What is the movie saying about poetry?
In the movie, Dead Poets Society, Mr. Keating teaches his students that poetry is a way to inspire people and should be read with great passion and beauty. In Mr. Keating's first lesson, he teaches his students that, "Carpe Diem" or "seize the day", should be followed in everyday life to influence people to go out and try new things. Neal, Knox, Charlie and Todd showed various ways that "Carpe Diem" makes their lives better. Knox learns that poetry can be inspiring because as he fell in love with a girl, he realized she already had a boyfriend, but he asked her out anyway. Poetry has the power to change the lives of many people and should be used with great passion and beauty, so that you can be yourself.
What do you think of poetry? How is it similar and different than the movie's view of poetry?
When I think of the word, poetry, I think of it as being rhyming lines with lots of structure to a poem. My view of poetry has changed recently, similarily to the boys in the movie when Mr. Keating challenges them to try new things and change their lives. Poetry does inspire me because most poems need a lot of imagination to create them and it takes a great deal of time. I now realize that not every poem need rhyme or structure, but the only thing you really need is imagination. I do agree with the lesson in the film when Mr. Keating tells his students to read poetry with passion and beauty because poetry is not just cute. I look forward to reading poetry in class, and finding different ways poetry can be written.
