dead poets society

A detailed Summary of dead poets society

The concept of reading between the lines goes far beyond the written word. Often people forget this when watching a movie or a television show. Instead of thinking deep into the connotative meaning of a film, the average movie goer takes the big screen for face value, only seeking entertainment. In her essay, "Dead White Heterosexual Poets Society," Tania Modleski journeys deep into the latent context of Peter Weir's film Dead Poets Society. In it she argues that this film is really about male homosexual repression in which the film uses "disclaimers" that deny the intended story. The film Dead Poets Society has many minor details that, when added together, comprise the pathway to the major idea behind the film: the repression of male homosexuality within the stiff environment of the homosocial boarding school.

The idea of repressed homosexual feelings is evident in the character of Todd Henderson, the new student who lacks confidence within himself. Throughout the film the audience is shown his timid, passive manner and is exposed to his problem with speaking publicly. According to Modleski, "the character reveals many of the signs of a sexual identity crisis" (316). When he becomes involved with the Dead Poets Society, he is

anything but involved. His problems within facing his own identity cause him to retreat as a speaker and to dwell as merely a listener at all the gatherings. Yet, he is accepted by the society and is allowed to be a listener at their secret meetings.

"Truth is like a blanket that always leaves your feet cold / you push it, stretch it, it will never be enough / you kick at it, beat it, it will never cover any of us / from the moment we enter crying to the moment we leave dying / it will just cover your face as you wail and cry and scream."

At another meeting, Charlie brings two girls to their cave, their secret meeting place. Right away, the audience can see that the other boys are not quite uncomfortable with Charlie bringing girls to their sacred masculine huddle. When the girls mention the idea of joining, the other boys respond somewhat apprehensively. In this situation, the presence of girls is supposed to assure the heterosexuality of these boys. Yet, the reaction of the boys toward the idea of opening this fraternal unit to females completely negates the presence of the girls.

Obviously, these words are from his own experience or rather, problems with facing the truth. In throwing these thoughts out of his mouth in front of the class, he has finally come to terms with himself. He has exposed himself, letting out his frustration in coping with the truth. With the inspiration of Walt Whitman, he has recognized the hard truth about his own identity, his sexual identity; or rather, homosexual identity

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1023
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English