Dead Poets Society Summary and Context
Summary
The Welton Academy is founded on the values of tradition and excellence, and is fixed on providing students with a strict, structured lesson curriculum set by the realist administration. With every new semester, many sons are left in the hands of Welton Academy, in hopes that they become doctors and lawyers. However, when a Welton alumnus returns as an English teachers, he brings with him the passion for romanticism, widening the horizons of his students.
The story is mainly viewed through the eyes of Todd Anderson and his roommate Neil Perry. Todd is an overly conscious and shy character who is constantly afraid of not living up to the expectations that the people around him have, given that his brother was a former valedictorian. Neil on the other hand, is ambitious and outgoing, but is always suppressed by his predominant father, who dictates how Neil’s life should be run.
The new English teacher John Keating begins his teachings with a fervent lecture on their imminent deaths, explaining to the students that their lives are fleeting so they should seize the day to make their lives count, to leave a legacy of “carpe diem.” He continues his teaching by instructing the class to rip out the pages of their books which describe a scientific way to determine the greatness of poetry. He teaches them the works of the romantic poets such as Thoreau and Lord Byron and employs outdoor exercises to warn them of the dangers of conformity and the power of sports as a way which human beings push each other to excel.
Amidst these eccentric activities, the students, intrigued with their new teacher, learn that he was a member of the Dead Poets Society. When asked, Keating describes glorious moments of creating gods, but warns them to forget about the idea. Nevertheless, they repeatedly sneak off campus to convene their own version of the Dead Poets Society. Todd is allowed to attend as an exception: since he does not want to read aloud, he keeps minutes of the
The Welton Academy is founded on the values of tradition and excellence, and is fixed on providing students with a strict, structured lesson curriculum set by the realist administration. With every new semester, many sons are left in the hands of Welton Academy, in hopes that they become doctors and lawyers. However, when a Welton alumnus returns as an English teachers, he brings with him the passion for romanticism, widening the horizons of his students.
The story is mainly viewed through the eyes of Todd Anderson and his roommate Neil Perry. Todd is an overly conscious and shy character who is constantly afraid of not living up to the expectations that the people around him have, given that his brother was a former valedictorian. Neil on the other hand, is ambitious and outgoing, but is always suppressed by his predominant father, who dictates how Neil’s life should be run.
The new English teacher John Keating begins his teachings with a fervent lecture on their imminent deaths, explaining to the students that their lives are fleeting so they should seize the day to make their lives count, to leave a legacy of “carpe diem.” He continues his teaching by instructing the class to rip out the pages of their books which describe a scientific way to determine the greatness of poetry. He teaches them the works of the romantic poets such as Thoreau and Lord Byron and employs outdoor exercises to warn them of the dangers of conformity and the power of sports as a way which human beings push each other to excel.
Amidst these eccentric activities, the students, intrigued with their new teacher, learn that he was a member of the Dead Poets Society. When asked, Keating describes glorious moments of creating gods, but warns them to forget about the idea. Nevertheless, they repeatedly sneak off campus to convene their own version of the Dead Poets Society. Todd is allowed to attend as an exception: since he does not want to read aloud, he keeps minutes of the