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An Apology for Dead Poets Society

Written by: Nivetha Sivasamy


By allowing the students to do away with a formal greeting, Keating cleverly dissolves any kind of tension or block that might have hindered the smooth functioning of the teacher-student relations. As a grand consequence, he strikes a cordial relationship with his students, rendering his self approachable and reliable at all times.

Touchstone Pictures


Released to universal acclaim in 1989, the Academy Award-winning film Dead Poets Society turns 30 this year. Toplined by a terrific Robin Williams, this film has unfailingly remained endearing to movie lovers over the years for putting on display a pantheon of characters that feel real and true, even more so for making accessible and lovable poetry to its viewers.

Having this in mind, although favourable reviews are aplenty for the film, it has been time and again brought under scrutiny for the teaching methods Keating - a role that fetched Robin Williams his second Oscar nomination - employs in the film. Marking the film's 25th anniversary, in an article written for The Atlantic titled Dead Poets Society Is a Terrible Defense of the Humanities, journalist Kevin J.H Dettmar traces his misgivings about the teaching methods Keating uses in the film. Much of his argument comes down heavily upon the anti-intellectual, lightweight teaching techniques used in the film, criticizing the lack of serious study of literature.   


Though I agree Keating doesn't delve into the actual hardcore study of literature, focusing on literary criticism and objective thinking, it's inarguable how important motivation and appreciation is to reading literature, especially for the beginners and those searching for an exit from the humdrum of school life.


Central to instructional models constructed for teaching English is the importance of motivation to students, which is most notable in the widely-used Jeremy Harmer's ESA (Engage-Study-Activate) model. It is to be noted here that this and other teaching models necessitate the various constituent steps and elements to be implemented consequentially in every class. In light of this, it could thus be posited that Keating doesn't follow any conventional mode of instruction, moving from one phase to another. Au contraire, he's stuck in the Engage part of teaching, merely motivating students to venture into poetry. Although it might be tiring for a group of students who have already discovered the treasure that poetry is, motivation poises itself essential and relevant for the troupe of students we meet in the film, as they course through their daily life in school devoid of any excitement or passion. Their tedious monotony is conveyed by the quick shots we see of the other classes, such as Chemistry, Latin and Mathematics, in which the students visibly look bored and unexcited. This state of dreariness is strikingly broken by Keating, who right from the first class, piques the interest, curiosity and imagination of the students.


For this purpose of piquing students' interest in poetry, in the six sessions he has with students Keating is seen to execute different techniques, that, at once, looks impromptu and not premeditated. Here's an outline of what transpires in each class; 


Session A. On the very first day of the class, Keating invites students out of the classroom, to peer at the class pictures lined in glass-fronted shelves. There, he firmly pins down the idea of carpe diem or seizing the day by reciting iconic lines from "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time", and morbidly reminding students that they're one day going to be mere food to worms. 


Session B. In the next class, in what has now become an oft-quoted scene, he delivers an impassioned speech on the purpose and importance of poetry to life. 


Session C. The third class he has with students is marked by his encouraging students to look at the class from atop the teacher's desk, to constantly think from different perspectives. In retrospect, I agree with what journalist Dettmar highlights in his article, that this exercise is ironical, as the students merely follow Keating and look at the class the same way he sees. Hence, the activity Keating assumes would enable the students to perceive differently sees them get stuck in a rut of sameness unfortunately. 


Session D. In the class that follows, Keating once again takes the students out of the narrow confines of the classroom, this time to the school field. Here, the students are encouraged to read aloud in a rousing manner the verses given in the slips passed on to them, following which they kick the ball positioned in front of them with all force. 


Session E. In the fifth session with the students, Keating invites students to the front to present the poems they've written as part of the previous class' homework. Although the first two poems, especially the second one, lack depth and substance, Keating doesn't criticize their work, instead, he appreciates the presenters for their good effort and willingness to write about things that escape attention in everyday life. In the same class, Keating notices the unnoticed Todd Anderson and exhorts him to lay bare his mind without any filter to the class. Above everything, an interesting observation that could be made here is Keating doesn't teach the students how to write or recite poetry, rather he gives them the space to lend poetry their own shape and colour.


Session F. In what looks like the last class before the movie gets heart-wrenchingly bleak, Keating has students walk in different strides at the basketball court to demonstrate the importance of non-conformity in thought and action.   

In three out of these six sessions, Keating breaks away from the traditional notion of a classroom being limited to a four-walled room and integrates the surroundings into the students' journey in learning. As a result of knocking down the narrow walls and adopting expansive classrooms, the students in the film visibly appear to be infused with enthusiasm and optimism. 


Apart from the unconventional classroom we encounter in the film, it's also imperative to comment on the nature of the activities. It's ostensible that Keating integrates into learning activities that engage students physically rather than cerebrally, in other words, the activities that are woven into his lessons do not make the students think as much as they make them do or perform. Speaking on this, Dettmar rightly points out that such activities undermine the intellectual work that's invested in English classrooms. Though I partly agree with his opinion, I believe involving physicality into learning can help students understand, internalize and see abstract concepts like non-conformity in practice, which are primarily notional in nature.

Also, in the study of literature, from my perspective, appreciation takes precedence over criticism, in the initial stages at least. Before one takes the scalpel and starts dissecting a piece of poem, it's of paramount importance first to love, admire and identify the beauty in it. This exactly is the part that Keating predominantly works on and aces throughout the film. All said, just teaching appreciation is not enough in a literature classroom. It's pivotal that one teaches students to be incisive, critical and insightful readers to truly unravel the essence of words, a point that Dettmar also advocates in his article. 


Of all that Keating does, perhaps the most desirous quality teachers down the years have taken inspiration from is the rapport he shares with the students. The most popular measure he employs would be requesting students to call him "Oh Captain! My Captain!", a beloved opening line from a poem penned by Walt Whitman. By allowing the students to do away with a formal greeting, Keating cleverly dissolves any kind of tension or block that might have hindered the smooth functioning of the teacher-student relations. As a grand consequence, he strikes a cordial relationship with his students, rendering his self approachable and reliable at all times.


Despite all this defence, if one were to use a word to describe the nature of teaching techniques Keating employs, no other term fits like a glove as "Romantic" does. By Romantic, one essentially means that the teaching and learning that takes place within Keating's classroom is geared more towards appreciation and admiration than contemplation and deliberation. Such Romantic representation of an English classroom becomes perilous as it's only reinforcing the commonly held misconception that appreciation and admiration are all that happens in an English classroom. It's definitely not to say that it's not important to admire poetry, it's just that there's a threat of literature not being considered as serious a subject of study as science. Therefore, if there had been some scenes where the students were encouraged to use their critical acumen over passion, Dead Poets Society would have served the much-needed disclaimer for the viewers that literary study entails more than just appreciation. 


Perhaps, it's the quality of being emotionally appealing which has made the film loveable to the audience for years now. Had it filled the gaping gaps the critics have pointed out and been an intellectually stimulating experience for the students in the film and the masses alike, would it still have been as popular as it is now? I don't think so. It's painting the English class with Romantic and sentimental colours that have keenly helped the film enduring and endearing.

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