Monday, December 8, 2008
Dead Poets Society Reflection
After watching clips from the great movie, Dead Poets Society, please write what quotes/ideas/messages Robin Williams' character, John Keating teaches his students and justify why they resonate with or speak to you. With regard to what he teaches, why does it stand out to you? Do you agree/disagree? How can you apply what he says?
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Some of the messages that Mr. Keating tries to send to his students are as follows:
~~Carpe Diem: To seize the day.
This resonates with me, because I believe that making the best out of everyday, and making everyday worthwhile is one of the most important things you can do in life. I agree with what he was teaching in regard to this. You can apply this lesson, by just never letting a good day be wasted into a bad one by not seizing it. Another thing that Mr. Keating adds to this is that "we are food for worms; everyone dies. It is a fact of life." I think this helps put into perspective that we won't have forever, so why not just go for it now.
~~"Words and ideas can change the world."
This resonates with me, because I am not sure how convinced I am of this statement. I don't think that one thing can change the entire world. I do believe that certain things can have a very large impact on the world. However even if it is out there, there will still be people who won't agree, or won't care, and therefore it won't affect them. But who knows, if it is just the right idea, it just might change the world.
~~"We read and write poetry because we are human and we are passionate."
I believe that this statement is true. I don't think people would do most of the things that they do unless they were passionate about it. I think what he is trying to say is that great things come from passion, and without feelings and passion, "being human," we would not do great things.
~~"We must constantly look at things in a different way."
What speaks to me about this is that it is so true. I am constantly surprised at the things I find out from looking at something, that I thought I knew like the back of my hand, in a different perspective.
~~Never be afraid to try.
This resonates to me, because out of all the things Mr. Keating said during the clip that we watched, this is my favorite. I agree with this 100%. If you don't try all kinds of things, and always stay consistent, you get stuck in a rut, and may miss out on something that you would have loved if you had just stepped out of your comfort zone for a bit.
In “Dead Poets Society,” John Keating sends the following messages/quotes/ideas to his students:
1.) Carpe DiemàSeize the Day!
a. This stands out to me, because it really means something and its really important. He is saying that obviously we all die. But that means we only have ONE chance to live our lives. We only have one shot to be what we want to be, because one day, we wont have that chance anymore. He is telling them to get out into the world and live how we want to live. Take each day step by step, but most importantly live your life to the fullest you can before you lose that chance. Also when I hear this, I feel like its saying live your life like tomorrow is the last day you’ll ever live. I feel like this connects because you never know when we will die, and because of that we should live like tomorrow will be our last day, just incase it is.
2.) Make your lives extraordinary!
a. Just like #1, Mr. Keating is telling them to enjoy what opportunities are right in front of all of us. I really like this quote because sometimes I forget to enjoy what I have in front of me. I know so many people that just do what they have to because they HAVE to. Why not take a step back and enjoy what we have to do. It might spice things up a bit. Even doing something different every single day will make it a little bit more spunky. Go skydiving, go out, travel, love, laugh, cry, take pictures, dance in the rain, make snowmen, anything exciting.
3.) Think for Yourself, “We all have a great worry for acceptance, but be your own person,” “Two paths diverged… I took the less traveled one…”
a. This stands out to me because it is the most important I think. I remember back in middle school when everyone had to wear the same thing, walk the same way, do the same things to be “cool.” But just like Emerson says, “Imitation is suicide.” Why cant we all be our own person, dress how we want and do what we want. It’s the most important thing. Be your own person, don’t let anyone stop you from that. Mr. Keating definitely tells his students to take their own opinions before anyone else’s. Don’t let anyone stop you from being yourself. I mean, if this whole world looked, acted, spoke, and did exactly everything the same, how BORING and LAME would this world be?
4.)Words and ideas can change this world
a. This definitely stands out to me because for example Rosa Parks stood up for herself just so she could sit where she wanted. And I know that changed the world. I know that one person with a motivational voice could maybe change the world. Or one amazing idea that will help our universe immensely, I know it’d be able to change our world. I think he shows this to his students so they all see that maybe one day, they will be that one person to change the world. Maybe one of us, in our classroom will change the world. I think he’s saying that if we try, anything is possible.
5.) Look at things in different way
a. I agree with this statement because for example, putting your self into someone else’s shoes might even show you a different side of things. Like getting into an argument. Try to put yourself into their position and see where the opponent is coming from. It might change your thought, and might show you a different side. Or even better, with our last election, I know many people that were completely prejudice and mean against the opposite candidate. But instead, why cant we all find pros and cons for both of the two candidates. It might show you a different side to other opinions. Don’t be stubborn, open your train of thought and explore different sides, opinions, angles and views. Because I think that if we don’t, this whole world would continually be fighting more and more and no one would ever come to an answer. Mr. Keating is just telling the students to open yourself up to the world and don’t let one thing drive you. Give opportunities for everything, and eventually you will find yourself and who you really are.
Some messages that Mr. Keating is trying to send out to his students are...
