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The film Dead Poets society is about a group of young men struggling to escape the traditions and classical thought inflicted on them by their preparatory school. The film starts with the kids saying goodbye to their families and sets the stage for the expectations set upon them. Every on eof their classes are taught in a logical and traditional way with the exception of English. The English teacher, Mr. Keating stands out among the other teachers because he is a true romantic.
He begins his class by having the students tear out the introduction s to their English books. Many of the students are reluctant to do this because they are used to having their emotions bottled up inside. A turning point in the plot is when one of Mr. Keatings students finds an old article about his him.
The article gives a description about Mr. Keating when he was a student. It also has written Founder of the Dead Poets Society, written inside of it. He shows Mr. Keating this and he explains the society to be a small group of students who used to sneak out to the Indian cave and read poetry.
The new students continue the society and it becomes fairly popular. The society teaches the students to live life more freely and live life by the day. The theme of the movie is the Latin phrase Carpe Diam, which means seize the day, and live life to the fullest. The first lesson Mr.
Keating teaches his students is about a poem written by Walt Whitman, a famous romantic writer. The second lesson is about a flower that is here today, but gone tomorrow. This is an example of carpe diam, and Mr. Keating explains this in his first lesson.
Throughout his teachings it is evident that he believes in romantic views and freedom of thought. He constantly quotes Walt Whitman and encourages the students to constantly think. During one lesson he orders everyone to get up onto their desk and view the world from a different angle. This reoccurs at the end of the movie by the students doing it to the replacement English teacher who stands for Deism. The new teacher orders Mr. Keating to leave and he does after most of the students say farewell by standing on their desks and saying Oh Captain my Captain.
Another lesson that shows that Keating stands for free thought is when he makes the students march through the courtyard. Eventually all the students fall into step and begin clapping their hands in unison. He catches them on this and tells them to walk how they want to walk and not let the others influence them. The school that the students attend prides itself in being the strictest and most classical school in the country. It is an old school that is run on tradition and any act that is against the policy is scorned. I once attended a preparatory school in England called Brentwood Prep.
The teachers were very similar to the ones in the movie. They were very strict and punished anything and anyone. Even first graders would get caned for fighting. The lower school (which I attended) was over a hundred years old and the upper school (which my brother attended) was over four hundred years old.
The schools policies had changed very little in the time since its beginning. The school prided itself on its traditions and this was evident in the lectures and speeches of the teachers and the head master. Mr. Keating was trying to break the traditions in the school and it caused a great tragedy. The two views were too different and unable to compromise in the middle.
I think that it is necessary to keep some tradition but it is also necessary to have free thought. Both sides are too extreme, and therefore the best a compromise should be found in the middle.
Free research essays on topics related to: walt whitman, hundred years, live life, english teacher, dead poets society
Research essay sample on Dead Poets Society Walt Whitman
