Review of Dead Poets Society

“DEAD POETS SOCIETY”

            Have you watched “Dead Poets Society”? For American drama lover, you will feel disappointed if you miss this good movie. The movie that be released at June 2, 1989 was starred by Robin Williams (as Mr. John Keating). This movie was directed by Peter Weir and the script was written by Tom Schulman.

This movie tells about John Keating a new teacher in Welton Academy that had different teaching methods with the Academy standard. This Academy profess the principle of “tradition, honor, discipline, and excellence”. This Academy is a superior school that the students who graduated from this school will be accepted in the best Universities in America. So, the parents are interested to enter their children in that school, as Mr. And Mrs. Anderson. Their son Todd Anderson, is a new student there. He was moved because his older brother Jeffrey Anderson was the best graduated from that Academy.

            Todd Anderson is one room with Neil Perry. He is an uncommunicative, silent and calm boy. Whereas Neil is a cheerful and clever boy. Neil and his friends Knox Overstreet, Charlie Dalton, Richard Cameron, Steven Meeks and also Todd Anderson are often gather for studying or just having fun together. As the most of students in this school, the reason of Neil came to this school because his parent ordered him.

            In order to execute the principles of Welton Academy, the teachers are so discipline and so hard to the students. It sometimes make the process of study in the class become monotony and boring. The students just memorize what the teachers said and what the books are written. But, everything was changed when Mr. John Keating the new English teacher came to the class. He has different methods of teaching. The students like it and they are also awing Mr. Keating. He teachs the students to find their own ideas and try to achieve the chance (carpe diem). He said to his students to think as they want, do anything they want, and achieve the chance before you die.

            Neil and his friends are really interested in Mr. Keating. So, they want to know Mr. Keating further. Firstly, they found his annual. There was written about Dead Poets Society. It was an activity that Mr. Keating and his friends did when they were still the students of this Academy. They gathered in a cave to read poets. It inspires Neil and his friends to do that activity. So, they are often go outside from the dorm to read the poets in a cave stealthily. For this club, school isn’t the right place to develop theirselves, because just in the dreams, human can be free.

            Thus, Mr. John Keating made so many changes to Neil and his friends. They were motivated by words “carpe diem” to do anythings that they want. Until one day, Neil against his father’s order. He really want to play in a drama and become an actor, but his father forbids him. He kept trying to play, and after the drama end his father take Neil to the home. His father said that Neil will drop out from Welton Academy and then he will move to military school. He doesn’t like that, but he also can’t refuse that. Finally, Neil made a decision to kill himself with his father’s pistol. His father was so shock and then he blame Mr. Keating.

            Neil’s death made the dead poets society revealed. Richard Cameron betrayed and told about that to the headmaster of the Academy. Charlie Dalton and the others was really angry, and then Charlie hit Richard. However, they can’t do anything. Finally, Charlie Dalton was dropped out and Mr. John Keating was discharged. When Mr. Keating leave the class, Todd Anderson that is a calm boy bravely stood above the table and explained what happened. Mr. Gale Nolan the headmaster that was teaching his class ordered him to sit down, but Todd ignored him. The other students that liked Mr. Keating also did that. Then Mr.Keating was so thankful with glassy eyes.

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• The conflicts that exist in this movie are Neil was so confused with his choise. He really wanted to play drama, but his father forbade him. Whatever the reasons, his father didn’t want to know. Neil was confused about that. Must he obey his father’s want or he chose his want and played drama. The situation when Neil feels so confused show us that there is a conflict between the character with himself. Then, when Neil had fight with his father is a conflict between the character with other person.

• Theme of this movie is freedom. Freedom to reveal ideas, wants, and dreams, but blocked by parent’s will.

•  Moral values that we could find from this movie are: Study is not just learn about the theory in the books, but we have to develop what we learn about with our thought. Neil is a cheerful boy, but he had weak mental, and Todd is a silent boy, but in the end he is so brave to reveal his feeling to Mr. Keating and ignore Mr. Gale. So, we can’t look the person by its cover.

This is an interesting movie that we have to watch. The plot of this movie is difficult to be guessed. We can take some part of education here when Mr. Keating was teaching. His method of teaching is so interesting. You’ll never regret when you watch this movie.

*CMIIW