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

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However, deep within the guise of this film, a completely different interpretation exists, one of homosexual substance.

This film directed by Peter Weir, on the surface, is seen as a brilliant work about the innocence of these boys, in a rigid heterosexual world, that is catalyzed into the extraordinary through Keating’s inspirational motto, carpe diem.

At another meeting, Charlie brings two girls to their cave, their secret meeting place. When the girls mention the idea of joining, the other boys respond somewhat apprehensively. For example, at one of their meetings, Charlie, an uninhibited member, brings a picture of a naked girl and recites an original poem asserting his masculinity regarding his knowledge of love, of rather, lust. After this highly intense moment, Keating puts his hand on the back of Todd’s neck to pull it closer to his own. Once more, the fact that the message calls for girls asserts the heterosexuality of the society. On the surface, the film does a good job of repressing its homosexual content, but digging a little deeper, and reading between the lines, the true story cannot be denied. Yet, the reaction of the boys toward the idea of opening this fraternal unit to females completely negates the presence of the girls. From the very beginning, Keating fills the boys with the notion of seizing the day, romantic poetry and the importance of free thinking. Since he never finished the assignment, Todd is required to improvise on the spot, with a picture of Walt Whitman as inspiration. " Todd has finally seized the day and is out of his self-repressed closet. 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. In this situation, the presence of girls is supposed to assure the heterosexuality of these boys.

The repression of this one character is just one aspect of the film’s repression as a whole.

Approximate Word count = 1023
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

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