2.2 Literature Review Abroad 

At abroad, Muhamad Yanuar Arifin also analyzes the character of Neil Perry in Dead Poets Society which is seen from Abraham H. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory. He states that the character jumps three needs below the self-actualization needs. Firstly is the safety need, secondly is the belonging need and the last one is the self-esteem need(Muhamad Yanuar Arifin,2012). Then, Peter Mclaren and Zeus Leonardo focus on the deconstruction of surveillance pedagogy (Peter Mclaren and Zeus Leonardo,2001:261-268.). Other experts also analyze this novel from the perspective of school’s popularity culture. Furthermore, there is also a research states that the novel offers a critical opportunity to investigate the linkages between political expressions and dramatic form (Jung, Carl Gustav. 2003:95). The film text combines comic and tragic structures in unusual ways, reflecting a contemporary political orientation toward institutions and social conformity. The analysis suggests that comedic＂vertigo＂is central to Dead Poets Society and other texts, and that this mechanism is a form of political expression and therapy for some contemporary American audiences. Guided by these professors, critics including teachers and students have made deeper studies on it(Kotter,J.P.1996:322-323). 

Generally speaking, in China, the studies of Dead Poets Society mainly focus on the following aspects: interpreting the educational theme of the novel; interpreting what kind of theme the novel has told to readers; interpreting symbolism, psychoanalysis, post-modernism theme in order to grasp the novel’s characters and subject. From the above various angles of researches on the novel, we know that many scholars at home and abroad have discussed the novel in certain perspectives. However, few studies have in-depth exploration of students’ improvement and their corresponding reasons. This paper is intended to demonstrate and analyze the improvement of students in the novel and try to delve into the impact of traditional education, family education, and students themselves on teenagers’ growth.