Where I come from, a teacher is considered to be a parental figure: a growing child’s social guardian who is as involved in raising them as their parents. While teachers are always seen in a certain light, the best teachers often resort to absurd methods. For instance, my high school English teacher used verbal profanity while teaching English literature. His argument? “You’ll remember the abuses when you write your test. It works like mnemonics.” This is the same man who taught me how to visualize through words—the reason why I proudly call myself a creative writer today. John Keating embodies every teacher who toils day and night for their pupils; teachers who consider their students as their own children; teachers who are not taking the job as a simple 9-5 employment. In this article, we’re analyzing one of the most iconic scenes from Peter Weir’s Dead Poets Society, where Keating, right in his first class, urges his students to “carpe diem” or seize the day. The Scene The scene opens with Keating addressing his students as he conducts an entire class outside their classroom. This isn’t a lesson from the syllabus–rather one from life. The entire class, about 20-25 boys, is standing in the common area with books in their hands. Keating asks one of the students to read the first stanza from a poem: Robert Herrick’s To the Virgins To Make Much of Time. Slightly confused, he begins reading, "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, old time is still...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Today