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  • Mr. Keating dealing with Todd's insecurity. First, Keating pushes the kid to let out a barbaric "Yawp!" in front of the whole class, and has him turn in place focusing on a photo of Walt Whitman until he finds himself spontaneously creating a terrific poem on the spot as he is swept along by his creative spirit, stunning his class and himself. It's especially awesome when Keating leans in close and says "Don't you forget this."
  • The iconic final scene, where Todd and Knox declare "O Captain! My Captain!" and the rest of the Society — and some boys who weren't members — get up and stand on their desks in solidarity with Keating in defiance of the school's tyranny.
    • Todd being the one to instigate it all. Todd started out as an insecure Shrinking Violet, terrified to speak even in small groups. He outright told Neil he wasn't someone people listened to — he ends standing up to Nolan in front of the whole class, inspiring the other boys to follow him.
    • Knox should get a special mention as well, since he's the first to do so after Todd. He could have easily left Todd to stand alone and suffer from Nolan's wrath by himself, but instead decides to stand alongside him in support of both him and Keating, spurring the other students to do the same as well.
    • Hopkins joining the desk-standers — he'd been the most resistant in the class all along, but when push comes to shove...
    • Robin Williams' final line: "Thank you, boys. Thank you."
    • While all this has been going on, Nolan is trying to command the students to sit back down. At first, he sounds confident, authoritative, and in control when it's just Todd. But as more and more students stand up, his yelling turns into pathetic pleas to get them to sit down. No matter what punishment may befall them, they've shown strength and assertiveness against Nolan's rigid authority, and he will never forget it.
    • The name of the soundtrack for this scene, "Keating's Triumph", sums it up perfectly. Sure, Keating has been fired by the school and has an uncertain future. But Todd and the others' actions prove that he has succeeded in getting them to think for themselves instead of what the school wants them to and there's nothing Nolan can do about it. Nolan may have gotten rid of Keating himself, but his teachings are there to stay.
  • The "unmanned flying desk set" scene goes from a tear-jerking scene, with Todd looking like he's about to cry, telling Neil it's his birthday and his parents sent him the same thing they did the previous year, to at once funny, heartwarming and awesome, as Neil points out that the shape is very aerodynamic, and they throw it off the top of the school. Especially Neil's follow-up comment: "Don't worry. You'll get another one next year."
  • The off-screen details behind Todd's scene reacting to Neil's death. Originally, the scene was set indoors, but when it started snowing, the director risked trying it outside, but doubted they'd manage to get the shot before the snow went away. Ethan Hawke nailed it in one take.
  • "Damn it, Neil. The name's Nuwanda." Despite his recklessness and frequent arrogance, Charlie is actually very loyal to his friends and won't rat them out to save his reputation.
  • Charlie gets another one when he punches Cameron, who turned on both the Society and Mr. Keating in order to stay on the school's good side and save himself. Despite the subsequent reminder that doing so probably destroys all Charlie's chances of not getting expelled, it's still ''incredibly' satisfying.
  • One combined with Scenery Porn, when a cheerful Knox rides down a grassy slope near the school on his bike, scaring a huge flock of geese into soaring away above the nearby lake.

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