Transcendentalist Beliefs

Believing in yourself, believing in the good of others, following your heart, and valuing nature‒ these are all ideas subscribed to by Transcendentalists and Romantics. Some of the most famous of these philosophers include Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, and while the movement may have died with these thinkers, ideas from these schools of thought still permeate through modern society. An example of this is Mr. Keating, the teacher from Dead Poet’s Society. Mr. Keating is new to an all boys prep school, and he tries to break the almost militant mindset of his class by introducing Romantic and Transcendentalist ideas. By doing so, he encourages his students to think for themselves and to appreciate art and poetry. Mr. Keating demonstrates

Keating celebrates the spirit of the individual and encourages his class to do so as well. For example, in the work “Self Reliance”, Ralph Waldo Emerson urges readers to embrace their inner selves, and to trust their own judgement. While, admittedly, Emerson’s whole work could support this romantic belief, one lines sums it up nicely: “Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string” (Emerson 6). This line inspires readers to see the independence that is inside them.Emerson suggests there is something in the heart of every person that makes them unique and trustworthy. Likewise, in Dead Poets Society, Mr. Keating holds a class session in the school’s courtyard; Keating tells his students to find their own stride by walking around the courtyard however they wanted (Weir). His goal was to invoke a sense of nonconformity and individualism, which is what Emerson was preaching in “Self Reliance”. Keating valued the individualism displayed by resisting the uniformity of society. Another example of this is when Mr. Keating tells his students that despite what they may think, “words and ideas can change the world,” and advised them that “the powerful play goes on, and [his students] contribute a verse” (Weir). The ideas passed from Mr. Keating to his students were based on the teachings of Emerson’s works, as well as other Romantics and Transcendentalists. Keating inspires his students to embrace what makes them unique, because even one person can make a

Keating believes in the Transcendentalist idea that every person is inherently good and should follow their own beliefs. Henry David Thoreau said in his book Walden “The intellect is like a cleaver; it discerns and rifts its way into the secret of things” (Thoreau 97-8). In this passage, Thoreau bashed the use of the mind, and insinuated that the right decision is one that you come to naturally without much thinking. This displays the belief that people are inherently good and should follow their own beliefs (or “gut” instincts). In Dead Poets Society, Todd Anderson, one of Mr. Keating’s students, is debilitatingly shy and adamantly refuses to speak in front of a crowd. When Mr. Keating assigns the students to write a poem and then recite it to the class, Todd is devastated. Todd’s turn finally arrives in class, and Mr. Keating covers Todd’s eyes, then tells him to drown out his classmates and speak from his heart (Weir). Mr. Keating shows that what is inside Todd’s heart is not on display because of his fear. However, Mr. Keating shows that what is inside Todd is good; he also shows that if Todd listens to his instincts, the result will be like a beautiful poem. Additionally, when Mr. Keating takes his students to the courtyard for the walking drill, he compared society to a herd of sheep. He tells his students that it is imperative that they follow their own beliefs and don’t fall victim to “the herd” (Weir). This shows that Keating is encouraging