Note: This article contains spoilers for Dead Poets Society.
As far as I’m concerned, Dead Poets Society is one of the greatest films ever made. Since I was introduced to it early last year it’s been a touchstone of my life, always making me want to strive to greater heights for myself. It’s one of those films that makes no qualms about wanting to teach its audience a lesson: the lesson being, of course, carpe diem. Seize the day. Make your life extraordinary. Whenever I feel lost, stressed, or overwhelmed, Dead Poets Society is there to remind me what life is all about: it’s about living. About doing what we love. In much the same way Soul teaches us that we’re worth more than our careers, Dead Poets Society teaches us that we’re also worth more than the menial tasks drummed into us by an archaic style of education – and because of that, it’s a film I will never, ever forget.
But if you somehow haven’t seen it, then let me catch you up. Actually, scratch that: go and watch it, then come back. If you have seen it, let me give you a refresher. We follow a group of teenage lads at the prestigious Welton Academy in 1959. The school is a hellhole, discouraging any form of creativity in favour of rope-learning Latin verbs and trigonometry rules – in some ways, it actually reminds me of my own high school, which is perhaps why the film gets to me on such a personal level. Regardless, the lives of the boys are changed with the arrival of John Keating, played by a career-best Robin Williams: with his lust for life and highly unconventional teaching methods, Keating aims to revolutionise the way the boys view the world.
Gather ye rosebuds, while ye may
Ultimately, however, we find that this worldview is incompatible with the education system in which the boys find themselves, as we see with the death of Neil Perry and subsequent firing of Keating at the end of the film. This world we live in – a world of capitalism, driven only by consumerism and how much we can add to the production line – makes no space for such creative endeavours as Keating’s poetry or Neil’s acting. Neil realises this, and by the end of the film his friends do too.
Creativity under capitalism is an inherently rebellious endeavour. Yes, it’s become much less so since Dead Poets Society was released in 1989, but it still isn’t regarded as a worthwhile pursuit. Remember that godawful “cyber” campaign run by the government last year? Yeah, that happened in the UK in 2020, and I still can’t believe it. If we’re to thrive in our creative endeavours, we need to carve out our own spaces for them. That, I believe, is one of the ultimate lessons of Dead Poets Society: that we need to make a space in which to find ourselves, and figure out the people we are. Because only then can we truly start living.
Carpe diem
On a personal level, Dead Poets Society is one of those films that will never stop being relevant. When a friend introduced me to it last year, it genuinely changed me. I wrote this article off the back of that viewing, and I’m still damn proud of it. I was going through a rough patch in my life, and Keating’s words genuinely helped me through it. My outlook was changed, and my days brightened. And then the world stopped turning.
I don’t think I need to go into too much detail about the past year, because we’ve all had a pretty shit time of things. For me, the last month and a half has been especially difficult. I’m not going into all the gory details here – those who need to know them already do, plus I’m working on something a little bigger that encompasses much of my ongoing trauma – but things haven’t been at all easy.
Dead Poets Society is a film that makes me want to be a better man. It moves me and inspires me, and makes me realise that I am capable of far more than I give myself credit for
In Dead Poets Society, I found something resembling salvation. Much like when I saw it for the first time last year, when I revisited it a few weeks ago, the film liberated me. I felt as though Keating was speaking directly to me through the camera; as though he was teaching me, not the other lads, about how to appreciate life. That romance, poetry, art, music, movies, companionship are the reasons we stay alive. Not school. Not work. Love. Not a necessarily a romantic love, but a love of life itself: the things we bring into this world through love are ultimately what make life worth living at all.
Make your lives extraordinary
Now don’t misunderstand: I’m not trying to claim that one movie singlehandedly fixed me – that’d be insane. I’m still coming out of that rough spot, and I have a long way to go – but I can see the end of it. There are a lot of things I need to do to get myself sorted, and one of those is simply to appreciate life a little more. Because, to paraphrase myself, when we look beyond ourselves – beyond these bodies of atoms and dust into what makes us human – we can find what we’re truly capable of. And when we find that, we realise we can accomplish wonders.
Dead Poets Society is a film that makes me want to be a better man. It moves me and inspires me, and makes me realise that I am capable of far more than I give myself credit for. And I think that right now, with our collective mental health in tatters from a year away from the ones we love, that’s a message we really all need. Because human beings are amazing, and we can do anything we put our minds to – all we need is a little inspiration. So let’s seize the day, because it sure as hell won’t seize itself, and make something of our lives. But not just something: let’s make them extraordinary.
Again, this wasn’t what I had in mind for this post! The other ideas I had on my schedule weren’t really grabbing me, so I’m very glad Dead Poets Society was on hand with some inspo. As ever, thanks for reading.
Looking forward, there are a couple of things I have in the works – some of them very exciting! It also isn’t long now until cinemas reopen in the UK, so I’m hoping to be able to discuss some new movies over the coming months. In the meantime, let’s all keep ourselves safe and enjoy the sunshine – and remember: carpe diem.
Images: Touchstone Pictures