Deep Thoughts about Dead Poets Society

Deep Thoughts About Stupid Sh*t: A Pop-Culture Podcast

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O Captain! My Captain!

Join us as Tracie brings her deep thoughts to the 1989 film Dead Poets Society on today’s episode. Though this beloved film was supposed to be a defense of the humanities (and remember, both Guy Girls were English majors at private liberal arts colleges), this rewatch made it clear the film thinks poetry is simply cute and that Robin Williams’s John Keating agitated for independent thought–as long as it aligned with his own. While the movie does not inspire like it once did, bringing a queer lens to the analysis offers some important lessons on becoming one’s full self.

Is this a podcast I see before me? Earbuds toward my hand? Come, let me listen to thee!
CW: Suicide and mentions of sexual harassment/stalking.

Mentioned in this episode:

Dead Poets Society Is a Terrible Defense of the Humanities by Kevin Dettmar (Atlantic)

Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video versions, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon.

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1. Deep Thoughts on Dead Poets Society (00:00:00)

2. Exploring Boarding School Life and Literature (00:10:25)

3. Navigating Family Expectations and Passion (00:22:11)

4. Tragic Consequences of Parental Expectations (00:26:23)

5. Teaching Youths to 'Seize the Day (00:38:29)

6. Exploring Perspectives on Education and Literature (00:52:59)

7. Challenging Gender Norms in Film (01:04:22)