break out of their shells, pursue their dreams and seize the day. — Jwelch5742
• Vermont, New England, 1959. The students at Welton Academy have been trained for generations to lead lives of conformity and tradition--until charismatic new professor John Keating sets foot in the institution, motivating them to think for themselves, live life to the fullest, and "Carpe Diem". As a result of his unconventional approach, inspirational Keating awakens the students' spirits, encourages them to be exceptional individuals, and challenges them to achieve their full potential. However, when tragedy strikes the school, drawing the wrath of a disapproving faculty, Keating and his boys will find themselves at loggerheads with the school's officials, the parents, and the system. — Nick Riganas
• New England, the late 1950s. Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke), a lonely and painfully shy teenager, who is under pressure by his stern parents because he must live up to his older brother's reputation to attend Yale and become a lawyer, arrives for the new semester at the Welton Academy for boys -- Todd's brother also attended Welton and was a popular and well-regarded student there. This semester begins during an orientation gathering with a speech given by the stern Headmaster Nolan (Norman Lloyd), who states the academy's four pillars: Tradition, Honor, Discipline, and Excellence. Todd meets Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard) a friendly and ambitious student whom becomes his dorm roommate. Later in his dorm, Neil is ordered by his grumpy and domineering father (Kurtwood Smith) to drop his involvement with the school annual in order to maintain good grades so the boy may become a doctor much as he has done. Neil is under pressure from his stern father's will. Also, Mr. Perry tells Neil that Mrs. Perry also wants him to become a doctor, which further worries the boy. A little later, Todd tells Neil that he is in a similar situation with his parents involving his older brother who also attended Welton a few years ago, graduated, and attended Yale Law School and became a lawyer and his parents want the exact same thing for him. But Todd does not have the courage to tell his parents that he instead wants to be a writer, not a lawyer. During the first day of classes Todd and Neil experience the various teaching methods which include speeches by the trig teacher, as well as the Latin teacher, and the chemistry teacher who states that "all 20 questions at the end of the first chapter are due tomorrow". In stark contrast to these orthodox teaching methods, the guys see a different side of the school when they attend English class taught by the newly arrived (and liberal-minded) Mr. Keating (Robin Williams), whom they met briefly during the orientation -- Keating tells his class he was also a student at "Helton" (as the students secretly refer to the institution) himself many years ago. Keating enters his class smiling and whistling the 1812 Overture, and he first takes the boys out in the hallway to the school's displays cases containing photos and artifacts of the school's sports achievements. He tells them that they all have the potential to become powerful individuals, and they are responsible for what their futures will hold. These two actions show his difference from the other teachers because no other teacher would commit the actions he does. Also, he tells the boys they may call him "Oh Captain, my Captain", (the title of a poem by Walt Whitman about Abraham Lincoln) if they dare. These examples of Mr. Keating's teachings show the boys how to think for themselves. Mr. Keating then tells the boys "Carpe Diem", which is Latin for "seize the day". In addition to Todd and Neil, a small group of other students whom include the lovesick Knox Overstreet (Josh Charles), the flip Charlie Dalton (Gale Hansen), the pragmatic Richard Cameron (Dylan Kussman), liberal Steven Meeks (Allelon Ruggiero) and the moderate Gerard Pitts (James Waterston), also react to the first day's lesson with comments from "that was weird" to "neat". Cameron asks if anything Keating told them will be on a future test and the boys respond with mild scorn. The next day Keating starts the class with a traditional teaching approach by having Neil read out loud the introduction to their poetry textbook, which describes how to rate the quality of poetry according to mathematical plotting. Keating finds such mathematical criticism ridiculous and instructs his pupils to rip out the essay which is one of three ways that he demonstrates freedom of expression and non-conformity. When some students hesitate, he tells them "this is not the Bible. This is a battle, a war. You will have to learn to think for yourselves." A few days later, Knox Overstreet is asked to attend a dinner party at the Danburry household, friends of his parents. When he arrives, a beautiful girl answers the doorbell and intently captures his attention. Later, he learns that the girl, Christine Noel, is dating Chet Danburry, but does not give up the hope of dating her. One day, Neil finds an old Welton yearbook with Mr. Keating in it. After seeing that Mr. Keating listed "Dead Poets Society" as one of his activities at the school, the boys ask Mr. Keating what this was. He replies that the DPS was a secret club dedicated to taking the meaning out of life. To do so, the members would sit in a cave near a certain pond less then a mile from school grounds and recite poetry, philosophically drawing life lessons from it to enhance their lives and appreciation of literature. With this new idea in their head from asking Mr. Keating what the DPS was, Neil and the boys decide to start up the DPS once again. While coming inside after recess, Neil convinces the boys to join the DPS and meet at midnight by the creek to start their first meeting. Todd tells them that he will come along to the meeting as long as he does not have to read any poetry. When they arrive at the cave, the boys hold their first meeting. Knox shows up so that he can build confidence, like learning pretty poetry, to swoon Christine. The boys begin to learn how rhythm and language in poetry can enhance their own learning and life experience. During their next poetry class, Mr. Keating makes the boys stand on his desk to see the world from a different perspective, another way he demonstrates non-conformity and freedom. At the end of class, Mr. Keating orders the boys to write an original poem for homework which will be read aloud during Monday's class. As he leaves the room, Keating singles out Todd and tells him he knows such an assignment frightens him. Keating's unorthodox teaching methods soon circulate quietly among the other teachers who scorn his liberal and idealist methods. During dinner, the Latin teacher tells Keating, "you are taking a big risk in making your students think they are artists". Keating replies: "I'm only trying to make them free thinkers". The Latin teacher, a reader of the Realist literature movement, rebukes him by saying, "free thinkers at age seventeen?", reciting some poetry from a Realist poet to emphasize his point. Keating recites another line "It is only in their minds that men can truly be free. T'was always thus, and always thus shall be." When the professor asks him if that passage belongs to a Realist poet, Keating smiles, telling him he'd made it up on the spot. Neil attempts to seize the day by trying out for a part in the play 'A Midsummer Nights Dream' the school is putting on -- such an act is done in full defiance of his father's wishes. Meanwhile, Knox goes to a nearby public high school football game and sees Christine in the arms of Chet, who is a football player at that school. Back in English class, Mr. Keating has the boys kick soccer balls while yelling poetry aloud, the final way that he demonstrates freedom and non-conformity. Then, Neil receives a letter that says he got the part of Puck in the play. Now he must forge a letter of permission to the headmaster