My Take - Dead Poets Society
What is passion? Is it an obsession with something? Is it total immersion in something that our heart yearns for? Maybe, the answer lies somewhere between them. I don't have the suitable words to capture the elusive passion in concrete terms. But, I watched a movie that touches upon this abstract concept of passion.
First, let me give you the gist of the movie. The movie revolves around the life of a few high school boys studying in one of the prestigious schools of United States and their new English teacher John Keating. If you have watched the movie then you must have guessed the name by now. Well, I am talking about Dead Poets Society. It is one such movie that stays with you for many years. The plot is rather simple but its execution makes it a masterpiece. It is set at the conservative and aristocratic Welton Academy, a school that never fails boasts of its high credentials. The school takes pride in its alumni who went on to Ivy League and made it big in their lives. The year is 1959 and a new English teacher is recruited who himself is an alumni of Welton Academy. The school has rigorous curriculum and abides by tradition. But the new English teacher Mr John Keating with his charismatic personality and unorthodox teaching method came in as a waft of fresh air. He quickly carved out a space for himself in his student's hearts. Mr Keating wanted his students to call him captain, taking a cue from Walt Whitman's poem "O Captain! My Captain!" rather than the old-fashioned way of addressing teachers as "sir”. He encouraged his students to rip off the pages that pedantically defined how to evaluate the greatness of poems. He believed that poetry is not subjected to evaluation rather it reflects the endeavour of human civilisation. He sought to inculcate in his student the notion of "Carpe diem", i.e., seize the moment in Latin. The following quoted line wonderfully captures his philosophy, which he wanted to imbibe in his students, "...That the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?" Mr Keating encouraged free thinking among his students, he wanted them to find their own voice. He believed that "ideas and language can change the world."
Though the movie was released in 1989 but it echoes the present day scenario of education system. The teachers who are supposed to be the builders of tomorrow, lacks all or most of the qualities portrayed in Mr Keating. Teaching has been relegated to the lowest rung of professional hierarchy. One might argue that it sounds too cynical, but can we deny the truth that teaching as a profession is being taken up by students only as a last resort? In a class hierarchy pyramid, for those who constitute the apex teaching is unthinkable, even the lower blocks of the hierarchy pyramid look down upon teaching as a profession. It is assumed that only the dredges of education system take up teaching when they find no other means of livelihood. So, when the teachers themselves think of their profession as a last resort to earning a respectable livelihood rather than the builders of tomorrow, how can we expect commitment and accountability on their part? Moreover, the handful of good teachers think that their only responsibility is to guide the students to land lucrative jobs for themselves rather than wasting time on teaching some abstract life lessons like the teachers of prestigious Welton Academy.
The movie also touches on an important theme of following one's passion. One of the meritorious students of Welton Academy, Neil Perry found his calling in acting. He wanted to become an actor but his father was dead set against his decision. Neil did not to belong to a rich, aristocratic family like most of his classmates. His father worked hard to send his son to Welton and thus tolerated no foolery on Neil's part. He wanted Neil to focus on the "important" subjects that would help him to go to Harvard and become a doctor. But Neil somehow managed to hoodwink his father and auditioned for a role in a Shakespearean play. He bagged the lead role and on Mr. Keating's insistence pleaded his father to allow him to continue with acting. On the night of his final performance of the Shakespearean play, his father dragged him home and said that he has decided to withdraw him from Wilton. Neil was shut down by his father when he wanted to explain how much acting means to him. Neil knew that his father's words were cast in stone and thus decided to take the extreme step. Neil shot himself dead.
Sounds very familiar, isn't it? It is a matter of shame that such tragic incidents have become so banal that they fail to catch our attention. Students' suicide rate is nothing more than a digit that frequently crops up on newspapers and magazines. Hardly such an incident evokes any outrage rather it starts an obnoxious blame-game. The movie unflinchingly portrays this harsh reality. Neil's father wanted the school to hold someone responsible for his son's death. And the school, in turn, wanted a scapegoat to wash its hands off the scandal. Quite naturally, Mr Keating became the easiest target and he was sacked on the charge of misguiding Neil and abetting his suicide.
