Dead Poets Society (1989)

1. Describe the setting (both time and place) of the film in detail.

Dead Poets Society takes place at the conservative and aristocratic Welton Academy in 1959. The private school for boys only is located in Vermont, far away from the outside world. It has one aim for all its students: preparing them for college. This causes the school to be very strict. The boys need to do what they are told to do. There is no room for freedom: for free thoughts and free opinions. The academy is very traditional. The building reflects that. With the gothic arches and the outdoor lake, the school gives a Hogwarts vibe, but without the magic.

1. How does John Keating introduce himself to the class and why do you think this is significant?

Mister Keating first walks through the classroom while whistling a song. He then leaves the room. The boys are confused as to what is happening. Mister Keating urges them to come with him. First the boys are hesitant to go, but eventually the follow their teacher. They walk into the hallway and stop in front of a trophy cabinet. When the boys are quiet and all stand in front of him, he starts by saying the famous line ‘Oh, Captain, My Captain.’ He asks the kids if they know where the line comes from. Nobody answers, so he tells them the answer himself. He says that the boys can call him Mister Keating or, if they are slightly more daring, refer to him as ‘Oh, Captain, my Captain.’ He then starts introducing himself. He tells that, he to, has been to ‘Hell-ton’. He starts cracking jokes about the boys’ names and asks Pitts if he want to read the poem ‘The Virgins to make much of time.’ The teacher tells that a piece of the poem means in Latin ‘Carpe Diem.’ Seize the day. He tells the boys to look at the pictures the men in the trophy cabinet. He sums up why, these men, are alike to the boys who stand in front of them. Mister Keating says that the boys should lean in and listen to what these men have to say. He whispers: ‘Carpe diem. Carpe diem. Make your lives extraordinary.’

That last sentence is what the whole movie is about. It is what Mister Keating wants to teach these boys. That they should seize the day. Make their lives extraordinary. Keating also makes jokes with the kids. This shows that he is different from most of the other teachers. He really talks to them, not just teaches. He is on the same level as the kids. He is an equal for them.

1. Mention the names of the boys who form the new Dead Poets Society. Who do you think is the ‘odd man out’, who is the one boy who does not really fit? Why do you think this?

The boys who form the new Dead Poets Society are Neil Perry, Charlie Dalton, Todd Anderson, Know Overstreet, Richard Cameron, Gerard Pitts and Steven Meeks. I think the odd man out is Richard Cameron. All the boys like breaking the rules and find it exciting. Sure, they are scared of it sometimes but a good kind of scared. Instead, I feel that Cameron doesn’t want to break the rules. He goes along with them because they are his friends. He doesn’t think that they should ‘seize the day’. They should follow the rules and do what is told. He finds all this rebellion bad. The rules are there to be followed.

1. This movie shows the struggle between conformity and individuality. How do Neil, Knox and Todd deal with this, and how does Mr Keating deal with it?

Neil always dreamed of being an actor. He eventually pursued this dream, while going against his fathers wishes. This was his way of dealing with conformity and individuality. He dared to do his own thing. Knox goes after that girl. He steps out of his comfort to chase her. With success. He doesn’t care what his friends think of it. He does what he wants. Todd eventually reads his poem. He is put in front of the class the speak. In the end of the film, he does something very daring, for Todd. He stands on his desk and leads the class. He breaks the rules to let his voice be heard.

1. In the beginning of the film the DPS is degradingly described as a ‘bunch of guys reading poetry’. Is it just that, or does it stand for more than that? Be aware that it is actually the title of the movie – it must have some significance.

On the surface it sure is a bunch of guys reading poetry. But when you look closer you see that it is more than that. These bunch of guys are going through a revolution in themselves. They step up to the people who have always told them what to do. If it was their parents, school, or society. The Dead Poets realize in their meetings their own mortality. They realize that they, there it is again, should seize the day. Reading the works of poets who are gone, works as an inspiration for these boys. Those dead poets make them live their life.

1. What do you think of Neil’s father? Mr Perry blames Mr Keating for what happens to his son, but it that fair? Who are to blame for what happens to Neil? And to what degree (more or less) is each person involved responsible?

I get why Mr Perry blames Mister Keating. In his eyes Keating was a bad influence on his son. He made him do al kind of stuff he wouldn’t have done before. Mr Perry doesn’t see or care that those things are what made Neil happy. He only cares for Neils future. In such an extent that he doesn’t see the present anymore. I think Neils death has a bunch of different factors. First his father of course. Mr Perry wouldn’t listen to his son and sent him to some military boarding school which Neil didn’t want to attend. Secondly, I think that the expectations of society are a factor. It was expected that Neil would study, get a high paying job, a wife and children. But Neil didn’t want any of that. His future was already written out and no matter what he did he couldn’t change it.  

1. How much influence do you think parents are allowed to exert over their children’s lives?

I think it depends. It depends on the child, the environment in which it grows up, their background and of course the parents. Some children need to have some influence from their parents, some children want it, and some are perfectly fine without it.

1. How informal can a teacher-pupil relationship be? Did Mr Keating overstep his boundaries? Did the pupils overstep theirs? Have things changed from the 1960s to the present?

Teacher-pupil relationships can be quite special. I don’t think Mister Keating overstepped the line. He was teaching the boys all the time. That’s his job. I don’t quite know how things were in the 60s but I think that the teacher-pupil relationship then was either really special, like the ones with Mister Keating, or nonexistent. The teacher would only teach in the classroom and of it wasn’t spoken with each other. The relationships now are bit less intense than the ones with Mister Keating. It would be very strange if a teacher meets his pupils out of school.

1. At the end the boys are asked to sign a form that will force Mr Keating out of the school. Only Charlie does not sign. Why do you think he does not, and what happened to him because of his refusal?

Charlie was already on bad terms with the school. First, he pulled the stunt of the call and later he fights Cameron. Maybe he could’ve stayed at school if he signed the form. But I think that Charlie finds honor important. By not signing the form he honors Mister Keating but also one of his best friends, Neil. Neil never wouldn’t have wanted that Mister Keating got expelled. He would’ve done everything to prevent that. Charlie fulfils Neils legacy.

1. Which of the boys has learned the most from Mr Keatings lessons about non-conformity, about learning to think for yourself? Choose one boy and explain your choice extensively.

I think it was Neil. He finally did what he wanted to do and stopped listening to others. He thinks that he wouldn’t had commit suicide if it wasn’t for the lessons from Mister Keating. Without he probably would’ve gotten along with what his father told him to do. Neil had gotten a taste of how life could be, because of Keatings lessons.