well come on.
"oh captain, my captain" who knows where that comes from?
not a clue? it's from a poem by walt whitman about mr. abraham lincoln. now in this class you can call me mr. keating. or, if you're slightly more daring, oh captain, my captain.
now let me dispel a few rumors so they don't fester into facts. yes, i too attended hell-ton and survived. and no, at that time i was not the mental giant you see before you. i was the intellectual equivalent of a ninety-eight pound weakling. i would go to the beach and people would kick copies of byron in my face.
now, mr… pitts. that's a rather unfortunate name. mr. pitts, where are you?
mr. pitts, would you open your hymnal to page 542 and read the first stanza of the poem you find there?
yes, that's the one. somewhat appropriate, isn't it.
thank you mr. pitts. "gather ye rosebuds while ye may." the latin term for that sentiment is carpe diem. now who knows what that means?
very good, mr.-
meeks. another unusual name. seize the day. gather ye rosebuds while ye may. why does the writer use these lines?
no, ding!
thank you for playing anyway. because we are food for worms lads. because, believe it or not, each and every one of us in this room is one day going to stop breathing, turn cold, and die.
now i would like you to step forward over here and peruse some of the faces from the past. you've walked past them many times. i don't think you've really looked at them.
they're not that different from you, are they? same haircuts. full of hormones, just like you. invincible, just like you feel. the world is their oyster. they believe they're destined for great things, just like many of you. their eyes are full of hope, just like you. did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even one iota of what they were capable? because you see gentlmen, these boys are now fertilizing daffodils. but if you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy to you. go on, lean in.
carpe.
hear it? carpe. carpe diem. seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary.
gentlemen, open your text to page twenty-one of the introduction. mr. perry, will you read the opening paragraph of the preface, entitled "understanding poetry"?
excrement. that's what i think of mr. j. evans pritchard. we're not laying pipe, we're talking about poetry.
i mean, how can you describe poetry like american bandstand? i like byron, i give him a 42, but i can't dance to it.
now i want you to rip out that page.
go on, rip out the entire page. you heard me, rip it out. rip it out!
go on, rip it out.
thank you mr. dalton. gentlemen, tell you what, don't just tear out that page, tear out the entire introduction. i want it gone, history. leave nothing of it. rip it out. rip! begone j. evans pritchard, ph.d. rip, shred, tear. rip it out. i want to hear nothing but ripping of mr. pritchard.
we'll perforate it, put it on a roll.
it's not the bible, you're not going to go to hell for this. go on, make a clean tear, i want nothing left of it.
rip it out, rip!
i don't hear enough rips.
mr. mcallister.
i am.
keep ripping gentlemen. this is a battle, a war. and the casualties could be your hearts and souls.
thank you mr. dalton. armies of academics going forward, measuring poetry. no, we will not have that here. no more of mr. j. evans pritchard. now in my class you will learn to think for yourselves again. you will learn to savor words and language. no matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world. i see that look in mr. pitt's eye, like nineteenth century literature has nothing to do with going to business school or medical school. right? maybe. mr. hopkins, you may agree with him, thinking "yes, we should simply study our mr. pritchard and learn our rhyme and meter and go quietly about the business of achieving other ambitions." i have a little secret for ya. huddle up. huddle up!
we don't read and write poetry because it's cute. we read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. and the human race is filled with passion. medicine, law, business, engineering, these are all noble pursuits, and necessary to sustain life. but poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. to quote from whitman: "o me, o life of the questions of these recurring, of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities filled with the foolish. what good amid these, o me, o life? answer: that you are here. that life exists, and identity. that the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse. that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse.
i'm sorry if i shocked you, mr. mcallister.
you think so?
we're not talking artists george, we're talking free thinkers.
funny, i never pegged you as a cynic.
but only in their dreams can man be truly free. 'twas always thus, and always thus will be.
no, keating.
gentlemen.
oh my god. no, that's not me. stanley "the tool" wilson-
god.
i doubt the present administration would look too favorably upon that.
gentlemen, can you keep a secret?
