Carpe Diem,及時行樂

Carpe Diem, the Poets can be Never Dead

Dead Poets Society is a 1989 film directed by Peter Weir.

Carpe diem, in Latin it means 「seize the day」. On the first class the new English teacher John Keating tell them this. In my mind, this phrase becomes his students』 slogan, when they are afraid, hesitating, or flinching, they would shout out 「Carpe diem」 , then go and do it, that’s the passion most of the people lack of now.

And Mr. Keating light this passion up in this seven students heart. Through his class and Dead Poets Society, he lights up the students』 dreams. Rip The four principles: Traditon, Honor, Discipline and Excellence—about teaching .

The prestigious Welton Academy prep school earns its reputation and do everything based on these four principles. Can you see that is somekind too traditional? Just like some classes nowadays. Should we do some change? Mr. Keating does it. He uses the unorthodox way to teach. On his first class, he tells the students to call him 「O Captain! My Captain!」. He also encourages his pupils to think by themselves, 「first time when you read a article, the most important thing is not what the author think but what you think..」 He teaches them to rip the text book which he thinks the theory of someone is wrong.

This is the secret of Mr. Keating about the Dead Poets Society. The boys are interested in it very much and at that night they went to the cave to read poetry. Neil, a very active boy as well as an inspiring leader in the seven boys, takes his own life. When he begins to read the oath, we know he takes 「the road few have taken」. 「I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life！To put to right all that was not life. And not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.」.

Will you be a dead poet? Will you like Keating, Neil or Todd. If you are a teacher, will you like Keating to teach them through kicking the football, standing on the teacher desk, walk in the yard, or acting out like a movie character? If you have dreams, will you like Neil? To devote himself to the dreams, although I think the way he takes is too extreme which results Keating’s leaving and his parents』 desperation.

If you are living unhappily, will you like Todd to stand on the table and shout out 「O Captain My Captain」, to change yourself totally. Will you? Although the name of the club is called Dead Poets Society, but we know that actually it’s telling us that poets can be never dead, because 「When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st, so long as men can breathe or eyes can see, so long lives this, and this gives life to thee. 」 the poems, the spirit of pursuing dreams can be never dead. Let’s carpe diem and be a never dead poet.

Glossary
seize (v.) - to take hold of

unorthodox (adj.) - a non traditional approach to something

pursue (v.) - to chase after/to follow after

  

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