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83-540: Dead Poets Society is a 1989 American coming-of-age drama film directed by Peter Weir and written by Tom Schulman . The film, starring Robin Williams , is set in 1959 at a fictional elite boarding school called Welton Academy, and tells the story of an English teacher who inspires his students through his teaching of poetry. Dead Poets Society was released in the United States on June 2, 1989. The film

166-580: A Confederate prisoner-of-war camp near Richmond . On February 24, 1865, George was granted a furlough to return home because of his poor health, and Whitman travelled to his mother's home in New York to visit his brother. While visiting Brooklyn, Whitman contracted to have his collection of Civil War poems, Drum-Taps , published. In June 1865, James Harlan , the Secretary of the Interior , found

249-440: A ship of state has been often used by authors. Whitman himself had written a letter on March 19, 1863, that compared the head of state to a ship's captain. Whitman had also likely read newspaper reports that Lincoln had dreamed of a ship under full sail the night before his assassination; the imagery was allegedly a recurring dream of Lincoln's before significant moments in his life. "My Captain" begins by describing Lincoln as

332-611: A "nicely restrained acting performance". Vincent Canby of The New York Times also praised Williams' "exceptionally fine performance", while writing that " Dead Poets Society ... is far less about Keating than about a handful of impressionable boys". Pauline Kael was unconvinced about the film and its "middlebrow highmindedness", but praised Williams. "Robin Williams' performance is more graceful than anything he's done before [–] he's totally, concentratedly there – [he] reads his lines stunningly, and when he mimics various actors reciting Shakespeare there's no undue clowning in it; he's

415-465: A Teenage Girl (2015), Mistress America (2015), The Edge of Seventeen (2016), Lady Bird (2017), Sweet 20 (2017), Aftersun (2022) and Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (2023). O Captain! My Captain! This is an accepted version of this page " O Captain! My Captain! " is an extended metaphor poem written by Walt Whitman in 1865 about the death of U.S. president Abraham Lincoln . Well received upon publication,

498-628: A connection to him and was greatly moved by Lincoln's assassination. "My Captain" was first published in The Saturday Press on November 4, 1865, and appeared in Sequel to Drum-Taps later that year. He later included it in the collection Leaves of Grass and recited the poem at several lectures on Lincoln's death . Stylistically, the poem is uncharacteristic of Whitman's poetry because of its rhyming, song-like flow, and simple " ship of state " metaphor. These elements likely contributed to

581-623: A copy of Leaves of Grass and, considering the collection vulgar, fired Whitman from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Although they never met, Whitman saw Abraham Lincoln several times between 1861 and 1865, sometimes at close quarters. The first time was when Lincoln stopped in New York City in 1861 on his way to Washington. Whitman noticed the president-elect's "striking appearance" and "unpretentious dignity", and trusted Lincoln's "supernatural tact" and "idiomatic Western genius". He admired

664-546: A designedly democratic and populist poem". Four years later, Epstein wrote that he struggled to believe that the same writer wrote both "Lilacs" and "O Captain! My Captain!". Poet Robert Pinsky told the New York Times News Service in 2009 that he considered the poem "not very good", and a year later another poet, C. K. Williams , concluded that the poem was a "truly awful piece of near doggerel triteness" that deserved derisive criticism. Meanwhile,

747-423: A genuinely inspirational turn from Robin Williams grant Peter Weir's prep school drama top honors". On Metacritic , the film received a score of 79, based on 15 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a rare "A+" grade on a scale of A+ to F. The Washington Post ' s reviewer called it "solid, smart entertainment", and praised Robin Williams for giving

830-542: A gifted teacher demonstrating his skills." Roger Ebert 's review for the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film two stars out of four. He criticized Williams for spoiling an otherwise creditable dramatic performance by occasionally veering into his onstage comedian's persona, and lamented that for a film set in the 1950s, there was no mention of the Beat Generation writers popular among college students of

