“O Captain, My Captain”— An Ode To John Keating
For Dead Poets Society — one of the most beautiful films ever made, and John Keating — one of the most inspiring characters ever written.
John Keating (Robin Williams) said “We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race, and the human race is filled with passion. Medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.”
And my God, have these words struck a chord in people’s hearts.
Dead Poets Society revolves around a spirited professor imparting life lessons to 17 year old students through poetry, and urges you to express with an open heart, live to the fullest and just…be free. A film so far ahead of its time, so relevant to every generation and so utterly beautiful that it makes you come back over and over again just to relive Professor Keating’s passionate teachings. Even today, 31 years later, the film continues to remain an absolute, pure masterpiece untainted by the qualms of the world. The entire film, with its soulful dialogues, is like a compilation of verses harmonising into one long, inspiring poem.
Another exemplary exhibit of John Keating’s thoughts —
“No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.”
The words of great poets and leaders have been immortalised and passed on through generations- why? Because words have the power to move us in a way no other art form possibly can. They inspire us. They enable us to take action.
Showcasing the purest form of teaching, here are a few more of the all-time favourite lessons from John Keating which will forever ring in our hearts —
“Carpe, carpe. Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.”
“There’s a time for daring and there’s a time for caution, and a wise man understands which is called for.”
“Boys, you must strive to find your own voice. Because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all. Thoreau said, “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation.” Don’t be resigned to that. Break out!”
“So avoid using the word ‘very’ because it’s lazy. A man is not very tired, he is exhausted. Don’t use very sad, use morose. Language was invented for one reason, boys — to woo women — and, in that endeavor, laziness will not do.”
“But only in their dreams can men be truly free. ’Twas always thus, and always thus will be.”
Originally written by Walt Whitman, “O Captain! My Captain!” is a melancholic ballad devoted to a captain (President Abraham Lincoln) who dies heroically shortly before his ship reaches her destination, having withstood a turbulent voyage (a metaphor for the end of the American Civil War). On his first day, Professor John Keating playfully asks his students to address him as “O Captain, My Captain”, as a tribute to his favourite poet.
And now, 31 years later, I imagine John Keating’s students would pay homage to their favourite professor with a few short verses:
O Captain, My Captain!
“Carpe diem, seize the day!”
You used to say,
But look where fate took you
Away from us, so far away.
O Captain, My Captain!
With each thought, each vow
You showed us the beauty in poetry
And look, we write verses for you now.
O Captain, My Captain!
“Break out!”, you cried
And now, we call out to you each day
We hope you look upon us with pride.
O Captain, My Captain!
You may be gone,
But your words are forever etched in our hearts,
And your legacy lives on.
As an epilogue to this tribute, there’s one more thought I would like to leave you with —
Poetry is solace. Poetry is passion. Poetry is sunshine on a rainy day and warmth on a wintry evening.
Poetry is everything you wish for it to be.