the dead poets were dedicated to sucking the marrow out of life. that's a phrase from thoreau that we'd invoke at the beginning of each meeting. you see we'd gather at the old indian cave and take turns reading from thoreau, whitman, shelley; the biggies. even some of our own verse. and in the enchantment of the moment we'd let poetry work its magic.
no mr. overstreet, it wasn't just "guys", we weren't a greek organization, we were romantics. we didn't just read poetry, we let it drip from our tongues like honey. spirits soared, women swooned, and gods were created, gentlemen, not a bad way to spend an evening eh? thank you mr. perry for this trip down amnesia lane. burn that, especially my picture.
a man is not very tire, he is exhausted. and don't use very sad, use-
come on, mr. overstreet, you twerp,
exactly! morose. now, language was developed for one endeavor, and that is? mr. anderson? come on! are you a man or an amoeba?
mr. perry?
no! to woo women. today we're going to be talking about william shakespeare.
i know. a lot of you looked forward to this about as much as you look forward to root canal work. we're gonna talk about shakespeare as someone who writes something very interesting. now, many of you have seen shakespeare done very much like this:
"dogs, sir? oh, not just now. i do enjoy a good dog once in a while, sir. you can have yourself a three-course meal from one dog. start with your canine crudites, go to your fido flambe for main course and for dessert, a pekingese parfait. and you can pick your teeth with a little paw."
why do i stand up here? anybody?
no! keating rings the bell on his desk with his foot
thank you for playing, mr. dalton. i stand upon my desk to remind yourself that we must constantly look at things in a different way.
you see, the world looks very different from up here. you don't believe me? come see for yourself. come on. come on!
just when you think you know something, you have to look at it in another way. even though it may seem silly or wrong, you must try! now, when you read, don't just consider what the author thinks. consider what you think.
boys, you must strive to find your own voice. because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all. thoreau said, "most men lead lives of quiet desperation." don't be resigned to that. break out!
don't just walk off the edge like lemmings. look around you.
there! there you go, mr. priske. thank you! yes! dare to strike out and find new ground. now, in addition to your essays, i would like you to compose a poem of your own, an original work.
that's right! you have to deliver it aloud in front of the class on monday. bonne chance, gentlemen.
mr. anderson? don't think that i don't know that this assignment scares the hell out of you, you mole.
now, devotees may argue that one sport or game is inherently better than another. for me, sport is actually a chance for us to have other human beings push us to excel. i want you all to come over here and take a slip of paper and line up single file.
mr. meeks, time to inherit the earth. mr. pitts, rise above your name.
i want you to hand these out to the boys, one apiece.
you know what to do, pitts.
sounds to me like you're daunted. say it again like you're undaunted.
now go on.
yes! next.
next. louder!
come on, meeks! listen to the music.
yes!
oh! boo! come on, charlie, let it fill your soul!
no, no. it's not stupid. it's a good effort. it touched on one of the major themes, love. a major theme not only in poetry, but life. mr. hopkins, you were laughing. you're up.
congratulations, mr. hopkins. yours is the first poem to ever have a negative score on the pritchard scale. we're not laughing at you, we're laughing near you. i don't mind that your poem had a simple theme. sometimes the most beautiful poetry can be about simple things, like a cat, or a flower or rain. you see, poetry can come from anything with the stuff of revelation in it. just don't let your poems be ordinary. now, who's next?
mr. anderson, i see you sitting there in agony. come on, todd, step up. let's put you out of your misery.
mr. anderson thinks that everything inside of him is worthless and embarrassing. isn't that right, todd? isn't that your worst fear? well, i think you're wrong. i think you have something inside of you that is worth a great deal.