913-421: A local production of A Midsummer Night's Dream , despite the disapproval of his controlling father, who wants him to attend Harvard to study medicine. Keating helps Todd come out of his shell and realize his potential when he takes him through an exercise in self-expression, resulting in his spontaneously composing a poem in front of the class. Charlie publishes an article in the school newspaper, on behalf of

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996-585: A memory of shared loss by remaking history in the shape of a ballad". In the second and third stanzas, according to Schöberlein, Whitman invokes religious imagery, making Lincoln a "messianic figure". Schöberlein compares the imagery of "My Captain" to the Lamentation of Christ , specifically Correggio 's 1525 Deposition . The poem's speaker places its "arm beneath [Lincoln's] head" in the same way that " Mary cradled Jesus " after his crucifixion . With Lincoln's death, "the sins of America are absolved into

1079-468: A mixed review from The New York Times , with critic Ben Brantley calling the play "blunt and bland", and criticizing Sudeikis' performance, citing his lack of enthusiasm when delivering powerful lines. In 2018, the theatrical adaptation of the film, written by Tom Schulman and directed by Francisco Franco, premiered in Mexico. The Mexican actor, Alfonso Herrera , played the main character. An adaptation

1162-458: A newspaper article that said "If Walt Whitman had written a volume of My Captains instead of filling a scrapbasket with waste and calling it a book the world would be better off today and Walt Whitman would have some excuse for living." Whitman responded to the article on September 11, 1888, saying: "Damn My Captain   [...] I'm almost sorry I ever wrote the poem," though he admitted that it "had certain emotional immediate reasons for being". In

1245-464: A prominent defender of Whitman. One of the earliest criticisms of the poem was authored by Edward P. Mitchell in 1881 who considered the rhymes "crude". "My Captain" is considered uncharacteristic of Whitman's poetry, and it was praised initially as a departure from his typical style. Author Julian Hawthorne wrote in 1891 that the poem was touching partially because it was such a stylistic departure. In 1892, The Atlantic wrote that "My Captain"

1328-431: A religio-sentimental, national family". The poem, which never mentions Lincoln by name, has frequently been invoked following the deaths of a head of state . After Franklin D. Roosevelt died in 1945, actor Charles Laughton read "O Captain! My Captain!" during a memorial radio broadcast. When John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963 , "O Captain! My Captain!" was played on many radio stations, extending

1411-852: A replica classroom built on a soundstage in Wilmington. To emphasize a film set back in time, storefronts in Delaware towns were transformed, with all modern conveniences removed. During the shooting, Weir requested that the young cast not use modern slang, even off camera. Weir also said that he hid a half-day's filming from Disney executives to allow Williams free range to use his comedic improvisational skills. Dead Poets Society held two open casting calls, in which more than 3,000 extras were used. During filming, Williams cracked many jokes on set, which Ethan Hawke found irritating. However, Hawke's first agent signed with Hawke when Williams told him that Hawke would "do really well". The worldwide box office

1494-414: A scene showing him on his hospital deathbed. This was removed by Weir, who deemed it unnecessary, reasoning that it would focus audiences' attention on Keating's illness, rather than on what he stood for. Early notes on the script from Disney also suggested making the boys' passion dancing rather than poetry, as well as a new title, Sultans of Swing , focusing on the character of Mr. Keating, rather than on

1577-758: A series of government jobs—first with the Army Paymaster's Office and later with the Bureau of Indian Affairs . He volunteered in the army hospitals as a nurse. Whitman's poetry was informed by his wartime experience, maturing into reflections on death and youth, the brutality of war, and patriotism. Whitman's brother, Union Army soldier George Washington Whitman, was taken prisoner in Virginia in September 1864, and held for five months in Libby Prison ,

1660-435: A sincere expression of emotion. The author Frances Winwar argued in her 1941 book American Giant: Walt Whitman and His Times that "in the simple ballad rhythm beat the heart of the folk". Vendler concludes that Whitman's use of a simple style is him saying that "soldiers and sailors have a right to verse written for them". Using elements of popular poetry enabled Whitman to create a poem that he felt would be understood by

