This is Wilden Preparatory School, the "paradise" in the eyes of parents, and the "hell" in the eyes of students.
"Tradition, Honor, Discipline, Excellence". These are the four pillars of this school. In the mouths of the students, they mocked it as "Travesty", "Horror", "Decadence", "Excretion". They speak badly and have sarcasm on their faces, but they also have to bow to reality for the sake of life. Freedom, in their world, is just a beautiful yearning.
This is Dead Poetry Society, a very educational film. What happens to a school with a factory management system and a teacher with a very free educational mindset? His first lesson was to have the students "tear up the book." Tear off the preface, but also tear off the shackles. "Seize the day," that's what he wants to say — hurry up and make your life extraordinary.
This is a 1989 film, but the educational issues involved in it still exist. This happened in the United States in 1898, but it also happened in China in 2021, and even around the world. When education is connected to the social system, it is natural that how to have a "good future" becomes a prerequisite. Freedom and dreams are crushed in the depths of the soul and cannot be saved.
The emergence of Keating has made this group of "products to be produced on the production line" begin to change. His appearance is like a bug on the production line, and he graduated from this school, which is a little different. Out of "hell", but still strive for freedom. He used his unique education. This allows students to explore the meaning of life freely in a way that encourages them. He stood on the podium and let the students learn to explore the truth of life from different perspectives. Must it be a delicate product of the assembly line? Do you have to have a good career, a decent job? Is the pursuit of a monthly salary more important than the pursuit of ideals? Keating's statement is, no. For man is always going to become cold and go to death. Blindly shielding the inner voice is nothing more than covering the ears and stealing the bell. Everyone will inevitably leave, so why not try to live for yourself?
At the end of The Death Poetry Society. Neil protested tradition with death, which is why the director used this to protest against society. When the soul does not want to continue to sleep, then they are bound to find the direction of the heart and move forward proudly.