Carpe diem which means seize the day. He pretty much is just expressing to the boys how life really is we all are going to die. We people are all food for the worms… we have to gather our rosebuds while we can and we have to live an exstudinary life no matter what. “Dare to strike out, and find new ground.” Mr. Keating also teaches what the objective of poetry is. Poetry is a battle and war of measuring it he says. He teaches that words and ideas can change the world and that the human race is filled with passion. We must constantly look at things a different way and most defiantly strive to find our own voice. I feel that everything that he is trying to teach his students is a very valuable and that they should take it all to heart because I do. They are very good teachings that just make you express how you really feel and to not hold anything back. everything that he is speaking reaches out to me alot! i feel that he is just really trying to help them to understand the world and how it really is and to live the days as the life lessons learned.
CARPE DIEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The first thing that Mr. Keating says to his students that I like is Carpe Diem, or seize the day. This saying stands out to me because I think it is important to take advantage of everyday that you have. If you sit back and let your life waste away, it will count for nothing in the end. Another quote that stood out to me was "make your lives extraordinary!" I agree with this quote because I feel Mr. Keating is saying that only you have the power to make your life what you want it to be, and you should do everything in your power to make it extraordinary. I think too many people rely on material possessions, money, or how many friends they have determine the quality of their lives. Enjoying yourself and not caring about things that will not matter once out of high school are important things to remember. To apply the things that Mr. Keating says, one has to remember to take advantage of every opportunity and always remind oneself to Carpe Diem and make your life extraordinary.
Even though I did not watch the movie in class I have seen this movie before, and the one thing that really stood out was when Mr. Keating says Carpe Diem, which means seize the day. In my opinion Seize the day means to take each day like its your last. Dont let anything get in your way of achieving a goal. I don’t remember any specific quotes because it has been a while since I have seen the movie. But the message of the movie to me was be your self, no one can predict your future, and always stand up for what you believe in. Along the way you may make some friends, the true ones will be with you no matter what, and the ones that don’t matter will be left behind watching your success.
Mr. Keating teaches many ideas to his students. Some of which include:
1. It's okay to be different.
This really stuck to me because I live my life this way. I don't try to follow the norm, nor do I want to. I don't care what others think of me, because I want to live my life my way, and not ever wish I would've done anything differently.
2. Carpe diem.
I also agree with this. I have learned that life is short. We must live every moment. We will never get a chance to go back and be ten years old again, just as we will never get the chance to be teenagers again. I must live so I don't feel the need to relive my teenage years.
3. Make your lives extroridnary.
This teaching is somewhat like the previous, but I think it looks more at the big picture. I think you must go for your dreams. When people say careers such as professionnal sports, acting, and the music buisness are almost impossible to get in to, I think it best to ignore them. Yes, it is difficult. But, if you want it enough, and give two hundred percent in it everyday, it is possible. Plus, someone has to fill this positions, right?
4. Words and ideas can change the world.
I somewhat agree with this. I think words and ideas can change some people in the world, but not the world itself. There is always going to be that group of people that just doesn't care, no matter what they are told. They don't care if the ozone layer is dissintegrating, they don't care if their country is in a war. But, there are some people that read something, or hear something, whether it be in a speech, song, movie, or television show, that really hits the heart. And, when this happens to these people, it could cause life changes, but not world changes.
5. It's difficult to maintain your own beliefs.
In this day, so many people go with what's "in," or follow the norm. They think what they are told to think and forget that they are allowed to have their own opinions. People are scared of what others think, because this world is so competitive that they don't want to be in the minority. Or rather alone in their thoughts. But new ideas and thoughts is how the world progresses. So, I agree with this statement.
Mr. Keating has some strong messages he tries to get across to his students. They are very powerful ideas of individualism. The first big idea he gives his students is as simple "carpe diem." He wants his students to live for each day and not let a single one pass them by. He wants that they never stop growing and learning and that they leave a legacy behind them. Second, Mr. Keating influences his students to think for themselves. The powerful visual of students tearing out pages from their textbooks represents individualistic views. This influenced me greatly because it shows that great people reach greatness by setting themselves apart from what is commonly accepted. I agree with both of Mr. Keatings major points. I can apply these to my life right now by becoming a more active student. I need to not let a single day pass me by. I can do this by doing one thing every day that scares me. Mr. Keating's teachings bring up very powerful ideas that can influence the future of youth everywhere.
-Carpe diem, seizes the day. This is one of the best quotes from the movie because it can relate to everyone. Mr. Keating wants all of his students to live as you want to live, "make YOUR lives extraordinary!" "Each face is different to make each life extraordinary.
-Food for worms...Think out of the box. I really liked these two parts because it stood out to me. Mr. Keating teaches his students to not have limits to your mind, think out of the box.
Those two quotes were my favorite but here are some random quotes through out the film that i liked.
~"There shouldn't be a beginning in poetry just how you make of it."
~Savor life
~"Ambition vs. Thoughts and ideas"
~"Identity. Powerful play of life"
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