How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Dead Poets Society.
Quote #4
MR. KEATING: 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.
Mr. Keating wants the boys to understand that poetry can be accessible. It doesn't have to be about lofty subjects like love. Someone could write a good poem about a cat, or any other daily thing, as long as there's something "alive" within it. Give it a try sometime. When's the last time you had a revelation about a cat?
Quote #5
MR. KEATING: Mr. Anderson thinks everything inside him is worthless and embarrassing. Isn't that right, Todd, and that's your worst fear? I think you have something inside you worth a great deal. (Writes on the board) "I sound my barbaric yawp over the rooftops of the world." WW, Uncle Walt again. Now, for those of you that don't know, a "yawp" is a cry or yell.
In an effort to bring Todd out of his shell, Mr. Keating invokes Uncle Walt's words. The yawp is the thing inside of us, the barbaric cry that he, and Mr. Keating, want us to yell over the rooftops of the world. It's all about making your voice heard, and Todd finally is able to give it a try. What inspires him? Poetry, and someone telling him that his words have value.