This movie made a huge impact on me, specially the suicide of Neil. It is really depressing to see such bright, young students choosing death over life. It brings to fore some uncomfortable questions that we like to sweep under the carpet. Are all professions other than doctor, engineer, lawyer so ignoble that the society teaches us to choose death over them? Does following one's passion leads one to nowhere as claimed by Neil's father? Are we really so bounded by our filial duty that we couldn't speak our mind to our parents? Why are we so obliged to let others decide our life? Why is the education system so obsessed with producing academic toppers that they forget there is more to life? We all know the answers somewhere deep down in our hearts but we are afraid to peruse them, aren't we?
Mr Keating was an exemplary teacher that every child deserves to have. He taught his students more than just poetry-he taught them about making the most out of life. He knew what Thoreau meant when he said, "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation" and Keating didn't want his students to be resigned to that. He wanted them to lead extraordinary lives; he wanted them to be open to all perspectives and not stick to just one way of life like a fanatic. Keating was himself a sort of rebel and he inspired his students too to question the authority, to think for themselves. His students were so inspired by his ideals that they wanted to follow in his footsteps and thus Neil and his friends resurrected the Dead Poets Society which was founded by Keating himself in his school days, with the aim of “sucking the marrow out of life”. Keating brought out the poet in introvert Todd Anderson. Keating believed in seeing things in new light which he wanted to inculcate in his students too. But what result did his hard-work bring? Did the old traditional model of teaching encouraging rote learning was disposed of in favour of the unconventional method of teaching encouraging free thinking? The answer is no. After Mr Keating was sacked, the headmaster Mr. Nolan took charge of teaching English to Keating's class. Mr Nolan returned to the old mode of teaching which suppresses every attempt of non-conformity. So, the students were back to square one, isn't it? It just proves that any unconventional attempts of teaching shall be crushed ruthlessly and the traditional method of rote learning shall prevail till eternity.
So, was this the reward John Keating got for putting his heart into his work? Thankfully the answer is NO.
After such heart rending tragedies, the movie ends on an optimistic note. Mr Keating and his ideals were acknowledged by his students. Though he couldn't teach the students any longer but he had already accomplished his aim in the little time he got. He successfully planted the seeds of free-thinking and non-conformity in the hearts of his students, which will slowly but surely blossom into independent minds. To liberate the mind from the shackles of conformity, this was all that he wanted to do.
Lastly, I would like to end this piece with a dialogue of our Captain John Keating, that had struck the right chord in my heart and is sure to stay with me for many years to come. "We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for."
First, let me give you the gist of the movie. The movie revolves around the life of a few high school boys studying in one of the prestigious schools of United States and their new English teacher John Keating. If you have watched the movie then you must have guessed the name by now. Well, I am talking about Dead Poets Society. It is one such movie that stays with you for many years. The plot is rather simple but its execution makes it a masterpiece. It is set at the conservative and aristocratic Welton Academy, a school that never fails boasts of its high credentials. The school takes pride in its alumni who went on to Ivy League and made it big in their lives. The year is 1959 and a new English teacher is recruited who himself is an alumni of Welton Academy. The school has rigorous curriculum and abides by tradition. But the new English teacher Mr John Keating with his charismatic personality and unorthodox teaching method came in as a waft of fresh air. He quickly carved out a space for himself in his student's hearts. Mr Keating wanted his students to call him captain, taking a cue from Walt Whitman's poem "O Captain! My Captain!" rather than the old-fashioned way of addressing teachers as "sir”. He encouraged his students to rip off the pages that pedantically defined how to evaluate the greatness of poems. He believed that poetry is not subjected to evaluation rather it reflects the endeavour of human civilisation. He sought to inculcate in his student the notion of "Carpe diem", i.e., seize the moment in Latin. The following quoted line wonderfully captures his philosophy, which he wanted to imbibe in his students, "...That the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?" Mr Keating encouraged free thinking among his students, he wanted them to find their own voice. He believed that "ideas and language can change the world."
Though the movie was released in 1989 but it echoes the present day scenario of education system. The teachers who are supposed to be the builders of tomorrow, lacks all or most of the qualities portrayed in Mr Keating. Teaching has been relegated to the lowest rung of professional hierarchy. One might argue that it sounds too cynical, but can we deny the truth that teaching as a profession is being taken up by students only as a last resort? In a class hierarchy pyramid, for those who constitute the apex teaching is unthinkable, even the lower blocks of the hierarchy pyramid look down upon teaching as a profession. It is assumed that only the dredges of education system take up teaching when they find no other means of livelihood. So, when the teachers themselves think of their profession as a last resort to earning a respectable livelihood rather than the builders of tomorrow, how can we expect commitment and accountability on their part? Moreover, the handful of good teachers think that their only responsibility is to guide the students to land lucrative jobs for themselves rather than wasting time on teaching some abstract life lessons like the teachers of prestigious Welton Academy.