and Mr. Perry, along with their signature of approval. The next day in class, Mr. Keating tells Todd to stand up and recite his poem. When Todd tells his teacher that he did not write a poem, Mr. Keating tells the boy to make one up right now on the spur of the moment, taking him to the front of the room. Todd's new poem is about a portrait of Walt Whitman on the wall, and Mr. Keating seems to have an astounding affect on Todd. Todd improvises with Keating's aggressive but kind coaching and he refers to Whitman as the "snaggly-toothed madman." The rest of the class, including one of the more cynical students applaud Todd's efforts. By pulling the boy out of his seat in front of the class and create his own poem, Mr. Keating successfully reaches out to Todd and builds his confidence. That night, the boys meet at the cave to hold another DPS meeting, and afterwords Knox gets the courage to phone Christine, who invites him to a party at the Danburry home. The following day, Mr. Keating teaches tells the boys not to conform, and Todd gets the same desk pen set from his parents that they got him last year for his birthday. Neil finds Todd sitting alone and disappointed and boosts his roommate's confidence by telling him that he should take the desk set and throw it to see how aerodynamic it is. Todd's mood is instantly improved. When Knox goes to Christine's party that night, he's asked by several of the local high school's football players to join them in a toast to his brother, a football hero, despite Knox' insistence he's not their guy. Later, he becomes drunk and finds himself sitting next to a mostly unconscious Christine on the couch. He recalls Keating's words "carpe Diem" and kisses her, only to be caught by Chet, who punches him out. Though Christine comes to his aid, Knox leaves the party. The day after the DPS meeting, which is also attended by some girls Charlie invited, Dalton writes a joking and anonymous letter on behalf of the DPS to the school asking if girls may be admitted to Welton Academy. Charlie also takes the bold but foolish step of signing the letter from the DPS. During a hastily arranged school meeting which addresses this letter, a phone is heard ringing. Charlie pulls out a hidden phone, answers it and says the call is from "God" and that God wants girls to attend Welton. The school's headmaster holds a private meeting with Charlie, demanding to know who is in the DPS. Charlie refuses and the headmaster paddles him harshly. The headmaster later talks to Keating, telling him he is aware of Keating's unorthodox teaching methods and that encouragement of free-thinking among the students is dangerous. Keating later talks to Charlie and the boys, telling the recovering Charlie that "sucking the marrow out of life doesn't mean choking on the bone." In the newer era of the school, where discipline is much harsher, pranks like Charlie's can have the effect of hurting a student's future rather than making them a school legend. When Neil's father arrives at Welton on an unexpected visit, he scolds Neil for joining the play and orders him to quit. Neil tells Mr. Keating about the incident, and that his father won't allow Neil to act. To this, Mr. Keating suggests that Neil tell his father how the boy truly feels. Neil does, but his bossy and stubborn father continues to refuse to let him partake in the play and tells Neil that he must focus all his energy on studying to become a doctor. A few days later, Neil lies to Mr. Keating and tells him that his father allowed him to continue with the play. When Knox goes to Christine's high school, he embarrasses her in class by giving her flowers and reciting poetry. Christine goes to Welton where she angrily tells Knox that his actions embarrassed her in front of her classmates. Knox apologizes and asks Christine if she would go to Neil's play with him. Christine is again embarrassed, but flattered by the attention Knox displays, accepts his offer as a date. At the theatre, Neil gives a great performance as Puck. As he is about to give Puck's closing monologue, Neil spots his father looking stern and angry from the back but receives a standing ovation. Neil is angrily driven home by his father, who also tells Keating to stay away from his son. While at home, Mr. Perry tells Neil that in retaliation for his defiance, he will pull Neil out of Welton and forcibly enroll him in Braden Military School to prepare him for Harvard University and a career in medicine. Unable to cope with the future that awaits him or make his stern and narrow-minded father understand his emotions, Neil commits suicide by shooting himself with his father's gun. The next day in school, the boys are told of Neil's suicide and in separate meetings, each is questioned about the DPS after Cameron reveals the club's secrets to the headmaster. Dalton is expelled from the Welton Academy when he punches Cameron for betraying them. Cameron's defense of his actions is that they can all save their respective futures at the school if they cooperate, even if they can't keep Keating from being fired. When Todd is called to Nolan's office, where his parents are waiting, Nolan forces Todd to admit to being a member of the Dead Poets Society, and tries to make him sign a document blaming Keating for abusing his authority, inciting the boys to restart the Dead Poets Society, and encouraging Neil to flout his father's authority. Todd sees Richard's, Knox's, Steven's and Gerald's signatures already on the document. At first, Todd refuses to sign, but when Nolan threatens to expel him and his equally stern parents threaten to disown him should he be kicked out of school, the painfully shy Todd does not have the nerve to argue with any of them and signs the paper. Keating is fired from Welton and is forced to leave without any severance pay or letter of recommendation to teach at any other public or private school in the state. Although the other teachers at Welton have disapproved of his teaching methods, most of them are somewhat upset to see the likable and friendly Keating leave The next day, Headmaster Nolan arrives at English class where he tells the students that he is their new teacher until a substitute will arrive to replace him. The shy and afraid Todd cannot respond when asked what the boys have done in the class so far, so Nolan asks Cameron. He tells the teacher that the class thoroughly covered poetry, but skipped over Realism. The headmaster tells them they will start over and to read the introduction to their textbook, but it is ripped out, so he gives Cameron the teacher's book to read from. Just then, Mr. Keating enters the room to collect a few of his papers before he leaves. Todd reveals to Keating that he and the other students were intimidated into signing the confession. Keating tells Todd that he already knows. Nolan orders Todd to be quiet and demands that Keating leave, threatening any other student who speaks up with expulsion. As Keating is about to exit the classroom, Todd finally breaks through his cowardice and self-pity and calls out: "O Captain! My Captain!" and then stands on top of his desk and faces Keating, giving him a farewell salute. Nolan immediately yells at Todd to sit down or face expulsion. In what is probably the movie's most touching and emotionally powerful scene, one by one, Knox, Steven, Gerard, and all of the members of the Dead Poets Society, except for Cameron and a few other students, climb onto their desks and face Keating to salute their former teacher. Knowing they are too many for the school to expel en masse quietly, they remain standing on their desks despite Nolan's orders for them to sit back down until he gives up and slumps against the teacher's desk, angry and emotionally defeated. Seeing that his work at the school had not been in vain, a visibly touched Keating says: "Thank you, boys. Thank you." With Todd and the other the students looking on, Keating then happily leaves the classroom with tears in his eyes, and walks out of the school for good.

