Nancy h
Nancy H. Kleinbaum - DEAD POETS SOCIETY
a summary by Fabian Laue
Welton Academy - a new school year starts for the students, especially for
Todd Anderson, a transfer student who has changed from his old school to
graduate on this elitist institute. The expectations are high and everybody
tries to live up to them.
There is more new at Welton, Mr John Keating, the new English professor, who
himself is a graduate of this school. Nobody expected, what this new teacher
was able to reach with his very own teaching methods.
He changes his students' lives completely by challenging them to make their
lives extraordinary.
The boys, inspired by their new teacher, establish the Dead Poets Society, a
secret club they found out about in an old annual. During their meetings they
are free from all constraints and expectations of school and parents, which
normally last heavily on them. With Mr Keating's help the students do not
only discover language and its beauty but also the importance of every single
moment in their lives by the old saying "Carpe diem" - "Seize the day". This
creates strong feelings of freedom and passion.
But after a short time the Dead Poets pledges realize that this attitude they
have gained also has its own very tough sides. Their teachers and parents do
not tolerate that the children criticise and reject any traditions, in
particular not the school pillars which are: tradition, honour, discipline
and excellence, by secret actions and being taught alternatively.
The story
describes the change of the students' behaviour during Mr Keating's influence
on them and the parents' reaction.
The students' opinion about the case is that their new teacher is the only
person who treats them like adults - free thinkers or at least the free
thinkers they might be some day. This fact is not accepted by the parents,
nor by other teachers which is shown at one example, Neil Perry, one of the
best students and Todd's roommate.
Mr Keating indirectly opens his eyes and helps him to find out about his life
and what he is supposed and able to make out of it. He wants to become an
actor.
By chance he gets the leading part in a play.
But he still is not able to
play because of a demanded permission of his dad which he falsifies to be
allowed to leave school to practice.
Shortly before the première his dad finds out about his son's disobedient
plans. After a short argument about his dishonourable behaviour and
disobedience, he forbids him to play.
Although seing that Neil is very talented, Mr Perry takes his son home and
forces him to give up all his plans, his new-found life.
That night Neil Perry is urged by this escalated situation, which shows the
pressure his dad puts on him, to make his own choice, think freely, which is
to commit suicide.
This seems to be the end for Mr Keating who is accused of being guilty by the
parents and teachers.
Later he is dismissed without notice by the principal.
The students are the only ones who really understand Mr Keating's message
about seizing the day, living an extraordinary life and enjoying themselves.
They know that he has wanted to prepare them for life, for reality, for all
the things he has probably not been prepared for when he left this school.
His attitude to school is not to force the children to learn, he tries to
make them want to learn.
Every day has its own very special feature, its often very little good side.
This side should be the one to be seized to have a better life which is not
only filled with success as a result of hard work but also with happiness and
the ability of thinking freely.
Evaluation
by Fabian Laue
I liked reading the novel very much because it really pictures how it was
like in an elitist school only a few decades ago.
Another great aspect of the story is how the reader can identify himself with
the characters of the story and feel, for example, the unfair decisions or
treatments by teachers and parents.
Furthermore it is also shown how much pressure school and parents put on the
students and the only thing they are focused on (before Keating became a
teacher at Welton) were good grades at school, reached to have satisfied and
pleased parents who pay for the next semester.
Keating himself has experienced this way of education at this school which
probably made him change parts of the education program to prepare the
students for the life after school.
He knows that his students are expected to follow the parents' traditions
until they earn their own money after a long learning-process while going
through school and university successfully, that is a condition.
Keating wants to prepare his students for life by teaching them to find their
own personality and to establish an own value system, which is more than
meaningful related to today's parents' and students' opinion.
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