By Farah R
Edited by Nadya R.
“Medicine, business, law, engineering… these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love… these are what we stay alive for.”
– John Keating, Dead Poets Society
The scene above might be familiar to everyone, especially to movie lovers out there. This iconic line has been wandering around in the contemporary world like a word of preach. Although the movie was released in the late 80s, the accumulated impact it had served to society is undoubtedly remarkable.
This line was quoted by an English teacher, John Keating, at Welton Academy. The academy is known as an elite boarding school attended by teenage boys. It offered quality education that nurtured the students to become professional adults in the future. Keating quoted this line to encourage his students to not focus solely on their success but also to find a sense of self-fulfilment in life. He believes self-fulfilment can be attained by embracing the values of the arts and humanity.
Although John still acknowledges the necessity for technology for humans to survive, he emphasises that they also have to know the symmetrical balance between their needs and wants when it comes to the human race. He reminds them that poetry is not just created because it is “cute,” but also because people write it because they are a component of humanity as a whole. Only by awakening that part of us that is filled with and powered by passion will it happen.
In response to his exalted words, his students have begun to seek something beyond the school’s tradition. They discovered the long-buried ‘Dead Poets Society’, an undercover club operating under the bright moonlight, somewhere near their hostel, in a secluded cave. In the dying nights, the cave becomes a sanctuary for the poetic souls exploring life-worth journeys.
As they spent nights in the cave reciting poems, the boys began to realise that education wasn’t just about mastering equations or excelling in science. They reflect on their parents’ hope for their future which is determined by their participation in engineering, medicine, or business—the poetic sessions they have spent have brought to a realisation to understand life on a deeper level. Life is not wholly about academic pursuit but a life discovery for them to gain liberty. Therefore, his students began to pursue their passion, breaking society’s narrow expectations.
Neil Perry finally found himself a great passion for theatre acting. He was keen about his choice. He broke his parents' expectations to see him in medicine. He successfully made his debut appearance as the main character in a play. However, approaching the end, Neil's dad was totally against his interest. The collective burden from his dad has cost Neil taking his own life. The devastating event has sparked the cost one has to pay when disregarding someone’s passions.
With the impactful ending created by Dead Poets Society, the movie successfully conveys the deep meaning of human life. It reflects the struggle and pressure students feel when they are being pushed to walk on society’s expectation path instead of the path they desire to walk on. Society puts too much conjecture on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education to be the quintessential academic and career pursuit every student should attain. Nonetheless, ultimately, the choices lie on the particular individuals and not their parents, friends, teachers, or society.
Living in the 21st century, what do we learn from the 20th-century movie? With the drive of upgraded education syllables across the globe, students are highly controlled by the education systems and their parents’ needs for their education. How does this allow the students to balance modern life and self-fulfilment needs?
The modern education system, which is highly driven by STEM, has caused students to be wholly focused on preparing for technical skills and to secure a guaranteed, highly-paid job in the future. While this is undoubtedly crucial in the present time, it is best to keep in mind that students should fill themselves with creative expression and personal growth, not only with what they are good at but also to nurture the essence of humanity. The current education syllabi often overemphasise subjects and learnings that lack focus on humanities and arts, which play a crucial role in developing a civilisation infused with empathy, creativity, and understanding.
Other than that, the current education system is slowly disconnecting students from the true meaning of knowledge. The current situation in the world right now, with the influence of unhealthy social media, has contributed significant factors to students. Students nowadays go to school just for the sake of learning and missing the main point of education. They don’t go beyond their school gate of thinking of education as a journey of self-discovery and contribution. This mindset has to be changed as education has a very significant impact on society. Education is now a liberation path to leading a better society and world. Along the journey, students should be able to unfold their true selves and the meaning of being part of society.
“Carpe Diem”. Another notable quote from the movie suggests we seize the day. Complex curricula in school students’ syllabi have contradicted this famous line. Take the Malaysian education system for example; usual rote learning and standardised tests were implemented years ago with the students having to go through 3 main exams according to their grades. All of these exams are learning and memorisation-orientated, emphasising that students should study harder to obtain higher grades and secure spots in good high schools and universities. This system is no doubt good, but it leads the students to gain superficial understanding rather than deep, meaningful learning of the knowledge.
This rigid focus on standardised testing can result in students' perception of education as a series of obstacles to overcome rather than instilling enriching experiences in their life journey. In the long run, it disconnects students between academic pursuits and their interests, thinking that the education phase is a chore rather than a journey in seeking self-fulfilment.
As John Keating's lines are at the centre of this article, I personally think that his messages remain relevant even in today’s world. His messages resonate with the educational context of the 21st century. “Carpe Diem”. Seizing the day, make every moment count, including the journey of gaining knowledge and education. Although in the pursuit of education, we still can seek for the pursuit of ourselves, aspiring a sense of belonging and existence in this world and not only exist to be strictly educated by what has been written in the book.
Although it is undeniable that the advancement of technologies and technical growth shall be given focus, it is important for us, as human beings, to practise balance in life. After all, we are human beings with emotions. With the epidemic of STEM-focused education, we still shall consider the fact that what distinguishes human beings and machines is emotions, the art of humanity. Therefore, orchestrating the balance of our lives with modernisation and the pursuit of humanity is equally important.
Dead Poets Society can be interpreted from various angles. However, through the lens of education portrayed by the cast, it highlights the importance of balancing the modern system with humanity. As we strive and hope for a better and more compassionate society, humanity becomes one of the essential elements that has to be forever revived. As it is the core element in shaping society. Indeed, by fostering the component of humanity, human beings will be able to embrace prosperity together with the art of being human.
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