Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman, now deceased, was a famous poet and journalist. As a poet and journalist, Whitman lets his readers unravel his thoughts and view the strong messages he sends out. In the film, Dead Poet Society, the theme and characters’ behaviors are influence by Whitman.
During the beginning of the film, the setting is an all boy’s school. This shows Whitman’s homosexuality. The first day of class, a group of boys go to class. They begin to read a book that their teacher, Mr. Keating, gave them. Mr. Keating tells them to turn to the introduction to poetry and rip it out. The situation shows how Whitman’s attributes were used to influences the tearing of these pages. Whitman followed his own path and not the path of others. He broke barriers to follow what he wanted to do, not what others told him to do.
Mr. Keating was in a Dead Poet Society when he was younger. He was an influence to a couple of boys at school who decided to make their own Dead Poet Society .Neil Young is a student at Welton Academy. Neil was influenced by Mr. Keating displayed that the boys should be independent, just as Walt Whitman was. Neil disobeyed his father’s rules and performed in a play but then committed suicide because his father would not let him go to school anymore. His father wanted him to be a doctor, but Neil had other plans. He wanted to be independent and do what he wanted. He resembled Whitman’s independence. Neil’s friends and the members of the group were asked questions and everything was linked back to Mr. Keating. Mr. Nolan, the head of the school, fires Mr. Keating, because he blames him for Neil’s death.
Mr. Keating goes into the classroom where his students are being taught by Mr. Nolan. He is gathering his things and almost leaves when Todd Anderson apologizes. Mr. Nolan tells Mr. Keating to leave. Then Todd stands up on his desk and repeats “Oh Captain, My Captain.” This quote was taught to them in class by Mr. Keating. Then all of the boys stand on their desks also repeating the quote ignoring Mr. Nolan’s request for them to sit back down. The students’ behavior is influenced by Walt Whitman’s power and character as a person.
Walt Whitman was a great influence to many people. His values were different than those of others. Whitman was not afraid to go against the usual poets’ morals and standards. Most of his work was formed in free verse, which explains his independence as a poet. Whitman followed his own morals and he wrote anything he desired. As displayed, Whitman presented an enormous influence on the film Dead Poet Society. He not only influenced the theme but the behaviors of the characters. Whitman was a man of Carpe Diem, which formed the basis of Dead Poet Society.
