The movie Dead Poets Society explores the concept of individualism in great depth, particularly through the lessons of Mr. Keating. On the first day of class, Keating quotes Whitman’s “O Captain, My Captain,” and tells the students they can either refer to him as “O Captain, My Captain” or “Mr. Keating.” Keating indeed becomes captain of his students and leads them in a war against conformity. On one instance, Keating conducts an exercise in which three students walk around …show more content…
The character of Neil Perry exemplifies the spirit of ambition by choosing to pursue his passion for acting despite his father’s warnings against it. Neil exclaims, “For the first time in my whole life, I know what I wanna do! And for the first time, I'm gonna do it! Whether my father wants me to or not! Carpe diem!” Keating also encourages his students to trust their inner voice and let it guide them, giving them the confidence necessary to overcome great obstacles. Todd Anderson, for example, overcomes his shyness and social isolation by allowing his hidden feelings and ideas to come out into the open as a cathartic expression. Mr. Keating cures the stutter and inhibition of Todd by making him "yawp" in class, and by provoking him into producing a highly poetic description of the “crazy” Walt Whitman. Knox overstreet is another character who recognizes the importance of individual intuition throughout the movie and allows it to guide him through life and help him make decisions. Mr. Keating inspires Knox to follow his intuition and express his romantic feelings Chris, against all social odds and conventional expectations. Knox’s declaration of love becomes a decisive breakthrough in his life. Through the development of several characters in the film, including Neil Perry, Todd Anderson, and Knox Overstreet, the Romantic theme of intuition is