"Dead Poets Society" is in my top 10 favorite movies of all time. From the script to the concept to the actors, there are so many things to love about this movie. It is my second favorite movie to use when I need to be inspired. But that doesn't mean I don't recognize the flaws with it. I have two problems with this movie. My first one is that this movie makes Delaware look interesting. Personally, I wasn't crazy about living in Delaware after being there for 18 years. But that's also just me being a petty teenager stuck in the "I hate my small town" mentality. The actual problem I have with this movie comes from Mr. Keating's teaching style. Unfortunately, his true talent is motivational speaking, not teaching English.
The greatest feature of this movie is Keating's unconventional teaching styles. Rather than just reading poetry and analyzing it, he chooses to use poetry to help unlock the individuality in his students. This includes them presenting their own poems, having them find their own speed in the crowd and helping them recreate the Dead Poets Society, the secret organization Keating was a part of himself at Welton Academy. Within the strict environment of the school, it makes sense he would want to focus on freeing their minds and reminding them of their individuality and autonomy.
The problem is, he's an English teacher. It's great that he wants to inspire a new generation to be themselves and follow their own passions, even if that's not what their parents wanted of them. That isn't what he's being paid to do. As Kevin Dettmar wrote, this movie is not the idea the public should be having about why people want to study English as their degree program. English can be an interesting subject on its own, reviewing the rhetoric and the style of poets or breaking down Shakespeare. Poetry should not just be used as a way to motivate people to succeed in life or to be an individual.
On top of misleading people about English, it sets it up so Headmaster Nolan is the villain, firing Keating after everything. Is it tragic that the inspirational teacher got fired after having a Judas in his class? Yes. Is it fair that the teacher, who was not following protocol, failing to teach the curriculum set in place, got let go for malpractice? Yes. It is true, Keating didn't deserve to be fired because of Richard's lies and fake confessional about the Dead Poets Society. But there were plenty of reasons why Keating deserved to be let go due to his lack of teaching.
Long story short, this movie is inspirational. It is an amazing film to inspire people to be themselves and let the truth of their personality run free, in whatever outlet they choose. However, don't believe anything Keating says about the poems they reference. Poetry can be over-analyzed and still be inspiring and motivational. You don't have to turn every poem you read into a lesson on life. It can just be sitting at a desk, reading a book of Thoreau's poems, talking about what he means by "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation."
