One person can change many lives. In Dead Poet's Society, directed by Peter Weir and starring Robin Williams, an English teacher urges his students to "seize the day", while giving them a love for poetry. Throughout the movie, three main themes emerge: self-realisation, rebellion, and carpe diem.
From beginning to end, the boys of John Keating's english class are recognizing who they are as people. During the first poetry reading in the class, painfully shy Todd Anderson is pushed by Mr. Keating to describe what he sees when he closes his eyes. Through motivation and assistance from Mr. Keating, Todd realizes his poetic potential. Neil, the son of a very strict and oppresive father, realizes that he wants to be an actor. When he joins the school play (A Midsummer Night's Dream), he must keep this a secret from his father. In the end, Neil acts in the play, despite his father finding out and instructing him to quit the performance.
Rebellion, such as Neil rebelling against his father to act in the play, is a major part of the movie. The students resurrecting the Dead Poet Society is a rebellion in itself. The club disobeys school rules by reforming the outfit their English teacher, Mr. Keating, was a part of when he attended Welton Academy as a child. Charlie, a student of Mr. Keatings, speaks out against the school by writing an unauthorized article in the school's newspaper. He takes this a step farther when all the students are gathered together for a inquisition about the article. Charlie stands up in the middle of the questioning, with a phone ringing in his hand, answers it, and states that it is a phone call from God, reporting that God wants girls to be admitted to Welton, which is the subject of the article. This is an instance in the film where Charlie seizes the opportunity to stand up for his beliefs.
Carpe diem (which translates to "seize the day" in Latin), is the central point of the whole movie. This is a lesson taught by Mr. Keating many times throughout the story. A student named Knox, inspired by his teachers words, goes after a girl, Christine, who has a overprotective and watchful boyfriend. Although he is rejected all the time by this girl, he continues to be fascinated with the idea of being with this girl, no matter how impossible it seems. Near the end of the movie, Knox finally gets Christine to go on a date with him, to a play, and they are seen holding hands while watching the company perform.
Dead poet society reminds us that we have to make the best of the lives we have, and to let no time go to waste. To truly embrace life, you must live it to the fullest, and "suck all the marrow out of life."
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