1743-401: Is a largely faithful recreation of the scene, until a student ( Pete Davidson ) is decapitated by a ceiling fan when he jumps on top of his desk. Coming-of-age story The plot points of coming-of-age stories are usually emotional changes within the character(s) in question. In literary criticism , coming-of-age novels and Bildungsroman are sometimes interchangeable, but the former

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1826-460: Is an account of Lincoln's reading Whitman's Leaves of Grass poetry collection in his office, and another of the president's saying "Well, he looks like a man," upon seeing Whitman in Washington, D.C. According to scholar John Matteson : "[t]he truth of both these stories is hard to establish." Lincoln's death on April 15, 1865, greatly moved Whitman, who wrote several poems in tribute to

1909-492: Is an important characteristic of the genre, which relies on dialogue and emotional responses, rather than action. The story is sometimes told in the form of a flashback. Historically, coming-of-age films usually centred on young boys, although coming-of-age films focusing on girls have become more common in the early 21st century, such as The Poker House (2008), Winter's Bone (2010), Hick (2011), Girlhood (2014), Mustang (2015), Inside Out (2015), The Diary of

1992-410: Is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and done; From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won;       Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells!             But I, with mournful tread,                   Walk

2075-536: Is based on the movie. A theatrical adaptation written by Tom Schulman and directed by John Doyle opened off-Broadway October 27, 2016, and ran through December 11, 2016. Jason Sudeikis starred as John Keating, with Thomas Mann as Neil Perry, David Garrison as Gale Nolan, Zane Pais as Todd Anderson, Francesca Carpanini as Chris, Stephen Barker Turner as Mr. Perry, Will Hochman as Knox Overstreet, Cody Kostro as Charlie Dalton, Yaron Lotan as Richard Cameron, and Bubba Weiler as Steven Meeks. The production received

2158-441: Is designed for recitation . It is written in nine quatrains , organized in three stanzas. Each stanza has two quatrains of four seven-beat lines, followed by a four-line refrain, which changes slightly from stanza to stanza, in a tetrameter / trimeter ballad beat. Historian Daniel Mark Epstein wrote in 2004 that he considers the structure of the poem to be "uncharacteristically mechanical, formulaic". He goes on to describe

2241-582: Is famously featured in Dead Poets Society (1989) and is frequently associated with the star of that film, Robin Williams . Walt Whitman established his reputation as a poet in the late 1850s to early 1860s with the 1855 release of Leaves of Grass . Whitman intended to write a distinctly American epic and developed a free verse style inspired by the cadences of the King James Bible . The brief volume, first released in 1855,

2324-499: Is usually a wider genre. The Bildungsroman (from the German words Bildung , "education", alternatively "forming" and Roman , "novel") is further characterized by a number of formal, topical, and thematic features. It focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood ( coming of age ), in which character change is important. The genre evolved from folk tales of young children exploring

2407-731: The 95th greatest movie quote by the American Film Institute . After Robin Williams' death in August 2014, fans of his work used social media to pay tribute to him with photo and video reenactments of the film's final "O Captain! My Captain!" scene. Upon hearing about Robin William's death, many teachers came forward to pay him their respects online, and even revealed that they were inspired to become teachers because of his character, Mr. Keating, from Dead Poets Society . Nancy H. Kleinbaum 's novel, Dead Poets Society (2006),

2490-669: The David di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Film . Schulman received the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his work. In 1959, Todd Anderson begins his junior year of high school at Welton Academy, an Episcopalian all-male preparatory boarding school in Vermont . Todd is assigned one of Welton's top students, junior Neil Perry, as his roommate, and through Neil, he meets his friends: Knox Overstreet, Richard Cameron, Steven Meeks, Gerard Pitts, and Charlie Dalton. On

