Dead Poets Society

Dead Poets' Society

"I stand upon my desk to remind myself that we must constantly look at things in a different way" (Dead Poets' Society, 1989).

The opening scene of Peter Weir's film Dead Poets' Society presents the private high school Welton with its established rules and values: strict discipline, tradition, authority, honor and excellence. It soon becomes clear that students do not respect the values established by the school; they work out some anti-values. Their secret protest gains new strength when a new literature teacher, Mr. Keating, comes to the school. His appearance becomes a breath of fresh air for the students and a challenge to the old educational traditions.

Has the system of education of the 21st century been able to deal with the issues covered in the paper? Definite reforms took place and many schools today can enjoy using technological innovations and the experience of the best teachers. However, there are still numerous problems concerning lagging behind contemporary social and technical advances and development of creative and critical thinking. Tragic shootings in schools have become a real threat to the safety of thousands of people. That's why, besides the reforms, there is a need in such individuals who are not afraid to question the established values.

When Mr. Keating brings new fresh teaching methods to the academy, there appears a hope that the school system will finally approach its goal – the creation of people who can think independently and take responsible actions. He motivates his students to be active and curious, to think, and to use their minds. Even for the present day his teaching style is extraordinary and opposes the traditional lecture method, with its rules of accurate recitation. It would be wrong to state that only such methods should be used, but especially in case with literature and poetry, they seem extremely suitable.

Keating himself studied in Welton and survived there, that's why...