Finding Life Through the Dead Poet's Society

Rating: 10/10 (20 February 2019)

"Tradition, honor, discipline, excellence," the students of Welton Academy recite unanimously before taking a seat in the assembly hall. These 4 pillars serve as the foundation for this prestigious all-boys preparatory school, but they are better known in the minds of the students to be "travesty, horror, decadence, excrement", as they later say in a mocking tone. The students endure countless difficult classes and high standards, but their lives are changed when the schools hires a new english teacher, Mr. John Keating. The growth and dynamic of the students are well presented, and combined with the lovable characters and heartfelt lessons, the Dead Poets Society presents a message applicable to any audience.
Robin Williams is casted to play the part of Mr. John Keating, the beloved English teacher in this movie. He is well suited for the role because of the sharp contrast he presents compared to the other teachers at the school. The beginning of this movie takes the audience through a typical day for the students: old, stern teachers piling mountains of work and stress on the students. The boys handle class after class of overwhelming standards until they arrive at Mr. Keating's class. Firstly, Robin Williams is significantly younger than the other teachers in the movie, and has a softer natural expression that gives away his silly personality. In their first class, he walks through the rows of seated students, whistling the 1812 Overture, before asking the students to follow him out of the classroom. From taking the class outside and around the campus for their lessons, to demanding they rip out the first chapter of their textbook because of how close-minded it is, and even asking that the students refer to him as "O captain, my captain", a quote from a Walt Whitman poem, Mr. Keating is nearly the complete opposite from the other teachers at the academy. He has an almost childlike personality, and yet possesses so much enlightening wisdom about life, allowing him to grow close with his students while still earning their respect and attention.
The movie opens with the students pouring into the school to begin a new school year, some saying tearful goodbyes to their parents at the gate. It is clear that most of them are not particularly fond of the school, but rather are forced to attend under their parents' high standards. Neil Perry is one example. His naturally cheery, friendly personality quickly earns him the audience's love. To many, he is the embodiment of the perfect friend and student, but to his father, he is seen as a disappointing son who can't get his priorities straight. Mr. Keating recognizes his passionate spirit and is the one to encourage Neil to pursue acting, even though his father is persistent he gets rid of all distractions in order to become a doctor. When his father demands he quit as the editor for the school's annual, Neil smiles painfully and complies. After many classes with Mr. Keating and truly embodying the motto he says nearly every class, "Carpe Diem" (seize the day), Neil goes against his dad's wishes and joins the school play as the lead. He learns to stand up for himself a bit more and ends up discovering one of his true passions.
For me, a memorable scene from this movie was their first meeting as the Dead Poets Society. The group of boys huddle together in a small cave somewhere off campus, and read from the book, Five Centuries of Verse, which was known to be the traditional opening for all of their meetings. They alternate from reciting light-hearted poems to dark, haunting ones, with the cameras sharply cutting from one poem to the next. The pace of the readings get quicker as they go on, and eventually the camera is spinning in the center of their circle, as they chant, some singing and some playing instruments, all while dancing around the camera. In this manner, they leave the cave with songs belting from the top of their lungs, showing a passion they previously haven't had the chance to express at the school. This scene is later paralleled when Neil's roommate, Todd Anderson, is stressed out about a poetry assignment in Mr. Keating's class. Neil comes in and tries to read Todd's poem, grabbing the paper from him and running around their cramped bedroom. At first, it seemed that Todd was genuinely upset and that a fight would break out. However, as they circled the room over and over, jumping across from one bed to another with the camera spinning to follow them, the tone quickly averted to a light, playful one. A few other boys joined in the circle with one playing on the harmonica, re-adding the element of music into the scene. It quickly came to resemble the earlier scene in the cave, representing how much the boys have grown closer and become more open to messing around and exploring their true selves.
The Dead Poets Society is an amazing movie for teenagers as well as those reminiscing back to when they were attending school. It can be easy to lose sight of what's important in life when people are busy planning their futures or stressing out about work. However, this movie shows how essential it is that we stop to appreciate life. It emphasizes how one teacher could change the lives and perspectives of these students, opening them up to appreciate the art of poetry and to explore the creative sides of themselves at such a critical point of their lives.