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This paper was an extra credit assignment I did for my English Literature class. We had to watch the movie Dead Poet Society and write a response to it. The following was my response.

Peter Weir’s Dead Poets Society opened at the beginning of a semester at Welton Academy, a private school for teenage boys. At the heart of that particular semester was John Keating, a revolutionary English teacher. Rejecting “normal” teaching tactics, Mr. Keating (or “O Captain, My Captain,” as he preferred) endeavored to instill in his class both a love for poetry and the ability to think independently. Among the boys under his tutelage were Neil, Charlie, Todd, and Knox. After discovering that Mr. Keating was once the leader of the “Dead Poets Society,” Neil decided to reconvene the Dead Poets. The new chapter of the Dead Poets held meetings at night in the traditional Dead Poet meeting place, a cave not far from the school. The meetings often grew wild, but some of the boys took Mr. Keating’s messages to heart and strove to think for themselves and “seize the day”. “Carpe diem!” echoed in their minds and they wished for the strength to do so. Neil led the way when he chose to act in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream against his father’s wishes. Others followed. Neil’s story ended tragically the night his father withdrew him from Welton and commanded him to give up acting and focus on his future career as a doctor. Distressed with his plight and his inability to communicate with his father, Neil shot himself. The repercussions at Welton Academy were astronomical. The Dead Poets were disbanded, and Mr. Keating discharged. In a final moment of truth, the shy Todd found his voice. As Mr. Keating prepared to leave, Todd rose to his feet in the presence of the president of the school, stepped onto his desk and “O Captain, My Captain” escaped from his lips. Other boys followed suit. Mr. Keating still left, but he left knowing his mission was accomplished. A classroom of boys knew how to think independently.

Wow. I began watching Dead Poets Society late one night. I was tired and afraid I’d fall asleep. In the beginning, I felt as if I would. I enjoyed the movie but it moved slowly. However at some point, without knowing when, I developed an emotional tie to these characters. I never cried so bitterly during a movie before. Neil’s suicide took me completely by surprise and Todd’s willingness to finally stand up at the end tore at my heartstrings and I sobbed like a child. Many emotions raged through my heart. Anger. Sadness. Determination. This film had affected me in a way few others had ever done. I had learned some powerful lessons.

As the tears coursed down my cheeks, I determined that my new motto would be “Carpe Diem!” Each new day would present new opportunities to be seized, and I would seize them. I knew I was not guaranteed the next day, so I decided that each day would be lived as if it were my last. Each opportunity to do the right thing would be taken and regrets would be forgotten.
Finally, I thought of my future children. Like all people, I hoped for them many things. In my girlish dreams of parenting, I wished them to be intelligent, to be great, perhaps to be doctors, lawyers, preachers. Yet with Dead Poets Society I learned a valuable lesson and I purposed never to pressure my children to be what they did not wish to be. Teach them, yes. Give them opportunity, yes. Mold them, yes, but free thinkers they would be! Free to follow their dreams; free to pursue those free thoughts they would think.

I greatly appreciated the message of Dead Poets Society and willed the powerful emotion never to fade. Yet, I knew it would. That moment was the only moment I was guaranteed. Therefore, lest I forgot the powerful message, I whispered to myself as I drifted off to sleep, “Carpe Diem!”