2573-412: The 'ship of state' metaphor to Kennedy. Following the 1995 assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin , the poem was translated into Hebrew and put to music by Naomi Shemer . The poem was set to music by David Broza and the song was released on his album Stone Doors . The poem was also set to music by Kurt Weill as one of his "Four Walt Whitman Songs". The poem appears in

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2656-454: The 1870s and 1880s, Whitman gave several lectures over eleven years on Lincoln's death. He usually began or ended the lectures by reciting "My Captain", despite his growing prominence meaning he could have read a different poem. In the late 1880s, Whitman earned money by selling autographed copies of "My Captain"—purchasers included John Hay , Charles Aldrich , and S. Weir Mitchell . The poem rhymes using an AABBCDED rhyme scheme , and

2739-469: The 1989 American film Dead Poets Society . John Keating (played by Robin Williams ), an English teacher at the Welton Academy boarding school, introduces his students to the poem in their first class. Keating is later fired from the school. As Keating returns to collect his belongings, the students stand on their desks and address Keating as "O Captain! My Captain!" The use of "My Captain" in

2822-525: The 2004 Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature entry on Whitman suggests that critiques about the poem's rhythm are unfair. Academic Stefan Schöberlein writes that—with the exception of Vendler—the poem's sentimentality has resulted in it being mostly "ignored in English speaking academia". Vendler writes that the poem utilizes elements of war journalism , such as "the bleeding drops of red" and "fallen cold and dead". The poem has imagery relating to

2905-434: The 20th century. In his book Canons by Consensus , Joseph Csicsila reached a similar conclusion, noting that the poem was "one of the two or three most highly praised of Whitman's poems during the 1920s and 1930s"; he also wrote that the poem's verse form and emotional sincerity appealed to "more conservative-minded critics". In 1916, Henry B. Rankin, a biographer of Lincoln, wrote that "My Captain" became "the nation's—aye,

2988-649: The Winners special in March 1990, Ebert chose the film's Best Picture nomination as the worst nomination of the year, believing that it took a slot that could have gone to Spike Lee 's Do the Right Thing . Film historian Leonard Maltin wrote, "Well made, extremely well acted, but also dramatically obvious and melodramatically one-sided. Nevertheless, Tom Schulman's screenplay won an Oscar." John Simon , writing for National Review , said that Dead Poets Society

3071-526: The already-built sets, and replaced Kanew with another director. In late 1988, Peter Weir met with Jeffrey Katzenberg at Disney . Katzenberg, who oversaw Touchstone Pictures, suggested that Weir read Schulman's script. On the flight back to Sydney, Weir was captivated, and six weeks later returned to Los Angeles to cast the principal characters. It was when Weir was given directing duties that filming began in earnest. In Schulman's manuscript, Keating had been ill and slowly dying of Hodgkin lymphoma , with

3154-748: The boys, but both were dismissed outright. Filming began in November 1988, and wrapped in January 1989. After filmmakers scouted more than 70 different universities and private schools, they decided that Dead Poets Society would take place at St. Andrew's School and the Everett Theatre in Middletown , Delaware , as well as at locations in New Castle , Delaware, and in nearby Wilmington , Delaware. Classroom scenes with Keating were filmed in

3237-424: The captain of the nation. By the end of the first stanza, Lincoln has become America's "dear father" as his death is revealed ("fallen cold and dead"). Vendler writes that the poem is told from the point of view of a young Union recruit, a "sailor-boy" who considers Lincoln like a "dear father". The American Civil War is almost over and "the prize we sought is almost won;/the port is almost near" with crowds awaiting

3320-413: The club, and he and his friends sneak off campus to a cave, where they read poetry. Keating's lessons and their involvement with the club encourage them to live their lives on their own terms. Knox pursues Chris Noel, a cheerleader who is dating Chet Danburry, a football player from a local public school, and whose family is friends with his. Neil discovers his love of acting, and gets the role of Puck in