The movie also touches on an important theme of following one's passion. One of the meritorious students of Welton Academy, Neil Perry found his calling in acting. He wanted to become an actor but his father was dead set against his decision. Neil did not to belong to a rich, aristocratic family like most of his classmates. His father worked hard to send his son to Welton and thus tolerated no foolery on Neil's part. He wanted Neil to focus on the "important" subjects that would help him to go to Harvard and become a doctor. But Neil somehow managed to hoodwink his father and auditioned for a role in a Shakespearean play. He bagged the lead role and on Mr. Keating's insistence pleaded his father to allow him to continue with acting. On the night of his final performance of the Shakespearean play, his father dragged him home and said that he has decided to withdraw him from Wilton. Neil was shut down by his father when he wanted to explain how much acting means to him. Neil knew that his father's words were cast in stone and thus decided to take the extreme step. Neil shot himself dead.
Sounds very familiar, isn't it? It is a matter of shame that such tragic incidents have become so banal that they fail to catch our attention. Students' suicide rate is nothing more than a digit that frequently crops up on newspapers and magazines. Hardly such an incident evokes any outrage rather it starts an obnoxious blame-game. The movie unflinchingly portrays this harsh reality. Neil's father wanted the school to hold someone responsible for his son's death. And the school, in turn, wanted a scapegoat to wash its hands off the scandal. Quite naturally, Mr Keating became the easiest target and he was sacked on the charge of misguiding Neil and abetting his suicide.
This movie made a huge impact on me, specially the suicide of Neil. It is really depressing to see such bright, young students choosing death over life. It brings to fore some uncomfortable questions that we like to sweep under the carpet. Are all professions other than doctor, engineer, lawyer so ignoble that the society teaches us to choose death over them? Does following one's passion leads one to nowhere as claimed by Neil's father? Are we really so bounded by our filial duty that we couldn't speak our mind to our parents? Why are we so obliged to let others decide our life? Why is the education system so obsessed with producing academic toppers that they forget there is more to life? We all know the answers somewhere deep down in our hearts but we are afraid to peruse them, aren't we?
Mr Keating was an exemplary teacher that every child deserves to have. He taught his students more than just poetry-he taught them about making the most out of life. He knew what Thoreau meant when he said, "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation" and Keating didn't want his students to be resigned to that. He wanted them to lead extraordinary lives; he wanted them to be open to all perspectives and not stick to just one way of life like a fanatic. Keating was himself a sort of rebel and he inspired his students too to question the authority, to think for themselves. His students were so inspired by his ideals that they wanted to follow in his footsteps and thus Neil and his friends resurrected the Dead Poets Society which was founded by Keating himself in his school days, with the aim of “sucking the marrow out of life”. Keating brought out the poet in introvert Todd Anderson. Keating believed in seeing things in new light which he wanted to inculcate in his students too. But what result did his hard-work bring? Did the old traditional model of teaching encouraging rote learning was disposed of in favour of the unconventional method of teaching encouraging free thinking? The answer is no. After Mr Keating was sacked, the headmaster Mr. Nolan took charge of teaching English to Keating's class. Mr Nolan returned to the old mode of teaching which suppresses every attempt of non-conformity. So, the students were back to square one, isn't it? It just proves that any unconventional attempts of teaching shall be crushed ruthlessly and the traditional method of rote learning shall prevail till eternity.
So, was this the reward John Keating got for putting his heart into his work? Thankfully the answer is NO.
After such heart rending tragedies, the movie ends on an optimistic note. Mr Keating and his ideals were acknowledged by his students. Though he couldn't teach the students any longer but he had already accomplished his aim in the little time he got. He successfully planted the seeds of free-thinking and non-conformity in the hearts of his students, which will slowly but surely blossom into independent minds. To liberate the mind from the shackles of conformity, this was all that he wanted to do.
Lastly, I would like to end this piece with a dialogue of our Captain John Keating, that had struck the right chord in my heart and is sure to stay with me for many years to come. "We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for."
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