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In Dead Poets Society, poetry was a very central part of the movie. Poetry represented not conforming to society's ideals, and thinking for yourself. This was the central idea of the Dead Poets Society - the boys went out into the woods to free themselves from society’s views on what was right or wrong, and they used poetry as a device to truly express themselves, without caring about what people, such as teachers, their peers, or their parents would think. Our society, and especially society at that time, is extremely heteronormative, and by removing themselves from a world that pushes heterosexuality and cisgenderism, they created a safe space for them to experiment and explore, and find out who they really are. I also found it very interesting how poetry had a very different effect on each of the main characters in the movie, and how poetry could be used as a metaphor for being gay.
Firstly, I’d like to discuss Neil Perry. Through reading poetry, Neil decides that he needs to seize the day, and he auditions for play. Here, he finds his passion for acting, and realizes that he doesn’t want to be a doctor. He tells this to Keating, his English teacher, and what Keating then replies really struck me - “Then you’re acting for him too. You’re playing the part of the dutiful son.” Most queer people grow up playing a version of themselves that is accepted in society and they hide the part of themselves that is queer to please parents or friends.
Throughout this response I mention that many of the characters use femininity as a rejection of heterosexuality. I do not mean to imply that all queer men are feminine, and all feminine men are gay. Because acts such as the Hays code made it impossible for queer people to be represented on screen, many movies used femininity in men to represent being gay. I believe that much like many other pieces of cinema, Dead Poets Society uses this technique to add queer subtext. By looking at Neil through this lens, it makes sense that Neil plays Puck in Midsummer Night’s Dream. Puck is an androgynous, feminine leasing fairy, and through playing Puck, Neil is able to embrace the side of himself that isn’t what was considered ‘manly’ at the time. In addition, after the play, Neil’s father tells him that Neil will be sent to military school, a place where all of Neil’s femininity and homosexual tendencies will be squashed. In response to this, Neil shouts “I have to tell you what I feel!” Neil’s father already knows that Neil loves acting, so what more is there to say? This line shows that there is something deeper than Neil’s acting at play, and when Neil’s father shuts him down, it ends the scene with a feeling of something left unsaid. Finally, Neil’s suicide also ties in shows that there is something else going on. Simply not being allowed to act leaves a lack of reasoning for his death, but when you add in the fact he will have to pretend to be someone he’s not, and he won’t have the chance to love someone, truly, his suicide makes more sense.
Secondly, I thought that the effect of poetry on Todd Anderson was particularly fascinating. Todd starts this movie as a shy, anxious kid, constantly in his brother’s shadow. However, by the end of the movie, Todd gains confidence in himself with the help of poetry. Much like Neil, Todd also plays the role of the dutiful son, and he gets a lawyer desk every year for his birthday. This scene shows a deep disconnect between Todd and his parents, and it shows that his parents really don’t know him at all, a feeling that many queer people can relate to. But when Todd throws the desk set off the bridge, he is rejecting the heterosexuality that his parents are forcing upon him. Also, in the scene where all of the boys are changing in the locker room, Todd is the only one fully dressed, and he is staring down at the floor, visibly uncomfortable. This is a position that many queer people have been in before. Also, when Todd improvises a poem in front of the class, he uses the phrase “being chased by Walt Whitman” repeatedly. Although people debate the sexuality of Whitman, he is generally presumed to be gay or bi. This phrase that Todd uses shows that he is trying to run away from his gay feelings, or push them down. In addition, after the play, he is the last one to be told about Neil’s death. This is because Dalton knows that Todd will be the one affected by his death the most, suggesting that Todd and Neil’s relationship is on a different level than Neil’s relationship with the other members of the Dead Poets Society. Even though Todd only knew Neil for about three months, he is the one that is most torn up about it, which suggests that they have a deeper relationship than the one that is explicitly shown on screen.
Lastly, I’d like to talk about Charlie Dalton’s relationship with poetry. Much like Todd and Neil, he performs for an audience. In contrast to, though, Dalton’s audience is not his parents. It’s his peers. Dalton uses comedy and flamboyant gestures to hide his true feelings, but through poetry he is able to express who he really is, underneath the fake smiles. Much like Neil, he uses femininity to rebel and reject the heterosexual, banker life his parents have planed for him. He names himself Nuwanda, and paints a lightning on his chest in lipstick, an image reminiscent of David Bowie, an openly bisexual singer. By reading poetry, Dalton was able to embrace the feminine side of himself, and become more honest with the people he loves.
Overall, poetry is used to represent being your true self, and it is a central aspect of the movie. Whether or not anyone working on the movie intended or wanted any of the characters to be something other than straight, it’s worth looking into the queer subtext of this movie and viewing it with a new perspective.
There’s probably essays that explain this more eloquently, but I’m kinda proud of this one.