3403-488: The club, recommending that girls be admitted to Welton. In response, Nolan paddles Charlie, attempting to force him to reveal who else is in the Dead Poets Society; but Charlie remains defiant. Nolan also confronts Keating, advising him that he should discourage his students from questioning authority. Keating admonishes the boys, warning them that one must assess all potential consequences of one's actions. On

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3486-402: The deck my Captain lies,                         Fallen cold and dead. O Captain! My Captain! rise up and hear the bells; Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills; For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding; For you they call,

3569-534: The deck my captain lies,                         Fallen cold and dead. Literary critic Helen Vendler thinks it likely that Whitman wrote the poem before "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd", considering it a direct response to "Hush'd Be the Camps To-Day". An early draft of

3652-570: The end of World War II it "all but disappeared" from American anthologies, and had "virtually disappeared" after 1966. William E. Barton wrote in Abraham Lincoln and Walt Whitman , published in 1965, that the poem was "the least like Whitman of anything Whitman ever wrote; yet it is his highest literary monument". Critical opinion of the poem began to shift in the middle of the 20th century. In 1980, Whitman's biographer Justin Kaplan called

3735-586: The era. Additionally, Ebert described the film as an often poorly constructed "collection of pious platitudes.... The movie pays lip service to qualities and values that, on the evidence of the screenplay itself, it is cheerfully willing to abandon." On their Oscar-nomination edition of Siskel & Ebert , both Gene Siskel (who also gave the film a mixed review) and Ebert disagreed with Williams' Oscar nomination. Ebert said that he would have swapped Williams with either Matt Dillon for Drugstore Cowboy or John Cusack for Say Anything . On their If We Picked

3818-632: The eve of the play's opening performance, Neil's father discovers his involvement in the play and demands that he quit immediately. Keating advises Neil to stand his ground to prove to his father that he takes acting seriously. After Neil performs in the play, his father retaliates by withdrawing him from Welton and enrolling him in Braden Military School. Lacking any support from his mother and unable to explain to his father how he feels, Neil commits suicide using his father's gun. At Neil's parents' request, Nolan investigates his death. During

3901-462: The fallen president. "O Captain! My Captain!", " When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd ", " Hush'd Be the Camps To-Day ", and " This Dust Was Once the Man " were all written on Lincoln's death. While these poems do not specifically mention Lincoln, they turn the assassination of the president into a sort of martyrdom. O Captain! My Captain! our fearful trip is done; The ship has weather'd every rack,

3984-416: The film is considered "ironic" by UCLA literature professor Michael C. Cohen because the students are taking a stand against "repressive conformity" but using a poem intentionally written to be conventional. After Robin Williams' suicide in 2014, the hashtag "#ocaptainmycaptain" began trending on Twitter and fans paid tribute to Williams by recreating the "O Captain! My Captain!" scene. Luke Buckmaster,

4067-475: The first day of classes, the boys are taken aback by the unusual teaching methods of their new English teacher, John Keating. A Welton alumnus who studied English Literature at Cambridge , Keating encourages his students to "seize the day", referencing the Latin expression carpe diem . Keating has the students take turns standing on his desk to demonstrate ways to look at life differently, tells them to rip out

4150-406: The general public. In 2009, academic Amanda Gailey argued that Whitman—who, writing the poem, had just been fired from his government job—adopted a conventional style to attract a wider audience. She added that Whitman wrote to heal the nation, crafting a poem the country would find "ideologically and aesthetically satisfactory". William Pannapacker , a literature professor, similarly described

4233-409: The introduction of their poetry books that explains a mathematical formula for rating poetry, and invites them to make up their own style of walking in a courtyard to encourage their individualism. Keating's methods attract the attention of strict headmaster Gale Nolan. Upon learning that Keating had been a member of the unofficial Dead Poets Society during his time as a student at Welton, Neil restarts

