Sophs--Dead Poets Society film clips

In the movie, Dead Poets Society, the inspirational English teacher, Mr. John Keating, used poetry to open up a whole new world of life lessons for his young charges. Instead of learning how to rate poetry like it was a song on American Bandstand (an old teen dance show during which teens rated new "records"), he encouraged his students to savor the spoken word, to think for themselves, and to "seize the day."Poetry, he said, celebrates the reasons we stay alive--for passion, love, beauty, and romance. Most of his students "got the message," though some resisted (that's only natural, don't you think?).

For homework Thursday night, watch these three scenes from Mr. Keating's first three classes teaching poetry to better understand (and "know") the four "messages" about life and poetry that Keating teaches his students.  

Note: My teenage doppelganger appears 11 seconds into the first class. 

First class

Second class 

Third class