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How is writing related to a world-view? Is poetry for all? Would we lose ourselves without poetry? Is schooling against nature and awareness? What kind of thinking impedes convention?

Tom Schulman: Dead Poets Society

Excerpts from the script of Peter Weir's movie, Dead Poets Society

[...] The walls are lined with class pictures: dating back into the 1800s. School trophies of every description fill trophy cases and shelves. Keating leads the students in, then faces the class. 

KEATING Mister... (Keating looks at his roll) Pitts. An unfortunate name. Stand up, Mister Pitts. 

Pitts stands. 

KEATING  Open your text, Pitts, to page forty and read for us the first stanza of the poem. 

Pitts looks through his book. He finds the poem. 

PITTS To The Virgins to Make Much Of Time? 

KEATING That's the one. 

Giggles in the class. Pitts reads. 

PITTS Gather ye rosebuds while ye may / Old time is still a flying / And this same flower that smiles today / Tomorrow will be dying. 

KEATING Gather ye rosebuds while ye may. The Latin term for that sentiment is "Carpe Diem." Anyone know what that means? 

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   Cf. Wordsworth's Lines & Strange fits of passion  - Cf. Rilke, Letter to a Young Poet | Plato, Whom are we talking to? | Kierkegaard, My work as an author | Emerson, Self-knowledge | Gibson - McRury, Discovering one's face | Emerson, We differ in art, not in wisdom | Joyce, Portrait of the Artist