Should The Dead Poets Society Be Allowed To Follow The Cause Of Suicide?

‘Carpe Diem!’, literally translating to seize the day, is a concept most in the film Dead Poets Society attempt to adhere to. Set in 1959, the boys take this latin mantra to heart after being first introduced to it by Mr Keating. This then becomes the prime factor of motivation for most, if not all, of their actions in the film. Although the outcomes are positive on occasion, with an unbiased mind, their physical actions and choices would easily be seen as selfish and naive.

As an example, throughout the entire film, Neil Perry endeavours to follow his dreams of acting against his father’s will. This decision is controversial as yes, he should be allowed to follow the path he desires, but do the consequences really outweigh the good he can do in this world if he listens to his parents’ wishes? The film suggests that doing what he wanted was positive reform. One can sympathise with Neil, whose talents are suppressed by his parents and so is unable to achieve his full potential, but was suicide really the answer? Not only did he have absolutely no chance whatsoever to aid the current world in the afterlife, Neil did not have any chance to redeem his faith in acting and time he missed out while he was banned. In choosing to commit suicide, Neil Perry was selfish. He did not think of his friends, of his family.
He did not rid the
With the ending scene having an overall positive outcome between them (sometime during watching Neil’s play, Chris holds Knox’s hand), the film wrongly encourages viewers to believe Knox’s self-centered actions were decent. Whether purposely or not, Dead Poets Society alludes to the common stereotype that girls who say ‘no’ are just playing hard to get. Once again, this does not only display a premature negligence to anyone but the individual’s emotions, but it also brushes aside the powerful notion of