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4316-446: The investigation, Cameron shifts blame onto Keating to avoid punishment for his role in the Dead Poets Society, and he names the other members of the group. When Charlie confronts him over this, Cameron urges the other students to let Keating take the fall. Charlie punches Cameron and is expelled. Each of the boys is called to Nolan's office to sign a letter confirming Cameron's false allegations. When Todd's turn comes, he reluctantly signs

4399-473: The letter under the pressure of his parents, and Keating is fired as a result. Nolan, who had taught English at Welton prior to becoming headmaster, temporarily takes over Keating's English class. As Keating interrupts the class to gather his belongings, Todd confesses that the boys were pressured into signing the letter that led to his dismissal. Keating assures Todd that he believes him. Nolan threatens to expel Todd and anyone else who speaks out of line. Despite

4482-457: The poem "thoroughly conventional". The literary critic F. O. Matthiessen criticized the poem, writing in 1941 that its early popularity was an "ample and ironic comment" on how Whitman's more authentic poetry could not reach a wide audience. Michael C. Cohen, a literature professor, said Matthiessen's writing exemplified 20th-century opinion on the poem. In the 1997 book A Reader's Guide to Walt Whitman , scholar Gay Wilson Allen concluded that

4565-614: The poem as a conventional ballad, comparable to Samuel Taylor Coleridge 's writing in " The Rime of the Ancient Mariner " and much of Alfred, Lord Tennyson 's work, especially " In Memoriam A.H.H. " Literary critic Jerome Loving wrote to the opposite effect in 1999, saying that the structure gave "My Captain" a "sing-song" quality, evocative of folk groups like the Hutchinson Family Singers and Cheney Family Singers . The scholar Ted Genoways argued that

4648-518: The poem had different punctuation than Whitman intended, and he corrected before its next publication. It was also included in the 1867 edition of Leaves of Grass . Whitman revised the poem several times during his life, including in his 1871 collection Passage to India . Its final republication by Whitman was in the 1881 edition of Leaves of Grass . Whitman's friend Horace Traubel wrote in his book With Walt Whitman in Camden that Whitman read

4731-481: The poem in 2004 as a "calculated critical and commercial success". In 2003, the author Daniel Aaron wrote that "Death enshrined the Commoner [Lincoln], [and] Whitman placed himself and his work in the reflected limelight". As an elegy to Lincoln, the English professor Faith Barrett wrote in 2005 that the style makes it "timeless", following in the tradition of elegies like " Lycidas " and " Adonais ". The poem

4814-562: The poem is written in free verse. "My Captain" was first published in The Saturday Press on November 4, 1865. Around the same time, it was included in Whitman's book, Sequel to Drum-Taps —publication in The Saturday Press was considered a " teaser " for the book. Although Sequel to Drum-Taps was first published in early October 1865, the copies were not ready for distribution until December. The first publication of

4897-515: The poem mourns Lincoln, there is a sense of triumph that the ship of state has completed its journey. Whitman encapsulates grief over Lincoln's death in one individual, the narrator of the poem. Cohen argues that the metaphor serves to "mask the violence of the Civil War" and project "that concealment onto the exulting crowds". He concluded that the poem "abstracted the war into social affect and collective sentiment, converting public violence into

4980-399: The poem retains distinctive features characteristic to Whitman, such as varying line length. Whitman very rarely wrote poems that rhymed; in a review contemporary to Whitman, The Atlantic suggested that Whitman was rising "above himself" by writing a poem unlike his others. The writer elaborated that, while his previous work had represented "unchecked nature", the rhymes of "My Captain" were

5063-541: The poem was Whitman's first to be anthologized and the most popular during his lifetime. Together with " When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd ", " Hush'd Be the Camps To-Day ", and " This Dust Was Once the Man ", it is one of four poems written by Whitman about the death of Lincoln . During the American Civil War , Whitman moved to Washington, D.C. , where he worked for the government and volunteered at hospitals. Although he never met Lincoln, Whitman felt