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Dead Poets Society Summary

Lights, camera, action.

It's the beginning of the school year for a group of students at Hellton—er Welt on—Academy, a prestigious all-boys boarding school in 1950s Vermont. Ah, back-to-school season: that wonderful time of fresh new notebooks, squeaky pink erasers, and existential dread.

Among the students feeling the end-of-summertime blues: the shy newcomer Todd and his roommate, Neil, both of whom (along with the other boys) have to sit through a lecture by the stern and humorless Headmaster Nolan about the many merits of their fancy-shmancy Welton.

At least one interesting thing happens in this first meeting, though: the boys are introduced to their new English teacher, Mr. Keating. But more on that later.

After meeting Neil and Todd's parents, it's clear that the two boys have a lot in common. Neil's parents plan for him to have every advantage that they didn't, so he's on the fast track to medical school (whether he likes it or not).

And Todd's parents just want him to be like his older brother, a Welton alumnus who made quite a mark and has gone on to be super-successful.

So no pressure for either of them, right? No pressure at all.

The two boys bond quickly, and Todd is welcomed into Neil's group of buddies: Knox the romantic, Cameron the goody-goody, Charles the jokester, and the dynamic duo Meeks and Pitts, who are constantly conspiring to build a radio (apparently, radios are a no-no at Welton).

The first few days of Welton life seem to go normally: boring books to buy, lectures to attend, hours to watch tick away. But when the group gets to Mr. Keating's poetry class, things start to shake up a bit. He shocks them by getting the class to leave the room and observe the pictures of long-dead alumni that line the hallways. He admonishes them to live fully, seizing every opportunity to experience life.

He even instructs them to address him as "captain," after the famous Walt Whitman poem " O Captain My Captain ."

And that's just the first class. In the weeks that follow, Mr. Keating encourages the boys to find their own voices and look at things a different way. (One way he demonstrates this: he has them stand on his desk in order to see things from a different perspective.)

Mr. Keating also encourages them to consider poetry, rarely a beloved subject, as a valuable and important part of life, and wants them to learn to think for themselves about what it all means.

