O Captain, my Captain!

    The Movie, Dead Poet's Society, is an impactful and memorable piece of art that, at its core, is flowing with powerful imagery and storytelling that revolves around O Captain, My Captain!, a prominent work from famous poet Walt Whitman. In the movie, we follow a group of private school boys and their new teacher, Mr. Keating, who inspires them to appreciate the art and poetry that we live for. Tragedy strikes, though, when one of the boys takes his own life and Mr. Keating is blamed. Each stanza can correlate to or represent major moments within the film.

"O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weather’d every rack, 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 the deck my Captain lies,
             Fallen cold and dead."

     Within the first line of this stanza, we are privy to the rejoicing of the Welton boys. At the beginning of the new school year, they meet their new teacher, Mr. Keating. Keating is decidedly different from the cold, strict instructors of Welton Academy. His warm, joking demeanor puts the boys at ease, and they rejoice at his welcome break from the stress and numerous responsibilities they carry. Keating is determined to instill in these boys an appreciation for poetry and the joys of life outside of the pressure their parents have put on them to have a sensible career. Faced with the impossible choice to either follow his passion of acting or obey his unrelenting father, Neil pleads with his father to let him pursue his dreams and is met with the promise that he will be attending a severe military school. In light of this sentence, Neil commits suicide. The devastation this instills in the boys and Mr. Keating is tangible in the cries of the fifth line, "But O heart! heart! heart!". Chaos ensues in the face of this tragedy, as Keating, the Captain, lies down and takes the blame for putting ideas of grandeur into Neil's head. 

"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, 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."

    The boys are taken in for questioning and coerced into blaming Keating for the corruption of their friend. Keating is fired and will never be allowed to teach again. The line "The flag is flung- for you the bugle trills," parallels Neils funeral and the sorrow the boys feel for him and for Keating. The boys return to school, facing a dreaded English class taught by a stupid, boring, and ugly man that is not Robin Williams. When Keating enters the classroom to collect his things and leave. One of the boys, Todd, stands atop his desk, exclaiming "O Captain! my Captain!", Keatings preferred title. He calls for Keating, and the rest of the boys, "the swaying mass", if you will, turn and join Todd in a powerful stance of support for Keating. They each, in turn, cry out "O Captain, my Captain!" to remind him that his efforts were not in vain

"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 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 the deck my Captain lies,
             Fallen cold and dead." 

-Walt Whitman 

    Keating turns to see this display of devotion and dedication, and though he knows he is powerless in the situation and will have to leave Welton Academy regardless of the boys unwavering determination, he smiles. "The ship is anchor'd" and the "object won", Keating has inspired these boys to take charge of their own life. While there is cause for mourning, there is also cause for celebration and as Whitman is quoted by Keating in the film, the boys know "That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse."