“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived,” senior Alise Wenner recited from Henry David Thoreau’s Walden.

The meaningful lines are also quoted in the film Dead Poets Society and are read at the beginning of every gathering of the boys in the movie. By beginning each meeting in the same manner, every Mercy’s Dead Poets Society meeting pays homage to its namesake.

The latest gathering of this club was a special one, centering on Thanksgiving. The holidays, specifically Thanksgiving, are a time to get back to the basics and gives us an opportunity to look at all we have and be thankful.  This also ties into the sense of community that the holiday season never fails to inspire.  As finals get closer and the stress of the school year feels imminent and overwhelming, it is essential that students find a circle of friends, both in and out of school.  Dead Poets Society has succeeded in forming such a community, close-knit yet still welcoming.

During this particular meeting, the main book discussed was a childrens’ collection of Thanksgiving poems.  Despite this being far from how most other meetings progress, the youth-oriented poems certainly seemed to remind DPS members what the holidays seem to be centered on: good company and finding joy in simple things.

Since not all the members were able to attend this particular meeting, the remaining poets happily enjoyed a laid back and comfortable atmosphere that is hard to find among anyone but close friends.  This theme also tied in to their traditional introductory recitation, when Thoreau says, “I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life”.  The good-natured entertainment of the children’s poems offered not only a sense of thanks and giving, but also of community that is not only common, but essential to Mercy.