My score to this film is 7 not because I didn’t like it, but mainly because I believe Mr. Keating was, to some extent, responsible for the misery inflected on the poor students. Me, as an English teacher, consciously do not attempt to give false hope to my young students who are too emotional. I believe he ignorantly stirred so much internal conflict and strife between the students and their parents and the entire society.
The secret community, Dead Poets Society, has a nice irony because, in principle, they were thoroughly “alive” compared to the other pseudo-alive poets. I have also major criticism against the education system, curriculum, and school board at Welton Academy.
The concept of carpe diem is clearly present throughout the film, and it was thoughtfully instilled and indoctrinated to the students, and from this point of view, I draw an analogy between Dead Poets Society and Pay It Forward and Detachment. Accordingly, we could criticize either “Pay It Forward” or “Detachment” for the next session.