The boys find this pretty stirring, each in his own way. Todd, ever the shy guy, begins to get the guts to speak up and make himself heard. Knox is inspired to pursue the girl he loves, Chris, who has a boyfriend. And Neil decides to truly seize the day and tries out for the school play, despite his father's orders.

Mr. Keating's influence is also felt in another way: he inspires them to re-form the long-dead Dead Poets Society, a secret group of students who sneak off campus to read and experience poetry together.

But not everyone is a fan of the whole "seizing the day" thing. Headmaster Nolan and some of the other faculty members are pretty skeptical about Mr. Keating's shtick, and they don't think the boys should be encouraged to think or act so freely. So when Charlie—ever the prankster—writes a note to the school paper encouraging the admittance of girls to Welton and signs it "Dead Poets Society," the administration comes down hard on the English teacher (and the students). Headmaster Nolan becomes obsessed with finding out just who the members of the DPS are.

It all gets a little out of hand.

Still, the boys carry on with their commitment to live fully. Knox finally gets a date with Chris (after getting punched out by her boyfriend), and Todd overcomes his shyness to read a poem in front of the class. Neil gets the lead in the school play and totally rocks it, to the cheers of his fellow DPS members and the rest of the audience.

One person who ain't cheering? His father, who watches from the back of the theater. Neil's dad takes him home and tells him that he is enrolling Neil in military school. No more Welton, no more theater, no more Dead Poets Society. It's military school or bust.

As you may have guessed, Neil doesn't take this well. Instead of living a life without inspiration, he decides to take his life. After donning his Puck crown one last time, he uses his father's revolver to commit suicide.

The boys are devastated, as is the rest of Welton. Headmaster Nolan blames the Dead Poets Society and Mr. Keating's teaching style for Neil's death, and becomes even more obsessed with finding out just who is behind the secret group. When Cameron spills the beans and signs a statement blaming Mr. Keating for everything, the rest of the boys feel like they have to follow suit.

Adios , Mr. Keating.

But that doesn't mean they didn't learn anything. When Mr. Keating comes to class to collect his things, Todd stands on his desk to salute his "captain" one last time. After a few moments, most of the class does, too, despite the threats from Headmaster Nolan.

It's their final salute to their teacher, and it reminds him (and them) that his lessons live on.

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W hy's T his F unny?

Dead Poets Society

By peter weir, dead poets society summary and analysis of ripping out the textbook intro - todd chasing neil around their room.

The next shot is of Keating’s class, where from his desk Keating tells Neil to read from the introduction to their textbook. The text details a way of mathematically measuring the excellence of a poem based on perfection and importance. At first, Keating illustrates the lesson on the board, which Cameron copies into his notebook. Keating then calls it “excrement” (Cameron crosses it out in his notes) and instructs the boys to rip the entire introduction out of their books. After hesitating, the boys begin doing so, beginning with Charles Dalton. Keating’s voice rises as he insists that they destroy the textbook’s entire introduction. He goes to his office to get a trash bin as the boys rip away, and while he’s gone, another teacher named Mr. McAllister sees the commotion from the hall and comes in yelling. He apologizes and retreats when Keating returns with the bin, saying he didn’t think Keating was there. Keating tells the boys to “keep ripping” as McAllister leaves, saying that they must learn to think for themselves and “savor words and language,” though some students are skeptical that poetry matters when they plan to become doctors and lawyers. Keating huddles them up and explains that while science and medicine are “noble pursuits,” art, poetry, love and the like are what the human race stays alive for. He quotes from Whitman’s “O Me! O Life!” The boys are enraptured, including Todd.

In the next scene, the students and faculty of Dalton say a prayer over their lunch and sit to eat. Mr. McAllister sits beside Mr. Keating and warns him that his lesson that day involving textbook ripping was misguided, as teaching the boys that they can be artists will make them hate Keating when they realize they’re not. Keating argues that the boys should be freethinkers, but McAllister disagrees. He quotes Lord Alfred Tennyson, saying that only men without dreams are happy. Keating fires back with an original line, saying that only in dreams can men truly be free.

At their table, Neil shows the others an old annual from Keating’s time at Welton. They see that he was a member of something called the Dead Poets Society . A teacher reprimands them and they put the annual away. Outside on the Welton lawns between the campus and lake, Neil, Todd, and the others catch a strolling Mr. Keating’s attention with an “O captain, my captain!” They show him his old annual and ask him about the Dead Poets Society. Swearing the boys to secrecy, he tells them that the Society was dedicated to “sucking the marrow out of life,” a quote from Thoreau that its members used to say at the start of each meeting. They would gather at the old Indian cave nearby and read from famous poets as well as their own compositions. He returns the book to them and jests that they should burn it before walking away whistling. The bell calls the boys back inside, and as they go, Neil suggests they go to the cave that night. Dalton is on board, while Cameron is aghast at the thought. Todd appears conflicted. As Dr. Hagar ushers them to class, Neil tries to confirm that they’re all going to go. Pitts is also conflicted, but they tell him he’s coming. They run inside together, with Dalton reminding Knox that Chris will swoon over him if he comes.

