Dead Poets Society

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Katie Goering

9 December 2004

9W

Ms. Werner

Dead Poets Society

Directed by Peter Weir

How do the quotations and poems demonstrate the main themes or ideas of the film, Dead Poets Society?

The film, Dead Poets Society, directed by Peter Weir, is set in the 1950’s at Welton Academy in the United States. Welton is a school that is based on honor, discipline, tradition, and excellence. The teachers at this school are extremely strict and academic.

The Dead Poets Society has many important themes and messages, which should be considered in one’s daily life. The film teaches to enjoy oneself and live life to the fullest. It also demonstrates the value of friendship, which is dealt with in the film as loyalty, betrayal, forgiveness, and love. Dead Poets Society also shows the significance of poetry and how it expresses many emotions frequently experienced by people. Mr. Keating informs the boys that poetry helps people understand themselves, feel alive, and appreciate life. Another message in the film involves making the right decisions, learning from selections one makes, and the results of one’s choices. Finally, Dead Poets Society touches on finding one’s voice and doing what one believes is right.

However, Dead Poets Society is not the only place these lessons are shown. They are also displayed in numerous poems and quotations, which only emphasizes their importance. ‘To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time’, written by Robert Herrick, a quotation from Henry Thoreau, ‘The Road Not Taken’ by Robert Frost, and the “Carpe Diem- Seize the Day” are only a few examples.

‘To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time’ by Robert Herrick is about using one’s lifetime well and following one’s dreams while we are still young. Life is short, it is only a moment in the history of the world, and the more time we waste, the less time we will have to do something extraordinary with our life. The poem also explains that being shy or afraid will only make it more difficult to seize the day. The author discusses the importance of getting married and sharing one’s life with another person. The main message of the poem is that we should not delay because we may never get the chance again.

The quotation, “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation”, from Henry Thoreau alludes to the fact that most people are not satisfied in life and give up without trying to improve it. In addition, the majority of people persist but we cannot tell because they do so quietly.

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Robert Frost, a famous American poet, wrote about making the right choices in life and how they affect people, in his poem titled ‘The Road Not Taken’. The poem reveals that sometimes being different and choosing the more challenging path in life can end up leaving one much more successful. The easier way is not always the best way.

“Carpe Diem- Seize the Day” is a very important message and theme in the film. It involves savoring life and not letting any opportunities pass us by.

Probably the most obvious and prominent theme in the film ...

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