The first time I heard of “Dead Poets Society” was in an episode of “Friends,” when the character that stole Monica’s identity had some choice words about the film, notably when they said “-.”

I relayed this to my classmates in my acting class, and even though I said I didn’t agree because I had never seen the movie, they were very upset and had strong feelings as well.

I had forgotten about the interaction until an Instagram post appeared on my page. It was about “The Dead Poets Society,” and it had been over a year since that interaction, so I decided to give it a watch. 

See you in 2 hours and 8 minutes. For you, it will be a second. 

I didn’t know how I would relate to these groups of elite boys who attend Welton Academy. And in some way, I related to each boy, especially Neil and Todd. It is only right to start with Mr. John Keating, the new English teacher at Welton, who is a former student. Keating inspires his class well, to quote the man himself.

“Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.” He reminded me of a professor I had who made me think about every aspect of my life. The way he teaches is considered unconventional in the United States, but it has had an immense impact on his students.

Mr. Keating did not put pressure on them; he was the only one to take away the pressure, and he gave them the only freedom they had to be themselves. Mr. Keating wanted to show them to think from different perspectives, and he had them get on top of the desk and promoted me to stand upon the chair I was sitting on, listening to the words he quotes from Henry David Thoreau, “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Break out!” 

Now, to the boys, I related to each of them differently.

Charlie and Knox were two whom I related to, but disagreed about how they went about it. I understand Knox being a hopeless romantic, but his relentless pining for Chris was hard to watch and sometimes very scary to think about happening in real life.

Charlie’s form of rebellion was built on negative stereotypes of Native American culture, using makeup as tribal paint and the nickname ‘Nuwanda’ to demonstrate his newfound rebellion.

Richard, you’re supposed to hate him in the movie, but I believe he is the most realistic. It is unique to go against the grain; however, it is all too common to conform. I wanted Richard to stand up against Welton Academy and break the cycle of a life of quiet desperation, but not many do, and Richard is the perfect example.

Steven and Gerard are examples of quiet rebellion, and I relate to their forms of rebellion much more than Charlie. They might often be overlooked compared to Charlie’s aggressive form of rebellion or Neil’s tragic story.

Some of my favorite moments were Gerard and Steven building and dancing to the DIY radio, their partnership and their ability to pursue academic and creative pursuits.

Todd Anderson is the quiet hero. Todd comes to Welton with a bunch of pressure on his back, being compared to his older brother, who came to Welton before him. As someone who knows the answer in class and might not raise their hand, I relate so much to Todd and the pressure he was under.

We see the Welton students reciting their original poetry, but Todd would rather do anything else, but Mr. Keating knows better. In this scene, Mr. Keating helps Todd with his creativity and voice, which later leads to a very emotional ending scene.

Neil Perry, the perfect student and son, is the most passionate and most interested in the Dead Poets Society, and pushes the other boys to join. Alongside the pressure of Welton Academy and, most importantly, the unacceptance from his mother and father of his love for performance and acting, this led him to the only option he could think of, which was ending his life.

After his parents find him, we see Todd peacefully unaware, sleeping in his bed and as his crying friends awaken him with the news. I related a lot to Neil and his love for acting. The one thing I knew about this movie was that he was going to have this tragic story, and the tone shifted; I knew it was going to happen. It did not prepare me any less.

Instead of the parents thinking about their own actions, they decided to find blame in the school, and Welton points its finger at Mr. Keating. The boys are young and fearful of the school and their parents – I didn’t blame them when they gave in to the school and blamed Mr. Keating.​

Mr. Keating is packing up his things and goes back to the class one last time. Todd stands up one final time and as an act of rebellion, he steps onto his desk, inspiring not all but some students to join Todd as they break out of the cycle of conformity.

It is not an ending that solves everything and we don’t know how these boys and the school will go on after this movie, but we know the lessons Mr.Keating taught have made an impact on these boys. 

I would say that Dead Poets Society has some negative depictions of Native American culture and the idea of what romance should be, even if they are accurate for the time period in the movie, which takes place in 1959. The message is still right in your face, urging you to break the cycle of desperation that people like Richard fall into.

I would 100% recommend watching this movie, especially for college students during a time when you are still figuring yourself out. Many of the boys came from the best backgrounds possible but were not supported in their pursuit of art. As a broke college student, I felt lucky to have a mom who might be nervous about my decision, but does her best to support me through it.

Now, to leave you with a quote by Thoreau that is recited at every meeting of the Dead Poets Society.

“I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately … I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life! To put to rout all that was not life … And not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”