In the next scene, the boys whisper over a map during a study session. Mr. McAllister reprimands them and tells them to sit down. Neil comes over to Todd and tries to convince him to come with them, though Todd is extremely hesitant to read aloud in front of the other boys. Neil tells him he doesn’t have to read, and then goes to the other boys to confirm that that’s okay before Todd can protest. Mr. McAllister tells them all to shut up.

In the washroom, Neil tells Todd that he’s “in” as the boys prepare for bed. Dr. Hagar yells for the boys to be quiet. Neil goes to his room and retrieves a flashlight from his closet, then opens his book “Five Centuries of Verse” and reads the handwritten quote from Thoreau that Keating mentioned earlier. In the next shot, the boys' shadows move through the halls past the painting with which the film opened. Dr. Hagar seems to hear something. The boys throw treats to a dog in the hallway. Dr. Hagar comes into the hall with a flashlight but sees nothing. The boys sneak out the door and run cloaked into the night as eerie music fills the scene. They head through the forest and eventually come upon the old Indian cave.

They light a very smoky fire (a hole in the cave’s roof lets out the smoke). Neil calls the meeting to order, mentioning that Todd will take minutes because he prefers not to read, and reads the opening Thoreau quote. The boys pile snacks onto a jacket in the center of them. Neil tells a story of a woman who pieces together a jigsaw puzzle only to see that the image it formed is of herself finishing the puzzle, with a demented face at her window. Cameron tries to tell a story, but the boys have all heard it before. Pitts recites a poem about a man slitting his wife’s throat, and then Charles Dalton pulls out a poster of a naked woman and recites an original poem that he’s written on the back of it. Neil reads from Tennyson, and then Meeks reads a poem in rhythm which gets the boys clapping and chanting in a circle. They leave the cave, still chanting, and run back to Welton. They are silent and hooded again as they approach the school and a bell tolls.

In Keating’s class, Keating helps the boy expand their vocabularies. He asks Todd to contribute, but Todd is silent. He gets the boys excited about reading Shakespeare by impersonating famous actors delivering the lines. He then stands on his desk and tells the boys that they must always look at things from a different perspective. He has the boys come stand on his desk one at a time, telling them they must find their own voices and dare to break new ground. As the bell rings, he gives them their next assignment: compose an original poem to read in front of the class the following week. He singles out Todd, telling him that he knows how much this assignment scares him, and shuts the light off, leaving Todd in the dark atop his desk as the other boys chuckle.

The next shots feature the boys engaging in various activities. Oars slice through the lake as they row crew. Meeks and Pitts dance on a roof, having finally gotten their radio to work. Two boys fence through the trees. Then we switch to Todd writing his original poem in bed, with the radio music muffled in the distance. Neil comes in excitedly and shows Todd a poster for auditions for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, saying he really wants to audition. He is beside himself with eagerness to become an actor, though his father will protest. Todd suggests he call him and ask, and Neil becomes angry, knowing that his father won’t like it. They change subjects, talking about why Todd isn’t inspired by Keating like the rest of them. Todd says he isn’t able to capture attention like Neil and asks Neil to leave him alone, but Neil says no, grabs Todd’s poem from him, and reads it aloud as Todd chases him. Cameron comes in to investigate and Neil grabs his books and makes him join in the chase. The hall fills with boys watching the shenanigans.

Mr. McAllister and Mr. Keating share a telling exchange over lunch after Mr. McAllister witnesses Keating’s students tearing apart their textbooks. McAllister’s warning that dreams will make the boys unhappy exemplifies the mentality of the Welton administration: that the boys should focus on doing what is practical, rather than trying to change what is possible. It’s perhaps unsurprising that Keating calls McAllister a cynic, but McAllister’s response that he’s a realist illuminates just how certain he and the other faculty are that the only thing in store for the boys is boring lives following the footsteps of their academic predecessors. Keating’s vision for them, by contrast, is much more inspired.

At the beginning of the first meeting of the Dead Poets Society, the boys read Thoreau’s famous quote, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately…” The quote comes from Thoreau’s 1854 book Walden , which details the more than two years he spent alone in a small cabin by Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. The quote refers to living simply and with purpose, and reflects what the boys themselves do through the Society: going to the woods to recite poetry to one another, and eventually expressing themselves in other ways, including storytelling, dancing, and playing the saxophone. Many of the boys feel that the academic shackles that hold them are unjust, and some, especially Neil, fear that when it's their time to die and begin "fertilizing daffodils," as Mr. Keating so glibly put it, that they will "discover that [they] had not lived." The quote therefore highlights a parallel between the boys' and Thoreau's own desire to be self-reliant and deliberate about their lives.

Robin Williams’ comedic side, for which he was already famous when Dead Poets Society was released, comes out during his class on Shakespeare, when he reads famous lines in the voices of prominent actors. Despite delivering what has been called a stirring, dramatic performance in a more serious role like Keating, Williams’ humorous tendencies help him to portray a teacher of great wit and theatrics.

Keating’s lesson about perspective in which he has the boys stand on his desk to see things differently is one of many examples of how he encourages them to think differently than the more traditional Welton values would have them do. Nolan, McAllister, and the others believe in teaching the boys what they should think and believe, whereas Keating demonstrates through this lesson that he wants the exact opposite for the boys.

