By Ryan Goluch
Guest Writer
Graphic by Ana Bicolli

Have you ever seen a movie that completely shifted your outlook on how you live your life?   After watching The Dead Poet Society, I felt as though the person who originally sat down to watch it had vanished. One of the biggest take aways that I had from this movie was that we watch life constantly pass us, always looking at it from the same angle or point of view. Yet in order to create real, meaningful and impactful change in the world we need to constantly be changing the way in which we look and observe it. People lack originality. It’s as simple as that. Now, the premise behind the movie is that the students in attendance, are continuously taught to conform to society’s standards and the socially acceptable norms as defined by the teachers. Year in and year out the boys who attend Welton are instilled with the four pillars of “Tradition, Honor, Discipline, [and] Excellence”. These are great things to value in life, however the boys are taught to uphold these pillars via past thinkings and methodologies. None of the boys have been shown how to nor encouraged to think for themselves.

Enter now Mr. Keating, returning to his alma mater of Welton as a newly hired English teacher played by Robin Williams. Keating looks at the world and sees not only night and day but the dusk, dawn and everything else in between. Keating awakens in the minds of his students, to the smallest inkling that there is maybe a different way to look at things than that of say, Mr. J. Evans Pritchard. This comes as a two step process, because Keating shows everyone (students and audience alike) that we must  A) look at the world and the things around us in a different, individualized manner and then B) use that newfound knowledge to leave your mark on the world. We must “stand upon [our desks] to remind [ourselves] that we must constantly look at things in a different way” because “the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse.” We all must “Carpe Diem” since we need to answer the question “what will your verse be?” Today we are continuously facing harder, more advanced and complex problems than ever before. We need to be reminded of the catastrophe that could occur from not pursuing new ideas but also the potential success of taking a chance. In today’s world, people make it seem like everything is black and white, but the truth of the matter is that we live in a forever gray world. Whether we are trying to establish world peace or lower the number of people on welfare, there is not clear cut, well defined solution as people make it out to be.

It is pivotal that every single person of my generation see this movie because we need to become our own people and find that creative, independent, internal motivation to change the world. We should not let a single opportunity pass us by that allows us to accomplish this goal. Too many people don’t fully grasp what is at stake by only pursuing their tunnel visioned goals. They need to realize that there is more to life than just achieving their current goal; whether it be in their lives or in the lives of others around the globe, they need to realize it. They need to take hold of that knowledge, their independence and ability to do something great with it. So my captain, if that means standing atop your desk at the conclusion of reading this and sounding your barbaric “YAWP!” then, by all means do so for the fate of the your soul, mind and the human race depends upon it.