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Dead Poets and Wonder Boys Teaching Writing in the Movies

Dead Poets and Wonder Boys Teaching Writing in the Movies. Joseph Harris Duke University. 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. Teaching Comp: The Familiar View (1).

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Dead Poets and Wonder Boys Teaching Writing in the Movies

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  1. Dead Poets and Wonder BoysTeaching Writing in the Movies Joseph Harris Duke University

  2. 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

  3. Teaching Comp:The Familiar View (1) “I’ll be doggone.” Tom Hanks as Captain John Miller settles the bet in Saving Private Ryan (1998).

  4. Teaching Comp:The Familiar View (2) Susan Sarandon as the ditzy Annie Savoy in Bull Durham (1988).

  5. Teaching Comp:The Familiar View (3) Burt Reynolds as the inept Phil Potter in Starting Over (1979)

  6. Teaching Comp:The Familiar View Plodders Dilettantes Novices

  7. Teaching Writing:The Heroic View (1) Robin Williams inspires as John Keating in Dead Poets Society (1989)

  8. 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?

  9. Teaching Writing:The Heroic View (2) Hillary Swank fights on as Erin Gruwell in Freedom Writers (2006)

  10. Updating the Dead Poet • In what ways does Erin Gruwell teach like John Keating? • How does her pedagogy differ from Keating’s?

  11. The Dead Poet as Teacher • Performs • Inspires • Exhorts • Lectures • Directs • Assigns

  12. Katherine Anne Watson (Julia Roberts) in Mona Lisa Smile, 2002 • Glenn Holland (Richard Dreyfuss) in Mr Holland’s 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

  13. Teaching Writing:The Heroic View (3) Michael Douglas as the burned-out Professor Grady Tripp in Wonder Boys (2000).

  14. The Wonder Boy as Teacher • Describe Grady Tripp as a teacher • What works in this class? • What doesn’t?

  15. 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

  16. Some Differences Dead Poets Wonder Boys Male Disaffected Blocked Private schools Plot moves upward • Female and Male • Invested • Energetic • Public schools • Plot moves downward

  17. The Writing Teacher as Romantic Hero Charismatic Empathetic Flirtatious Rebellious Talented

  18. The Critique of the Heroic Writing Teacher Performer Seducer Cheerleader Anti-intellectual

  19. Three Views of Teaching Writing

  20. 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?

  21. An Alternate Approach A shift in focus from • the image of the teacher to • the work of teaching and learning writing

  22. 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

  23. Representing the Work of Teaching (1) Michael Caine responds and Julie Walters revises in Educating Rita (1983)

  24. Thinking about the Work of Teaching • What does Frank demand from Rita? • How does she respond? • How would you describe their relationship?

  25. Representing the Work of Teaching (2) Hector (Richard Griffiths), Irwin (Stephen Campbell Moore), and Lintott (Frances de la Tour) in The History Boys, 2006

  26. Thinking about the Work of Teaching What options do Hector, Irwin, and Lintott pose for their students as writers?

  27. Representing the Work of Teaching (3) Kathy Bates and James Caan in Misery, 1990

  28. Thinking about the Work of Teaching What does Annie teach Paul about writing that he didn’t know before?

  29. Representing the Work of Teaching (4) John Keating responds to student writing

  30. 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?

  31. 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@duke.com

  32. 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

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