Dead Poets Society · 1989
The desk stand: Leaves of Grass
Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke) · Keating's classroom
Dead Poets SocietySleuthed by @shelfsleuth
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What it tells you
Keating tells the boys they can call him "O Captain! My Captain!" if they're feeling daring, and in the last scene they climb onto their desks to do it. Whitman wrote the poem in 1865 about Lincoln's assassination. Book Riot's live-blog says an early script had Keating dying of leukemia, which would have fit the poem. As shot, he gets fired.
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The book
Leaves of Grass
Walt Whitman · 1855 · poetry
Whitman's collection, first published in 1855. "O Captain! My Captain!" is his 1865 elegy for Lincoln, and it later joined the book.
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Sleuthed by @shelfsleuth · 2026-10-20
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Paused Tuesdays
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Also in Dead Poets Society
All 4 books
Neil's Puck: A Midsummer Night's Dream
Neil in the cave: Tennyson's Ulysses
Keating's marrow line: WaldenWe may earn a commission when you buy through these links. Learn more ›