Betty woho

Dead Poets Society

Posted on May 1st, 2007 by bekeeney.
Categories: Uncategorized.

Betty Keeney

English 1106

Essay 5

Persuasion 

Dead Poet’s Society            

There are so many movies available for the eye to see.  Only a certain amount of movies actually help us intellectually as individuals in this world.  When I first thought of a movie a college student should see I thought like college student and thought of Harvard Man or Animal House.  Then it came to me, the Dead Poet’s Society.  The Dead Poet’s Society takes place at Welton Academy for boys in 1959.  The boys have everything at there hands except the respect of their parents.  The boys of the Dead Poet’s Society challenged the each other’s character, friendship, and morals.  In life there are choices, we all look at things the way we want to look at them, but to truly look at something we need to look at it in a different way.           

In the beginning of class John Keating states “Carpe Diem” it is a Latin term meaning seize the day!  By seizing the day, he meant take charge of your life and think for yourselves.  “You may contribute a verse…” Keating says.  By contributing a verse we all have something we can contribute towards life.  We must not just stand by and let our lives be runned for us.  We must choose what we want and act upon it.  Our Destiny is in our hands.  The students of Keating’s class, Knox, Todd, Neil, Charlie, Richard, Meeks, and Pitts come together to find the destiny that they are missing.  Within that destiny they learn about the characters they are and who they want to become.  Neil’s father has chosen his destiny.  Neil wants to become as actor.  Neil finds his inner happiness within acting.  Neil acts upon what he wants without his father’s approval.  Neil finds himself torn between what he wants and what his father wants for him.  By finding himself he went against his father’s wishes and started acting.  Neil was happy with himself for the first time; he found who his inner character was by his own carpe diem.           

The boys at WeltonAcademy found friendship through The Dead Poet’s Society.  The boys had learned that Keating was in The Dead Poet’s Society when he attended Welton Academy in his school days.  The Dead Poet’s Society gathered at the old Indian cave.  The D.P.S. was “dedicated to sucking the marrow out of life…” This is how they stared there D.P.S. meeting.  Through the words of the poetry that they spoke, they learned the true meaning of poetry through themselves.  Not knowing what to expect the boys gathered at the old Indian cave where the past D.P.S. gathered.  By accepting one another they saw each other for who they really were.  They were the poetry that they read.  They read between the lines and saw each other through the wisdom that they spoke.        

The boys of D.P.S. were tested upon there morals.  They were faced with a situation with Keating’s; his teaching method was to enhance the way they think.  Most of the boys of the D.P.S. were enlighten about his teaching.  It was something different.  They wanted to learn.  So, when something tragic happens they blame it on Keating’s.  The president of the academy thought his teaching method was morally wrong.  The question is what is morally right or wrong?  The boys were faced with the tragic situation of what to do?  They knew what they had to do, but were felt a different way.         

Reading some reviews of the Dead Poet’s Society I not very surprised.  Most of the reviews I read stated that it was inspiring, moving, and it touches your heart.  One the other hand, some not many were disappointed with the film.  One critic talked about how she was not impressed at all.  It didn’t engage her.  She found that it was just another movie from the eighties.  Dead Poets Society was like all the other movies that were out during that era.  Everyone has a right to there own opinion.  My opinion of the movie I think it is well worth watching.  It gives one hope and inspiration.         

The Dead Poet’s Society is a movie that moves one self.  Many can learn from the characters of this movie.  The boys of the Dead Poet’s Society learned not only about themselves but also about the characters, friendships, and moral situations that they had to deal with.  I think this is a very good movie for any college student to watch.  It deals with situation that college students go through everyday.  Given that it is a movie from the 80’s, it is a classic.  The movie opens your eyes and looks at things very differently.