Dead Poets Society

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Jenna Glantz Professor Linda Gill English 101 7 December, 2011 Seize the Day, Seize the Journey, Seize Your Life “Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today” (Dean). “Carpe diem” a Latin phrase meaning “seize the day”, is a quote that is one of the main themes displayed in the film Dead Poets Society by Tom Schulman. The movie depicts a story of a group of teenage boys going to a well-known and respected all boys’ preparatory school called Welton. This school hires a new English teacher, Mr. John Keating, a teacher who will make an unforgettable impact on his students. Throughout the movie Mr. Keating challenges his students to “think for themselves, to look deep within themselves, and to make their lives extraordinary” (Keating). While Welton tries to make the boys good citizens through conformity, Mr. Keating attempts to convince the boys to think for themselves and not just follow the crowd. He encourages the boys to discover their dreams then pursue them. Charles Dalton, known by his friends as Charlie, is one of Mr. Keating’s students and is the rebel of the group. He is bold, confident, daring, and not afraid of punishment or authority. Todd Anderson, another of Mr. Keating’s students, who, unlike Charlie, is overly shy and unsure of himself, shows a total lack of confidence. Todd has the weight of the world on his shoulders and follows the rules, trying to avoid any kind of confrontation. Although Todd Anderson may have started out as a conformist, he learns and grows more from Mr. Keating’s lessons than the rebellious Charles Dalton. Both Todd and Charlie start without knowing what their dreams are or what beliefs they want to embrace, but as the film progresses they discover what is really important and what they believe, with the help of Mr. Keating. Todd comes to Welton with a heavy heart. His brother, Jeffery Anderson is a former
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