Two Cinematic Portrayals of Teachers: John Keating in Dead Poets Society and Terence Fletcher in Whiplash

• Authors: Kaja Zabłocka
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

This paper is devoted to two selected teacher figures appearing in American film. John Keating (Dead Poets Society) and Terence Fletcher (Whiplash) are going to be analyzed with regard to their beliefs, their methods, and their impact on students. The introduction refers to the prevailing cinematic image of teachers as heroes who inspire and support their students. Another feature common for many onscreen teachers, including Keating and Fletcher, is their being based on real-life figures. The first section describes Keating’s and Fletcher’s beliefs influencing their work. Keating believes his role is to build students’ confidence, make them feel they can change the world, and convince them they should seize the opportunities life provides them with. Fletcher is in favor of the view that students should not be praised, but pushed to their limits for the sake of results. The next part deals with the differences in Keating’s and Fletcher’s methodologies. Keating aims at replacing a traditional approach to education with demonstration and involving students in practical activities. For Fletcher, maintaining a sense of threat in his students is the key to motivating them. Finally, the analysis turns to Keating’s and Fletcher’s impact on their students. Keating’s teaching makes his students pursue new interests or manage their personal matters effectively. Fletcher’s influence is best reflected by his students’ anxiety, exhaustion, and – in some cases – the increased drive to practice.

Keywords

EN

teacher, education, methodology, film

• Publisher: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej
• Journal: New Horizons in English Studies
• Year: 2016
• Issue: 1

Dates

published

2016

online

2017-03-07

Contributors

author

Kaja Zabłocka

• Maria Curie-Skłodowska University (UMCS) Lublin

editor

Aneta Okuń-Jaśkowiak

editor

Adam Głaz

editor

Lidia Kniaź-Hunek

editor

Anna Bendrat

editor

Ewelina Prażmo

editor

Przemysław Terejko

editor

Piotr Szczypa

editor

Grzegorz Czemiel

editor

Ewa Antoszek

editor

Justyna Galant

editor

Marta Komsta

editor

Edyta Frelik

editor

Agata Waszkiewicz

editor

Anna Oleszczuk

editor

Agata Waszkiewicz

other

Aneta Okuń-Jaśkowiak

References

• Carter, Catherine. 2009. “Priest, Prostitute, Plumber? The Construction of Teachers as Saints.” English Education, vol. 42, no. 1 (October): 61–90.
• “Damien Chazelle interview, Blacklist.” Accessed January 14, 2016. http://gointothestory.blcklst.com/2014/10/interviewvideo-damien-chazelle-whiplash.html.
• Ebert, Roger. 1989. “Dead Poets Society Review.” June 9. Accessed January 14, 2016. http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/dead-poets-society-1989.
• Farhi, Adam. 1999. “Hollywood Goes to School: Recognizing the Superteacher Myth in Film.” The Clearing House, vol. 72, no. 3 (January – February): 157–159.
• Heilman, Robert B. 1991. “The Great-Teacher Myth.” The American Scholar, vol. 60, no. 3, 417–423.
• Henderson, Bill. 1992. “Robin Williams and Then Some.” The New York Times, January 12. Accessed January 14, 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/1992/01/12/books/robin-williams-andthen-some.html. “Real-life Professor Inspires ’Dead Poets’ Character.” 1989. Times Daily, July 10. Accessed January 20, 2017. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=oGoeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZMgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5548,1862015&hl=en.
• Robinson, Tasha. 2014. “What Is and Isn’t Ambiguous About Whiplash.” The Dissolve, October 15. Accessed January 14, 2016. https://thedissolve.com/features/emerging/787-damien-chazelle-on-what is-and-isntambiguous-abou/.
• Scull, W. Reed and Gary L. Peltier. 2007. “Star Power and the Schools: Studying PopularFilms’ Portrayal of Educators.” The Clearing House, vol. 81, no. 1 (September – October): 13–18.
• Tallerico, Brian. 2014. “Whiplash Review.” October 10. Accessed January 14, 2016. www.rogerebert.com/reviews/whiplash-2014.

Identifiers

DOI

10.17951/nh.2016.1.87