Todd Mr. Keating! They made everybody sign it.
N Mr. Nolan
Quiet, Mr. Anderson.
Todd You gotta believe me. It's true.
N Mr. Nolan
Leave, Mr. Keating.
Todd But it wasn't his fault!
N Mr. Nolan
Sit down, Mr. Anderson! One more outburst from you or anyone else, and you're out of this school! Leave, Mr. Keating.
N Mr. Nolan
I said leave, Mr. Keating.
Todd [Todd stands on his desk]
O Captain! My Captain!
N Mr. Nolan
Sit down, Mr. Anderson! Do you hear me? Sit down! Sit down! This is your final warning, Anderson. How dare you! Do you hear me?
[Knox stands on his desk and other students slowly start to follow]
O Captain! My Captain!
N Mr. Nolan
Mr. Overstreet, I warn you! Sit down! Sit down! Sit down. All of you. I want you seated. Sit down. Leave, Mr. Keating. All of you, down. I want you seated. Do you hear me? Sit down!
Thank you, boys. Thank you.
Mr. Anderson, I see you sitting there in agony. Come on, Todd, step up. Let's put you out of your misery.
Todd I, I didn't do it. I didn't write a poem.
Mr. Anderson thinks that everything inside of him is worthless and embarrassing. 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. [writes "I sound my barbaric yawp over the rooftops of the world." W. W. on the chalkboard] Uncle Walt again. Now, for 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." Come on. You can't yawp sitting down. Let's go. Come on. Up. You gotta get in "yawping" stance.
Todd A yawp?
No, not just a yawp. A barbaric yawp.
Todd [quietly]
Yawp.
Todd [quietly]
Yawp.
No, that's a mouse. Come on. Louder.
Todd Yawp.
Oh, good God, boy. Yell like a man!
Todd [shouting]
Yawp!
There it is. You see, you have a barbarian in you, after all. Now, you don't get away that easy. The picture of Uncle Walt up there. What does he remind you of? [Tod hesitates] Don't think. Answer. Go on.
Todd A m-m-madman.
What kind of madman? [Tod hesitates again] Don't think about it. Just answer again.
Todd A c-crazy madman.
No, you can do better than that. Free up your mind. Use your imagination. Say the first thing that pops into your head, even if it's only gibberish. Go on, go on.
Todd Uh, uh, a sweaty-toothed madman.
Good God, boy, there's a poet in you, after all. There, close your eyes. Close your eyes. Close 'em. Now, describe what you see.
Todd Uh, I-I close my eyes.
Todd Uh, and this image floats beside me.
Todd A sweaty-toothed madman with a stare that pounds my brain.
Oh, that's excellent. Now, give him action. Make him do something.
Todd H-His hands reach out and choke me.
That's it. Wonderful. Wonderful.
Todd And, and all the time he's mumbling.
Todd M-Mumbling, "Truth. Truth is like, like a blanket that always leaves your feet cold."
[Class laughs]
Forget them, forget them. Stay with the blanket. Tell me about that blanket.
Todd Y-Y-Y-You push it, stretch it, it'll never be enough. You kick at it, beat it, it'll never cover any of us. From the moment we enter crying to the moment we leave dying, it will just cover your face as you wail and cry and scream.
[the class claps because of his excellent poem] [whispering to Todd]
Don't you forget this.
C Cameron
What's going on, guys?
You finked, didn't you, Cameron?
C Cameron
Finked? I don't know what the hell you're talking about.
You told Nolan about everything about that club is what I'm talking about!
C Cameron
Look, in case you hadn't heard, Dalton, there's something called an honor code at this school, alright?! If a teacher asks you a question, you tell the truth, or you're expelled.
(Outraged, Charlie bolts towards Cameron to attack him, but the others hold him back.)
He's a rat! He's in it up to his eyes, so he rattled to save himself!
Don't touch him, Charlie. You do, and you're out.
You don't know that, not yet.
C Cameron
He's right there, Charlie. And if you guys are smart, you will do EXACTLY what I did and cooperate! They're not after us! We're the victims! Us and Neil.
What's that mean? Who are they after?
C Cameron
Why, Mr. Keating, of course! The "Captain" himself! I mean, you guys didn't really think he could avoid responsibility, did you?
Mr. Keating responsible for Neil? Is that what they're saying?
C Cameron
Well, who else do you think, dumbass?! The administration?! Mr. Perry?! I mean, Mr. Keating put us up to all this crap, didn't he?! If it wasn't for Mr. Keating, Neil would be cozying up in his room right now, studying his chemistry, and dreaming of being called doctor!
Todd That is not true, Cameron! You know that! He didn't put us up to anything! And Neil loved acting!
C Cameron
Believe what you want, but I say let Keating fry! I mean, why ruin our lives?!
C Cameron
(Charlie, out of rage, slugs Cameron. The others restrain him again.)
You've just signed your expulsion papers, "Nuwanda"! And if the rest of you were smart, you'll do exactly what I did! They know everything anyway. You can't save Keating, but you can save yourselves.