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5146-403: The poem was the most moving dirge for Lincoln ever written, adding that Drum Taps "will do much   [...] to remove the prejudice against Mr. Whitman in many minds". Similarly, after reading Sequel to Drum Taps , the author William Dean Howells became convinced that Whitman had cleaned the "old channels of their filth" and poured "a stream of blameless purity" through; he would become

5229-408: The poem's initial positive reception and popularity, with many celebrating it as one of the greatest American works of poetry. Critical opinion has shifted since the mid-20th century, with some scholars deriding it as conventional and unoriginal. The poem has made several appearances in popular culture; as it never mentions Lincoln, it has been invoked upon the death of several other heads of state . It

5312-515: The poem's symbols were "trite", the rhythm "artificial", and the rhymes "erratic". Negative perspectives on the poem continued into the 21st century. In 2000, Helen Vendler wrote that because Whitman "was bent on registering individual response as well as the collective wish expressed in 'Hush'd be the camps', he took on the voice of a single representative sailor silencing his own idiosyncratic voice". Elsewhere, she states that two "stylistic features—its meter and its use of refrain—mark 'O Captain' as

5395-575: The president, writing in October 1863: "I love the President personally." Whitman considered himself and Lincoln to be "afloat in the same stream" and "rooted in the same ground". Whitman and Lincoln shared similar views on slavery and the Union, and similarities have been noted in their literary styles and inspirations. Whitman later declared: "Lincoln gets almost nearer me than anybody else." There

5478-443: The prize we sought is won; The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting, While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:       But O heart! heart! heart!             O the bleeding drops of red,                   Where on

5561-542: The sea throughout. Genoways considers the best " turn of phrase " in the poem to be line 12, where Whitman describes a "swaying mass", evocative of both a funeral and religious service. The poem's nautical references allude to Admiral Nelson's death at the Battle of Trafalgar . The poem describes the United States as a ship, a metaphor that Whitman had previously used in "Death in the School-Room". This metaphor of

5644-515: The self-growth of an artist. In film, coming-of-age is a genre of teen films. Coming-of-age films focus on the psychological and moral growth or transition of a protagonist from youth to adulthood. A variant in the 2020s is the "delayed-coming-of-age film, a kind of story that acknowledges the deferred nature of 21st-century adulthood", in which young adults may still be exploring short-term relationships, living situations, and jobs even into their late 20s and early 30s. Personal growth and change

5727-413: The ship's arrival. Then, Lincoln is shot and dies. Vendler notes that in the first two stanzas the narrator is speaking to the dead captain, addressing him as "you". In the third stanza, he switches to reference Lincoln in the third person ("My captain does not answer"). Winwar describes the "roused voice of the people, incredulous at first, then tragically convinced that their Captain lay fallen". Even as

5810-664: The swaying mass, their eager faces turning;       Here captain! dear father!             This arm beneath your head;                   It is some dream that on the deck,                         You've fallen cold and dead. My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still; My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will; The ship

5893-626: The threat, Todd stands up on his desk and says " O Captain! My Captain! ". The other members of the Dead Poets Society, except for Cameron, along with several other students in the class, follow suit. Touched by their support, Keating proudly thanks the boys before departing. The original script was written by Tom Schulman , based on his experiences at the Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, Tennessee , particularly with his inspirational teacher, Samuel Pickering . Jeff Kanew

5976-677: The world to find their fortune. Although the Bildungsroman arose in Germany, it has had extensive influence first in Europe and later throughout the world. Thomas Carlyle had translated Goethe's Wilhelm Meister novels into English, and after their publication in 1824/1825, many British authors wrote novels inspired by it. Many variations of the Bildungsroman exist, such as the Künstlerroman ("artist novel"), which focuses on

6059-525: The world's—funeral dirge of our First American". The Literary Digest in 1919 deemed it the "most likely to live forever" of Whitman's poems, and the 1936 book American Life in Literature went further, describing it as the best American poem. Author James O'Donnell Bennett echoed that, writing that the poem represented a perfect " threnody ", or mourning poem. The poem was not unanimously praised during this period: one critic wrote that "My Captain"