Keating's powerful influence on many of his students' personalities and aspirations begins to come across concretely through Neil's enthusiasm about auditioning for A Midsummer Night's Dream . In the first part of the film, the viewer saw how callous and unyielding Neil's father is with regard to Neil's personal endeavors and goals. Neil vocalizes his certainty that his father won't approve of acting as either an extracurricular or career path. Nevertheless, he displays determination to audition (despite Todd momentarily deterring his momentum), a testament to how passionately he feels about it—a passion that Mr. Keating helped to spark.

Dead Poets Society Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Dead Poets Society is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

What’s the theme of dead poets society rip it out

Do you mean the scene where Keeting asks his class to rip out the Pritchard text? He wants them to avoid conformity by ripping a text that treats poetry like a math equation.

Explore Keating's influence on his students and how his encouragement of originality and "carpe diem" affect them.

I can't write your essay for you but can make a general comment. One of Keating’s main, overarching lessons for the boys is the idea of “seizing the day”—that is, making the most of the time they have now and taking advantage of the opportunities...

According to Pitts, all of the girls go for “jerks”. Do you agree with his assessment? Why or why not?

Well, this is a pretty subjective answer from personal experience. Many many years ago I was captain of the chess team in high school. Lets just say girls were not clamouring to wear my jacket. The hockey players,they used to throw pucks at our...

Study Guide for Dead Poets Society

Dead Poets Society study guide contains a biography of director Peter Weir, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Dead Poets Society
• Dead Poets Society Summary
• Character List
• Director's Influence

Essays for Dead Poets Society

Dead Poets Society literature essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of the film Dead Poets Society directed by Peter Weir.

• Authority Against Individualism: Dead Poets Society and The Rabbits
• Dead Poets Society: The Powerful Thought of Individuality
• Identity in Dead Poets Society and Frost's Poetry
• Exploring Transitions: Educating Rita and Dead Poets Society

Wikipedia Entries for Dead Poets Society

• Introduction

Home — Essay Samples — Entertainment — Dead Poets Society — Review Of The Film Dead Poet Society

Dead Poets Society: Film Review and Analysis

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Dead Poet's Society : A Summary

By: faith lord, mr. keating teaches the boys in his unconventional fashion to 'suck the marrow of life.'.

Peter Weir's 1989 masterpiece,  Dead Poets Society , was critically acclaimed for it's masterful screenplay and it's overall message of  Carpe Diem  or "Seize the Day." While this film did not influence any opinions racially (as the cast was 100% white and 95% male), it focused more on the independent man, and how he should live and view his own life. 

The story portrays a teacher named Mr. Keating who has come to all-boys school that is steeped in tradition with boys who are expected to follow the rigid and unyielding expectations of their parents regarding their education. Keating's unconventional methods use poetry to help the boys regard their individual identity and desires with his lessons from literature and poetry.

The film won Best Original Screenplay, thanks to it's writer Tom Schulman, who had little reputation until he wrote Dead Poets Society . This script was based on pieces of his own real life experience. The screenplay was nominated for two similar awards from different organizations. Dead Poets Society  also was awarded Best Foreign Film from France and Italy and also Best Film and Best Film Score from the United Kingdom's BAFTA awards. Robin Williams, whom plays John Keating, was nominated for three awards for Best Actor in a Lead Role, along with an Academy Award nomination for Best Director for Peter Weir.

At first, it was received well by general audiences, but only became a box office novelty as it became more and more of a topic of conversation. With the end of Cold War aligning with the release of the film,  Dead Poets Society  carried a deeper and significant meaning, making it not only appeal to audiences, but the nation as a whole. 

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"Dead Poets Society" is a collection of pious platitudes masquerading as a courageous stand in favor of something: doing your own thing, I think. It's about an inspirational, unconventional English teacher and his students at "the best prep school in America" and how he challenges them to question conventional views by such techniques as standing on their desks. It is, of course, inevitable that the brilliant teacher will eventually be fired from the school, and when his students stood on their desks to protest his dismissal, I was so moved, I wanted to throw up.

Peter Weir's film makes much noise about poetry, and there are brief quotations from Tennyson, Herrick, Whitman and even Vachel Lindsay, as well as a brave excursion into prose that takes us as far as Thoreau's Walden. None of these writers are studied, however, in a spirit that would lend respect to their language; they're simply plundered for slogans to exort the students toward more personal freedom. At the end of a great teacher's course in poetry, the students would love poetry; at the end of this teacher's semester, all they really love is the teacher.

The movie stars Robin Williams as the mercurial John Keating, teacher of English at the exclusive Welton Academy in Vermont. The performance is a delicate balancing act between restraint and schtick.

For much of the time, Williams does a good job of playing an intelligent, quick-witted, well-read young man. But then there are scenes in which his stage persona punctures the character - as when he does impressions of Marlon Brando and John Wayne doing Shakespeare.

There is also a curious lack of depth to his character compared with such other great movie teachers as Miss Jean Brodie and Professor Kingsfield. Keating is more of a plot device than a human being.

