![]() ![]() But the poem and its connections weren’t finished for me. Some time later, I wrote a piece of Flash Fiction (except it was real) based on the incident, In 55 Words, which I later reworked into a poem. How he did it, I do not know, but after a week’s hiatus, my son went back and finished the run of the play. Early the next morning, he died, thus cementing together in my mind, Walt Whitman’s poem, Kelly’s relationship with our son, Jason, and Robin Williams performance in the movie. In real life, Kelly played the role of Neil’s father before an audience, just that opening night. It was an amazing experience to watch the two of them on stage together, there was a realness to their dialogue, fueled in part by elements of their real personal relationship - my teenage son navigating the journey to adulthood, and his father who didn’t always understand. The second time I saw a stage version, my son was playing Neil Parry, and my husband, Kelly, was playing his overbearing father. ![]() Later on, it was a pivotal piece of the plot in Dead Poets Society and affected me deeply the first time I saw a stage production based on the movie. I first encountered it when I was in high school, and being an avid fan of Civil War era history, I thought it was a splendid tribute to Abraham Lincoln. The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done įrom fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still Rise up-for you the flag is flung-for you the bugle trills įor you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths-for you the shores a-crowding įor you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning ![]() O Captain! My Captain! rise up and hear the bells While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring: The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting, The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won O Captain! My Captain! our fearful trip is done For me, one of the most meaningful poems, one that has deeply affected me, is Walt Whitman’s O Captain! My Captain! He can't take back what he did (and he may very well face expulsion for what he does after) but the principles he's learned have lit a fire within him, and it won't be an easy one to snuff out.For the Poetry Writing Challenge I’ve been participating in, which consists of 30 Poems in 30 Days - it is day 27, and the challenge is to take part in a Poem in Your Pocket Day, and for the challenge, we were invited to read, write, or share poetry that is meaningful to us. ![]() What happens next - that aforementioned "O Captain, my Captain" moment - is a symbol of the effect that Keating had on his students, Todd especially. Keating sees his class for the last time when he returns to pick up the last of his belongings, and there, Todd finds the courage to come clean about Nolan's scheme. It's not until he's presented with the most difficult challenge of all - to honor truth, consequence be damned - that he's able to demonstrate a complete understanding of "carpe diem." Of all his friends, he was most likely to shrink away from a challenge. Out of everyone in the Dead Poets Society, he was the most resistant to Keating's teachings. With Charlie expelled, Keating sacked, and Nolan poised to replace him as English teacher, the status quo is all but restored - and it's here that the focus shifts almost entirely to Todd. A wise man understands which is called for." "There's a time for daring," Keating tells his class, "and there's a time for caution. Like other members of the Dead Poets Society, he largely fails to absorb the true essence of "carpe diem." Honoring your inner truth and shunting the status quo are both vital to seizing the day, but not without an understanding of the consequences. It's this conflict that demonstrates Neil's half-formed approach to Keating's philosophy. The only problem: he does so behind his father's back, and it backfires spectacularly when he discovers the truth and demands Neil drop out of the production. He auditions for a local production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in an effort to take control of his life again. It's only after Keating's lessons start to sink in that Neil realizes he can live a different way, without submitting to his dad. Until he graduates from Welton, then college and ( eventually) medical school, his life is not his own. In normal circumstances, Neil would concede to his dad without question. ![]()
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