6142-650: Was "more suitable for recitation before an enthusiastically uncritical audience than for its place in the Oxford Book of English Verse ". Beginning in the 1920s, Whitman became increasingly respected by critics, and by 1950 he was one of the most prominent American authors. Poetry anthologies began to include poetry that was considered more "authentic" to Whitman's poetic style, and, as a result, "My Captain" became less popular. In an analysis of poetry anthologies, Joseph Csicsila found that, although "My Captain" had been Whitman's most frequently published poem, shortly after

6225-497: Was Whitman's most popular during his lifetime, and the only one to be anthologized before his death. The historian Michael C. Cohen noted that "My Captain" was "carried beyond the limited circulation of Leaves of Grass and into the popular heart"; its popularity remade "history in the form of a ballad". Initial reception to the poem was very positive. In early 1866, a reviewer in the Boston Commonwealth wrote that

6308-552: Was a critical and commercial success. It grossed $ 235 million worldwide, became the fifth-highest-grossing film of 1989 , and received generally positive reviews from critics. The film received numerous accolades, including Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Director , as well as a Best Actor nomination for Williams. The film won the BAFTA Award for Best Film , the César Award for Best Foreign Film and

6391-428: Was considered controversial by some, with critics particularly objecting to Whitman's blunt depictions of sexuality and the poem's "homoerotic overtones". Whitman's work received significant attention following praise for Leaves of Grass by American transcendentalist lecturer and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson . At the start of the American Civil War , Whitman moved from New York to Washington, D.C., where he held

6474-596: Was made for the Bad Hersfelder Festspiele in Germany, also with the assistance of Tom Schulman. It premiered in July 2021, and was still staged two years later. The lead actor was Francis Fulton-Smith . The ending of the film was parodied in the 2009 Community episode, " Introduction to Film ". The ending of the film was parodied in the 2016 Saturday Night Live sketch, "Farewell, Mr. Bunting", with Fred Armisen playing Williams' role. The sketch

6557-489: Was originally hired as the director, and Kanew had envisioned Liam Neeson in the role of Keating. Other actors considered for the role were Dustin Hoffman , Mel Gibson , Tom Hanks and Mickey Rourke . Robin Williams , who was Touchstone Pictures 's preferred choice, was ultimately cast, but on the first day of shooting outside Atlanta , Williams did not show, for he did not want to work with Kanew. The studio burned down

6640-407: Was reported as $ 235,860,579, which includes domestic grosses of $ 95,860,116. The film's global receipts were the fifth-highest for 1989 , and the highest for dramas. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes , Dead Poets Society holds an approval rating of 85%, based on 65 reviews, with an average score of 7.2/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Affecting performances from the young cast and

6723-456: Was taught in the film (by Robin William's character John Keating), describing it as "the literary equivalent of fandom ," and "anti-intellectual." American Film Institute Lists The film was voted #52 on the AFI's 100 Years…100 Cheers list, a list of the top 100 most inspiring films of all time. The film's line, " Carpe diem . Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.", was voted as

6806-513: Was the most dishonest film that he had seen in some time. Richard Schickel wrote for TIME Magazine , commenting, "Williams, who has comparatively little screen time, has come to act, not to cut comic riffs, and he does so with forceful, ultimately compelling, simplicity." Kevin Dettmar wrote for The Atlantic , "The beloved film's portrayal of studying literature is both misleading and deeply seductive." He commented further on how literature

6889-416: Was universally accepted as Whitman's "one great contribution to the world's literature", and George Rice Carpenter , a scholar and biographer of Whitman, said in 1903 that the poem was possibly the best work of Civil War poetry, praising its imagery as "beautiful". Reception remained positive into the early 20th century. Epstein considers it to have been one of the ten most popular English language poems of

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