The story is also old stuff, recycled out of the novel and movie " A Separate Peace " and other stories in which the good die young and the old simmer in their neurotic and hateful repressions. The key conflict in the movie is between Neil ( Robert Sean Leonard ), a student who dreams of being an actor, and his father ( Kurtwood Smith ), who orders his son to become a doctor and forbids him to go onstage. The father is a strict, unyielding taskmaster, and the son, lacking the will to defy him, kills himself. His death would have had a greater impact for me if it had seemed like a spontaneous human cry of despair, rather than like a meticulously written and photographed set piece.

Other elements in the movie also seem to have been chosen for their place in the artificial jigsaw puzzle. A teenage romance between one of the Welton students and a local girl is given so little screen time, so arbitrarily, that it seems like a distraction. And I squirmed through the meetings of the "Dead Poets Society," a self-consciously bohemian group of students who hold secret meetings in the dead of night in a cave near the campus.

The society was founded by Keating when he was an undergraduate, but in its reincarnate form it never generates any sense of mystery, rebellion or daring. The society's meetings have been badly written and are dramatically shapeless, featuring a dance line to Lindsay's "The Congo" and various attempts to impress girls with random lines of poetry. The movie is set in 1959, but none of these would-be bohemians have heard of Kerouac, Ginsberg or indeed of the beatnik movement.

One scene in particular indicates the distance between the movie's manipulative instincts and what it claims to be about. When Keating is being railroaded by the school administration (which makes him the scapegoat for his student's suicide), one of the students acts as a fink and tells the old fogies what they want to hear. Later, confronted by his peers, he makes a hateful speech of which not one word is plausible except as an awkward attempt to supply him with a villain's dialogue. Then one of the other boys hits him in the jaw, to great applause from the audience. The whole scene is utterly false and seems to exist only so that the violence can resolve a situation that the screenplay is otherwise unwilling to handle.

"Dead Poets Society" is not the worst of the countless recent movies about good kids and hidebound, authoritatian older people. It may, however, be the most shameless in its attempt to pander to an adolescent audience. The movie pays lip service to qualities and values that, on the evidence of the screenplay itself, it is cheerfully willing to abandon. If you are going to evoke Henry David Thoreau as the patron saint of your movie, then you had better make a movie he would have admired. Here is one of my favorite sentences from Thoreau's Walden, which I recommend for serious study by the authors of this film: " . . . instead of studying how to make it worth men's while to buy my baskets, I studied rather how to avoid the necessity of selling them." Think about it.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Dead Poets Society | Main Themes

Dead Poets Society is a timeless masterwork that still impacts readers’ mind. This essay examines the deep issues present in this literary masterpiece, providing readers with an insight into the thought-provoking concepts that enthrall readers of all ages.

Table of Contents

Main Themes

Seize the day – carpe diem:.

The core idea of this work is carpe diem, encouraging people to enjoy each moment. In today’s fast-paced world, this theme’s encouragement to live truthfully and seize life’s opportunities is still applicable. The novel’s characters struggle to follow their genuine inclinations and break away from societal expectations.

Conformity vs. Individuality:

A major subject that emerges throughout the story is the conflict between individuality and conformity. Readers are encouraged to consider the significance of remaining true to oneself as the characters negotiate the strict expectations of society and their families. Despite social pressure, this topic is a potent reminder to accept individuality.

Poetry and Literature’s Transforming Power:

This work highlights the transforming Power of poetry and Literature. Students learn how words can inspire, question, and stir thought from their lively English teacher, Mr. Keating. This theme invites readers to recognize the enormous influence that Literature may have on influencing viewpoints and promoting personal development.

Legacy and Influence:

The novel’s narrative is deeply entwined with the idea of legacy. The thought of making a lasting impression weighs heavily on the characters, and they start to doubt the direction others have set for them. This subject encourages readers to shape their futures by getting them to consider their own goals and the legacy they hope to leave behind.

Questioning Authority:

Dead Poets Society, questions the idea of deferring to authority without question. Motivated by Mr. Keating, the students challenge social norms and pose questions to those in positions of authority. This subject fosters a sense of autonomy and the bravery to question the current quo by challenging readers to assess the institutions around them critically.

A group of students at an all-boys prep school forms the Dead Poets Society under their English teacher’s influence, challenging traditional norms and exploring the power of poetry.

Carpe Diem,” or “Seize the Day,” is a famous line from this work, emphasizing the importance of living in the moment.

The melancholy in this work stems from the conflicts between the students and societal expectations, culminating in a tragic event.

The moral story of this work revolves around individuality, challenging conformity, and the impact of inspiring teachers on students’ lives.

N. H. Kleinbaum wrote the novelization of the movie, but the original screenplay for Dead Poets Society was penned by Tom Schulman.

In summary, “Dead Poets Society” offers a timeless examination of the human condition through its underlying themes. These themes, which include the appeal to seize the moment, the conflict between originality and conformity, and the transformational potential of literature, are relevant to all age groups.

