Painfully shy Todd Anderson has been sent to the school where his popular older brother was valedictorian. His room-mate, Neil, although exceedingly bright and popular, is very much under the thumb of his overbearing father. The two, along with their other friends, meet Professor Keating, their new English teacher, who tells them of the Dead Poets Society, and encourages them to go against the status quo. Each, in their own way, does this, and are changed for life.
Written by Liz Jordan <c9310494@alinga.newcastle.edu.au>
The poem by Henry David Thoreau that is featured on the front page of the poetry book Neil receives is not an original poem by Thoreau. Rather, it is a rearrangement of sentences from his work "Where I Lived", Chapter 2. The passage containing the quotes seen in the movie actually reads "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, ..."
See more »
Goofs
Anachronisms:
Although the setting is the 1950s, the chemistry textbook the students use, "Chemistry: A Modern Course" by Robert Smoot, is copyrighted 1987.
See more »
Quotes
Neil:
[Neil finds Todd sitting alone on the roof]
Hey! Todd Anderson:
Hey. Neil:
What's going on? Todd Anderson:
Nothin'. Today's my birthday. Neil:
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Todd Anderson:
Thanks. Neil:
What'd you get? Todd Anderson:
[indicating the desk set lying beside him]
My parents gave me this. Neil:
Isn't this the same desk set... Todd Anderson:
Yeah. Yeah, they gave me the same thing as last year.
[...]
See more »