Dead Poets and Wonder Boys Teaching Writing in the Movies

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Dead Poets and Wonder BoysTeaching Writing in
the Movies

• Joseph Harris
• Duke University

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Teaching Writing in the Movies

• The Familiar View
• The Heroic View
• Dead Poets
• Wonder Boys
• The Problem with the Teacher as Hero
• An Alternate Approach

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Teaching CompThe Familiar View (1)

• Ill be doggone. Tom Hanks as Captain John
  Miller settles the bet in Saving Private Ryan
  (1998).

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Teaching CompThe Familiar View (2)

• Susan Sarandon as the ditzy Annie Savoy in Bull
  Durham (1988).

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• Teaching CompThe Familiar View (3)
• Burt Reynolds as the inept Phil Potter in
  Starting Over (1979)

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Teaching CompThe Familiar View

• Plodders
• Dilettantes
• Novices

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Teaching WritingThe Heroic View (1)

• Robin Williams inspires as John Keating in Dead
  Poets Society (1989)

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The Dead Poet as Teacher

• What sort of teacher is John Keating?
• What does Keating do in this class/scene?
• What do the students do?

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Teaching WritingThe Heroic View (2)

• Hillary Swank fights on as Erin Gruwell in
  Freedom Writers (2006)

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Updating the Dead Poet

• In what ways does Erin Gruwell teach like John
  Keating?
• How does her pedagogy differ from Keatings?

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The Dead Poet as Teacher

• Performs
• Inspires
• Exhorts
• Lectures
• Directs
• Assigns

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• Katherine Anne Watson (Julia Roberts) in Mona
  Lisa Smile, 2002
• Glenn Holland (Richard Dreyfuss) in Mr Hollands
  Opus, 1995
• Lou Anne Johnson (Michelle Pfeiffer) in Dangerous
  Minds, 1995
• Jaime Escalante (Edward James Olmos) in Stand and
  Deliver, 1988
• Sylvia Barrett (Sandy Dennis) in Up the Down
  Staircase, 1967

• Other Dead Poets

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Teaching WritingThe Heroic View (3)

• Michael Douglas as the burned-out Professor Grady
  Tripp in Wonder Boys (2000).

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The Wonder Boy as Teacher

• Describe Grady Tripp as a teacher
• What works in this class?
• What doesnt?

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• Hector (Richard Griffiths) in The History Boys,
  2006
• William Forrester (Sean Connery) in Finding
  Forrester, 2000
• Frank Bryant (Michael Caine) in Educating Rita,
  1983

• Other Wonder Boys

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Some Differences

• Dead Poets

• Wonder Boys

• Female and Male
• Invested
• Energetic
• Public schools
• Plot moves downward

• Male
• Disaffected
• Blocked
• Private schools
• Plot moves upward

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The Writing Teacher as Romantic Hero

• Charismatic
• Empathetic
• Flirtatious
• Rebellious
• Talented

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The Critique of the Heroic Writing Teacher

• Performer
• Seducer
• Cheerleader
• Anti-intellectual

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Three Views of Teaching Writing
Familiar Heroic Critical
Mundane Performative Intellectual
Para-professional Erotic Disciplined
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The Problem

• Who is the hero of the critical approach?
• How can we build upon (rather than simply endorse
  or resist) the images of teaching writing offered
  in the movies?

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An Alternate Approach

• A shift in focus from
• the image of the teacher
• to
• the work of teaching and learning writing

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Teaching Writing in the Movies

• Students write
• We see or hear the texts students create
• Teachers respond
• Teachers are coaches as well as cheerleaders
• Students revise
• We see learning occur

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Representing the Work of Teaching (1)

• Michael Caine responds and Julie Walters revises
  in Educating Rita (1983)

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Thinking about the Work of Teaching

• What does Frank demand from Rita?
• How does she respond?
• How would you describe their relationship?

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Representing the Work of Teaching (2)

• Hector (Richard Griffiths), Irwin (Stephen
  Campbell Moore), and Lintott (Frances de la Tour)
  in The History Boys, 2006

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Thinking about the Work of Teaching

• What options do Hector, Irwin, and Lintott pose
  for their students as writers?

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Representing the Work of Teaching (3)

• Kathy Bates and James Caan in Misery, 1990

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Thinking about the Work of Teaching

• What does Annie teach Paul about writing that he
  didnt know before?

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Representing the Work of Teaching (4)

• John Keating responds to student writing

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Thinking about the Work of Teaching

• What work does Keating do here as a teacher?
• What does Todd learn about writing?
• What opportunities for learning are missed?
• How might we out-Keating Keating?

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Continuing the Conversation

• Check out my course
• English 173 Images of Teaching and Learning In
  Fiction and Film, Duke University, Spring 2007
• Email me
• joseph.harris_at_duke.com

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• Gilbert, Lewis (dir.). Educating Rita. Columbia,
  1983.
• Hanson, Curtis (dir.). Wonder Boys. Paramount,
  2000.
• Hyner, Nicholas (dir.). The History Boys. Fox,
  2006.
• Lagravenese, Richard (dir.). Freedom Writers.
  Paramount, 2007.
• Pakula, Alan J (dir.). Starting Over. Paramount,
  1979.
• Reiner, Rob (dir.). Misery. Castlerock, 1990.
• Shelton, Ron (dir.). Bull Durham. MGM, 1988.
• Spielberg, Steven (dir.). Saving Private Ryan.
  Dreamworks, 1998.
• Weir, Peter (dir.) Dead Poets Society.
  Touchstone, 1989.

• Films Discussed