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Individuality In Dead Poets Society

Individualism is a fundamental value in American society. It is the belief that each person should be self-reliant and independent. This value is expressed in many ways, including the desire for privacy and freedom of expression. Individualism is also a key element of the American Dream, which is the belief that anyone can achieve success through hard work and determination.

The film Dead Poets Society explores the importance of individualism in a number of ways. The main character, Todd Anderson, learns to embrace his individuality and express himself freely. He also learns that it is important to follow his own heart, even if it means going against the wishes of his family and society. Other characters in the film also learn the importance of self-expression and independence.

Ultimately, the film Dead Poets Society celebrates the power of individualism. It shows that it is possible for individuals to achieve great things when they embrace their uniqueness and express themselves freely.

Dead Poets Society explores the themes of rebellion and finding one’s sense of self-worth. The conflicts the characters face effectively demonstrates the fundamental ideas of individuality and liberty. Neil Perry’s inability to subjugate his father’s authority resulted in his suicide, which was the only way he saw to take charge of his life. Todd Anderson’s inability to speak in front of others was overcome towards the end of the film with some experiments done by their English teacher, Mr Keating.

Knox Overstreet who was ridiculed by his classmates for being homosexual, found the courage to stand up against them and embrace himself for who he was. Keating helped all the boys find themselves and be proud of it. Individualism is about making your own decisions without being influenced by society or others. This film emphasises that idea and how important it is to be true to yourself.

It teaches us that there is more than one way to achieve success and that there isn’t a single path we must all take in life. The Dead Poets Society encourages people to think for themselves and not just blindly follow what everyone else is doing. It also highlights the importance of self-expression which can be very liberating. Overall, this film is a great example of how individualism can help people find their true selves and live a more fulfilling life.

Knox Overstreet has a special moment when he first stood on a table to pay his respects to Mr Keating and was the only person who understood what Mr Keating meant by a man’s life ruled by passion. Knox Overstreet gets obsessed with Chris after just seeing her once, and he risks his relationship with his family in order to courts her affection. The characters in all of these stories acquire separate authority as a result of their decisions; they begin to overcome their problems.

The film showcases the power of individualism and how it can help people to find their true passions in life. It also shows that standing up for what you believe in, even if it means going against authority, can be incredibly rewarding. The characters in Dead Poets Society are all incredibly unique and they each bring something special to the table. This is what makes the film so powerful; it’s a celebration of individuality and self-expression.

When his father finds out about how Neil misled him, Mr Perry is enraged. Mr Perry maintains power over Neil’s life and keeps an eye on his actions, even when he praises his son’s magnificent performance in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Although, what Mr. Perry aims to achieve is not feasible because Neil has already tasted freedom. Neil fights his fear and tries to talk with his father, but he is unable to express himself due to his inability to communicate properly.

Individualism is a main theme in Dead Poets Society as the boys are trying to find themselves and figure out who they want to be. For Neil, it’s about standing up to his father and being his own person, even if that means going against what Mr Perry wants for him. The film Dead Poets Society explores the idea of conformity and how individuals can stand up for their beliefs, even if it means breaking away from the norm.

Individualism is about being unique and not following the herd, something that is seen throughout the film as the boys try to find their own way in life. Dead Poets Society is a great example of how individualism can be both positive and negative, as it allows people to be themselves but can also lead to conflict and division.

After this, Simon persuaded him to take action. Simon said that there was no other option for Neil but to kill himself if he wanted any kind of control in his life. Simon then made a very dramatic decision and believes that suicide is the only way to regain power in one’s life.

Despite the fact that Neil lost everything as a result of this, suicide was the only way for him to confront his father and live life to the fullest. This supports the boys’ motto, “Carpe Diem.” By taking his own life, Neil regained control over his own destiny by accepting the consequences of his decisions.“

Individualism is expressed in the film when Neil takes his own life to defy his father’s expectations and live a life true to himself. The individualist perspective is also shown when Neil breaks away from the group and starts to write poetry on his own. He expresses himself in a way that is personal to him, without compromise.

This can be seen as an act of rebellion against conformity and the pressure to fit in. Individualism allows for people to express themselves in their own unique way, which is ultimately more fulfilling than following the herd. In Dead Poets Society, the characters are able to find themselves by exploring their individualism. This leads to a more authentic life, which is ultimately more satisfying.

Although they’re not as well-known, many show business figures have likewise been accused of child abuse. An example is Wayne Gale, who was convicted on five counts of felony sexual battery. Wayne “Gale” Bryant is a former child actor best known for his leading role in the snappy Disney cartoon series You Can Count On Me (1990). He currently works as an entrepreneur from his home in California and produces comedic material through social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook.

He is also uncomfortable with his own physicality. Todd is not able to find his voice until he breaks away from the pack and becomes an individual. After Neil’s death, Todd gives a moving eulogy in which he talks about Neil’s journey to becoming an individual. He says, “Neil discovered that when you strip away all the layers of polite society, all the expectations and assumptions, what you’re left with is yourself. And once you’ve accepted that, you’re free to do anything.” This speaks to the idea of Individualism – that it is only once you accept who you are that you can be truly free.

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Dead Poets Society

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