I get it. College is stressful and sometimes that midterm you stayed up all night studying for still didn't go well. I know it sucks. For those of you who feel lost and unmotivated to continue your routine, take a break and watch Dead Poets Society. It will make you feel refreshed and inspire you to never give up on your goals or dreams.
There are some films that, if watched in the correct mindset and age, stick with you throughout your life. I watched Dead Poets Society for an English Literature assignment in high school. I was originally going to do a different assignment but just watched the movie to see what it was about. After I watched it, I was so inspired that I needed to show my English Literature teacher what I thought about the movie.
In Dead Poets Society, Neil Perry, Todd Anderson, and other students endure constraints that were authentically portrayed. I'm sure all college students feel the same pressure to not let their grades or their parents' expectations down. In an early scene, the main characters are reminded of the four pillars that were the foundation of a Welton education: tradition, honor, excellence, and discipline. These pillars weigh upon all of us as we face the pressure to be the perfect student and the perfect offspring. I, like the students in Dead Poets Society, felt weighed down under the fearsome load of duty and obligation. Perhaps that's why I was captivated by Robin Williams's portrayal of John Keating, the unorthodox teacher who harnesses the power of literature to open his pupils' minds.
It is through Keating and the characters that the audience realizes there is more to life than studying and grades and being perfect students. Seeing Dead Poets Society during the critical time of choosing what college I wanted to go and what I wanted to study there, made me stand up and tell my parents that I didn't want to major in Engineering like they had planned for me. Instead, I wanted to do Economics and go to law school.
It came as a shock to them, but I wouldn't budge because I could hear Keating's words echoing in my head "Carpe diem! Seize the day!" I knew this was the time to make a difference and choose my own way, the subjects I wanted to study, the place I wanted to study it in, and how I wanted my life to look like in the future.
Even if I change my mind now, and go back to Engineering, which isn't likely to happen, but if it does, I know I tried something I thought I would like. Only after realizing it wasn't for me, I moved on to other aspects.
For all of you wondering and unsure about your passion, I am not gonna guarantee that watching Dead Poets Society will make you realize what you want to do, but it will inspire you to try.
