Dead Poets Society ~ Charlie Dalton

Chapter Six: A little surprise

Knox stands in front of the classroom, his poem in hand. He looks up briefly before reluctantly beginning to read.

"'To Chris.'" Charlie and Mireille both look up and smirk at one another.

"'I see a sweetness in her smile. Bright light shines from her eyes. But life is complete, contentment is mine just knowing that-'" Knox stops when he hears snickering.

"'Just knowing that-", he stops again, sighing.

"'She's alive'." Knox crumples up his paper and walks back to his seat.

"I'm sorry, Captain. It's stupid", he sighs, unpleased with his poem.

"No. No, it's not stupid. It's a good effort. It touched on one of the major themes: love. A major theme not only in poetry but life." Knox sits down, resting his head on his hand. Charlie smiles at him, patting his back. Mr. Keating stops in front of Hopkins seat, looking at him.
"Mr. Hopkins, you were laughing. You're up." He shrugs his shoulders, stands up and walks to the front. Slowly opening his folded piece of paper. He glances at the class and then his paper.

"'The cat sat on the mat'", he finishes, folding up the paper again. The boys start laughing and Hopkins trots back to his seat.

"Congratulations, Mr. Hopkins. Yours is the first poem to ever have a negative score on the Pritchard scale", Mr. Keating says with a smile. The class erupts into slight laughter.

"We're not laughing at you, we're laughing near you. I don't mind that your poem had a simple theme. Sometimes the most beautiful poetry can be about simple things, like a cat or a flower or rain. You see, poetry can come from anything with the stuff of revelation in it. Just don't let your poems be ordinary. Now, who's next?" Mr. Keating walks near Todd, not looking away from him. He tries to avoid his teachers stare but to no avail.

"Mr. Anderson, I see you sitting there in agony. Come on, Todd, step up. Let's put you out of your misery." Todd glances up, uncomfortably.

"I-I didn't do it. I didn't write a poem", he says, his voice low. Mr. Keating looks at him, sympathetically.

"Mr. Anderson thinks everything inside of him is worthless and embarrassing." He looks around. Todd, feeling unwell, looks away.

"Isn't that right, Todd? Isn't that your worst fear? Well, I think you're wrong. I think you have something inside of you that is worth a great deal." Mr. Keating walks to the front and to the chalk board, writing on it.

"'I sound my barbaric YAWP over the rooftops of the world". W.W. Uncle Walt, again. Now, those of you who don't know, a yawp is a loud cry or yell. Now, Todd, I would like you to give us a demonstration of a barbaric yawp." The boys laugh. Mireille looks at him, feeling sorry.

"Come on, you can't yawp sitting down. Let's go. Come on, up." Todd stands up reluctantly.

"Got to get in yawping stance." Todd is in the front, looking more than uncomfortable.

"A-A yawp?", he says, quiet.

"Not just a yawp. A barbaric yawp", Mr. Keating explains, demonstrating a barbaric yawp.

"Yawp."

"Come on. Louder."

"Yawp."

"That's a mouse. Come on, louder!"

"Yawp."

"Oh, good God, boy, yell like a man!"

"Yawp!", he yells at him. Mr. Keating opens his arm.