The movie Dead Poets Society was made based on the novel , which was written by Tom Schulman The movie was directed by Peter Weir . Also , it won several awards. The author of this book , N. H. Kleinbaum, is a former newspaper reporter and editor who graduated from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Growing Pains and D.A.R.Y.L are other novels she has written . Now she and her family live in Mt. Kissoo , New York.

Let's go back to the year 1959 when the story begins at Welton Academy , a private boy's school in New England . Todd Anderson , who is a shy , passive boy and his friends , Neil , Perry . Knox Overstreet , Charlie Dalton , Richard Cameron , Steven Meeks , and Pitts meet someone who changes thier lives when they study at the high school . They can hardly believe how different their lives are after they're taught by the new English professor , Mr. John Keating . "Make your lives extraordinary !" is how he encourages his students. He not only teaches them to appreciate the beauty of poetry but also tells them to constantly endeavor to find a new point of view .In the class , he lets students stand on the desk in order to look at things differently . "The world looks different from up here ," he says . He gets rid of the traditional and normal way of teaching . Compared with traditional methods , his teaching is much more creative .

Inspired by Keating , the boys resurrect the Dead Poets Society ?a secret organization dedicated to " sucking the marrow out of life. " The members get together at a cave , where they read verse written by Shelley , Thoreau , and Whitman ,and themselves . There they can escape from the stress , constraints , and expectations of parents and stick school rules . They let their thoughts free and let their passions run wild. Mr. Keating opens a wide window of knowledge and inspiration for them ;nevertheless , the treasure outside the window should be discovered by themselves . Gradually , the boys become different from how they used to be . They learn how to think and how to express their feelings.

However , tragedy happens when freedom collides with tradition . Neil commits suicide because he longs for what he's interested in but loses his father's forgiveness . Finally ,Keating is forced by the school authorities to stop teaching . Although he leaves , the seeds of wisdom and thought that he spread in the students' minds will grow stronger and stronger.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR'S WRITING

Basically this is a great story with beautiful writing . The author adopts many versed of Shelley , Keats , and Byron so that the novel itself is just like romantic poetry . As the character Keating says , "We didn't simply read... we let it drip from our tongues like honey . Women swooned , sprits soared... " Reading this novel makes the reader dizzy!

Also, the author is careful with the use of rhetoric in the novel . She writes beautiful and lively sentences. For instance , at the beginning of chapter 11 , she writes , "The brisk Vermont winter engulfed the campus at Welton . The once colorful foliage of the fall now blanketed the landscape , and fierce winds blew the brittle leaves in torrents ," and , in chapter 14 , "The freeze had turned the barren forest into a world of sparkling diamonds . " While you are reading , you can easily draw in your mind a vivid picture of what the author is describing . Besides , the author uses a lot of dialog in the story , so the readers may not feel dull and bored . Also , it's easier for the readers to experience how the characters feel . Above all, the novel doesn't have a large, difficult vocabulary. Although you will probably come across some words you don't know, you can still understand what a sentence means according to the contest. For the people who are lazy about looking up words in dictionaries, this is truly a good novel to read.

My Opinions

To tell the truth, I have to say that Dead Poets Society really is a fantastic novel. Actually, it's one of my favorites. I admire the teacher, Mr, Keating. As a student who dislikes the formal and inflexible authority, I especially enjoy his way of teaching. If one can be taught by such a creative teacher, he must be more open-minded and independent in his thinking than others. This novel not only touches my deep emotions but also inspires me. Luckily, in the reality, I always meet nice teachers like Mr. Keating who encourage me to think and look at things from different points of view. Since my life and the story have kind of similarity , no wonder I like it!

Last up-dated on Dec., 1996