Dead Poet's Society Notes

• prestigious catholic private school for boys
• father encourages him to drop extra curricular
• very demanding
• teacher's generally very stiff and demanding
• Mr. Keiting informal, whistles then leaves and asks students to follow him into the hallway
• recites poetry
• making jokes
• shows them picture of old students
• lesson: you're going to die someday, Carpe Diem
• school = very strict rules
• nor radios
• Keiting uses visual examples
• graph of poetry greatness, then dismisses it
• asks them to rip out introduction pages
• other teacher comes in confused and horrified
• emphasis on words and ideas
• think for yourselves
• little regard for the logistics of poetry
• Other teacher criticizes Keiting encouraging students to be free thinkers
• Keiting lead the "Dead Poet's Society" when he was in school
• poetry reading group
• student suggests the recreate this group
• other students hesitant, don't want to get in trouble for going out late
• Students all bring poetry and sneak out to cave
• tell scary stories, read poetry
• rhythm poetry, having fun
• Keiting informal, joking
• impressions of Shakespeare performances
• encourages students to stand on desk
• gives assignment of original poem
• Neil wants to audition for Midsummer Night's Dream
• against his father's wishes
• always wanted to try acting
• Todd points out reality of it, tells him to ask father
• Neil encourages Todd to participate more. Todd refuses, Neil steals his poetry and runs around room, other students join
• Keiting takes them out to play sports
• haves them read a line of poetry and them kick a ball
• plays music
• Neil gets part of Buck in MSND
• forges permission letter
• Students read poetry aloud
• students laugh at Charlie's poem about Chris
• one student "the cat sat on the mat"
• Keiting tells students to "barbarian yalp"
• gives Todd plot, covers eyes, disorients and has them tell story as poetry
• Charlie brings saxophone to DPS, incorporates into poetry 
• Keiting has students march
• metaphor for the difficult of maintaining one's belief among conformity
• has students do their own walks 
• Neil encourages Tod to throw desk set (that his parents got him for the second year in a row) off bridge
• Charlie brings girls to DPS