Critical Analysis Of Dead Poets Society

Dead Poets Society: Mr. Keating In the film Dead Poets Society the teacher, Mr. Keating illustrates how a teacher can use methods other than the traditional ways of discipline and honor to raise young boys into men. Despite how the other professors at Welton Academy felt towards his teaching styles, Mr. Keating influenced his students to think for themselves and to be independent. It is implied that the other professors at Welton believed the young boys needed discipline in their life to build structure. However, Mr. Keating’s ways of teaching not only teach the boys but the viewer’s three very important lessons: the importance of individuality, what keeps us alive versus what we live for, and most importantly to seize the day. On the first

Keating describes this to the boys as what keeps us alive; he states “Medicine, law, business, and engineering: these are noble pursuits and are necessary to sustain life.” Many of the teachers at Welton would agree to that statement seeing that they preferred the traditional stern discerning ways of teaching. However, Keating goes on to tell the boys that is not all that truly matters by saying “But poetry, beauty, romance, and love… these are what we live for.” Here Mr. Keating illustrates to the boys that there is a far more powerful meaning to life that cannot be read in a book or lectured upon. This all leads up to one of the most important lessons he leaves with his pupils, “Carpe

Mr. Keating preaches to his students that they are young and need to do what they desire. He tells them to “seize the day” because one day they’ll reflect back on their lives and he wishes for them to be satisfied with their accomplishments. This motivates the students to reintroduce an old literacy club, the Dead Poets Society. One of his students Neil Perry takes this lesson to heart. He tries out for one of the schools plays, which is extremely frowned upon by his uncompromising father. Following the chastisement his father gives him, Neil commits suicide. Neil’s death creates a substantial affliction on the class as well as the faculty at Welton. Unfortunately because of his unorthodox teaching methods, Keating is blamed and decide to let him go. However, at the end of the film we see how much of an impact Mr. Keating left on his students as he gathers his things and proceeds to leave many of his former students stand upon their desk and salute him by saying “Oh captain, my