Carpe Diem

The theme of the movie becomes very obvious when one analyzes the diverse conflicts that the students must defeat in order to truly understand themselves. It is clear that the authors meant to show that Carpe Diem is an idea that can help anyone no matter what problem they are up against. "Carpe Diem" or "Seize the Day" is a phrase that is heard repeatedly throughout the film by both Mr. Keating and some of the students as they begin to understand its true purpose. The boys hear this saying by Mr. Keating in the beginning, but many of them fear that he is somewhat unusual and they are quick to dismiss these words as another one of Mr. Keating's crazy ideas. Nevertheless, as their interest with both the Dead Poets Society and Mr. Keating himself is peaked, the students establish a firm respect for their teacher and his unorthodox methods. They start to understand the application of this unusual set of words as Mr. Keating allows them to view what they truly want out of life. Most, if not all of students learn to Seize the Day in that they pursue what their hearts desire rather than just what society has predestined them to be. Even the resurrection of the Dead Poets Society showcased the aspiration of the young men to take advantage of the time that they have left and to not waste another second. Seizing the Day becomes extremely important to the students as many of them begin to realize that the lives they are about to embark on may not be what they wish to do. They attempt to use every second that they have to explore new possibilities in order to find what interests them the most. This is a very important way of life for Mr. Keating and he enjoys being able to give the boys the opportunity to make their philosophy as well.