Grace Emerson
Mr. Schimelfenyg
English 11 Honors
9 January 2023
Mr. Keating as a Transcendentalist
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment” (Osmanski). Ralph Waldo Emerson once said these famous words. Emerson was a renowned transcendentalist, someone who believed that everyone was capable of accomplishing anything without the corruption of society. In The Dead Poet’s Society, Mr. Keating was the main English teacher. Emerson and his transcendentalism influenced Mr. Keating.
Keating often showed transcendentalism in his teachings. One prime example of this was on his first day of teaching English. “Pick up a textbook from the back, gentlemen, and let's retire to the honor room.” (Weir 20) Keating takes his own twist on things regarding teaching. Instead of staging in the classroom, he takes them on an adventure to a different room. This
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“I stand on my desk to remind myself that we must constantly force ourselves to look at things differently” (Weir 44). This shows that he wants his students to look at life from different perspectives. That is also a leading quality for transcendentalists. He also brings his students to play soccer and listens to music while reading a play. This helps the students embrace their individuality and express themselves through the play.
The final example was when Keating had the students rip out the first part of their literature book. “Rip it out of your books. Rip out the entire page! I want this sentimental rubbish in the trash where it belongs!” (Weir 30). Keating tells the students to do this to show following what everyone else does can be restricting. This taught the students to march to their own drum. It also led to students gaining confidence in themselves. One student decided to try out for a play and ended up getting the main role, and another student called the girl he