"i sound my barbaric yawp over the rooftops of the world." w. w. uncle walt again. now, for those of you who don't know, a yawp is a loud cry or yell. now, todd, i would like you to give us a demonstration of a barbaric "yawp." come on. you can't yawp sitting down. let's go. come on. up.
you gotta get in "yawping" stance.
no, not just a yawp. a barbaric yawp.
come on, louder.
no, that's a mouse. come on. louder.
oh, good god, boy. yell like a man!
there it is. you see, you have a barbarian in you, after all.
now, you don't get away that easy.
the picture of uncle walt up there. what does he remind you of? don't think. answer. go on.
what kind of madman? don't think about it. just answer again.
no, you can do better than that. free up your mind. use your imagination. say the first thing that pops into your head, even if it's total gibberish. go on, go on.
good god, boy, there's a poet in you, after all. there, close your eyes. close your eyes. close 'em. now, describe what you see.
yes?
a sweaty-toothed madman?
oh, that's excellent. now, give him action. make him do something.
that's it. wonderful. wonderful.
what's he mumbling?
forget them, forget them. stay with the blanket. tell me about that blanket.
don't you forget this.
no grades at stake, gentlemen. just take a stroll.
there it is.
i don't know, but i've been told--
doing poetry is old--
left, left, left-right-left. left, left, left-right-left. left, halt!
thank you, gentlemen. if you noticed, everyone started off with their own stride, their own pace.
mr. pitts, taking his time. he knew he'll get there one day. mr. cameron, you could see him thinking, "is this right? it might be right. it might be right. i know that. maybe not. i don't know."
mr. overstreet, driven by deeper force. yes. we know that. all right. now, i didn't bring them up here to ridicule them. i brought them up here to illustrate the point of conformity: the difficulty in maintaining your own beliefs in the face of others. now, those of you -- i see the look in your eyes like, "i would've walked differently." well, ask yourselves why you were clapping. now, we all have a great need for acceptance. but you must trust that your beliefs are unique, your own, even though others may think them odd or unpopular, even though the herd may go, "that's baaaaad." robert frost said, "two roads diverged in a wood and i, i took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." now, i want you to find your own walk right now. your own way of striding, pacing. any direction. anything you want. whether it's proud, whether it's silly, anything. gentlemen, the courtyard is yours.
you don't have to perform. just make it for yourself. mr. dalton? you be joining us?
thank you, mr. dalton. you just illustrated the point. swim against the stream.
certainly.
didn't know you taught, mr. nolan.
well, your reprimand made quite an impression, i'm sure.
courtyard?
oh, that. that was an exercise to prove a point. dangers of conformity.
i always thought the idea of educating was to learn to think for yourself.
it's all right, gentlemen.
mr. dalton. that was a pretty lame stunt you pulled today.
sucking the marrow out of life doesn't mean choking on the bone. sure there's a time for daring and there's a time for caution, and a wise man understands which is called for.
no. you being expelled from school is not daring to me. it's stupid, 'cause you'll miss some golden opportunities.
like, if nothing else, the opportunity to attend my classes. got it, ace?
keep your head about you. that goes for the lot of you.
phone call from god. if it had been collect, it wouldn't been daring.
it's open.
neil, what's up?
certainly. sit down.
excuse me. get you some tea?
like some milk or sugar in that?
no, it's part of the monastic oath. they don't want worldly things distracting me from my teaching.
she's also in london. makes it a little difficult.
stand what?
'cause i love teaching. i don't wanna be anywhere else.
what's up?
have you ever told your father what you just told me? about your passion for acting. you ever show him that?
why not?
then you're acting for him, too. you're playing the part of the dutiful son. i know this sounds impossible, but you have to talk to him. you have to show him who you are, what your heart is.
you are not an indentured servant. if it's not a whim for you, you prove it to him by your conviction and your passion. you show him that and if he still doesn't believe you, well, by then you'll be out of school and you can do anything you want.
well, you have to talk to him before tomorrow night.
no.
no, you're not.
did you talk to your father?
really? you told him what you told me?
gentlemen, let's go.
will you be joining us, mr. overstreet?
shh, boys.
neil. neil. you have the gift. what a performance you left even me speechless. you have to stay with-
don't make it any worse than it is.
excuse me. i came for my personals. should i come back after class?
i do believe you, todd.
Thank you, boys. Thank you.