Why does he force them to shred pages from their books? Mr. Keating believes that reading poetry is important because we are the human race, and humans are full of passion, thus poetry is about passion. He instructs them to pull out the pages in order to maintain the notion of their thinking for themselves alive. He wants them to feel the power of choice by allowing them to decide what they want to do with their life.
Poetry is powerful because it can make you feel many different things at once. A poem can make you feel sad about something, then happy about something else, and then calm after that. Poetry can make you feel excited about what might happen next in a story, or even when there is no story involved, just a collection of words.
People love poetry because it can make them feel everything from joy to sorrow, alone to with someone, hope to despair. It can make them feel everything while still being able to think about other things too. The best part is that everyone feels these things differently, so poetry can make people feel the same way even though each person has their own reason for loving it.
In conclusion, why is poetry powerful? Poetry is powerful because it can make you feel anything at any time. No matter how you feel, there is likely some kind of emotion inside of you that poetry can make you feel.
We don't read or create poetry because we think it's cute. We read and compose poetry because we are human beings. And the human race is rife with zeal. And medical, law, business, and engineering are all noble vocations that are required to support life.
Poetry is as vital to humanity as science or religion. It is part of what makes us unique as a species. Without it, there would be no way for us to communicate our experiences and feelings.
People need poetry in their lives. Whether they are trying to express themselves artistically, find comfort in sorrow, be inspired by history, learn about other cultures, or have their minds opened by new ideas, poetry helps them do so.
Mr. Keating says that he believes "that people should read poetry" because it teaches us how to connect with others and discover new things about ourselves. He also says that poetry is important because it is one of the only forms of literature that can address any topic without being specific to one situation. For example, a poem can describe love using words that apply to many different situations and people can understand this concept even if they have never been in love before. Poetry is able to do this because it is based on logic and reason rather than experience.
Keating also explains that he thinks people should read poetry because it teaches us how to appreciate the simple things in life.
The first reason Mr. Keating is such a fun instructor is that he had each student rip out a page from their books on the first day of class. The second difference between Mr. Keating and other teachers is that he told the pupils about the Dead Poets Society. Picking up on this theme, Mr. Keating reminded his students that it was not what they learned in school that was important but rather what they experienced for themselves that made learning meaningful and retained information.
The third thing that makes Mr. Keating such an interesting teacher is that he uses drama to teach his students. On several occasions, he brought in actors who performed short plays for the class. These plays were always about some aspect of life that students could relate to such as love, loss, or friendship.
The last reason why Mr. Keating is such a great teacher is that he encourages his students to be leaders by setting an example himself. He never wears black shoes to school, instead he wears bright yellow ones which show support for the boys' basketball team where he coaches during lunch hours.
In conclusion, Mr. Keating is such a great teacher because he gets to know each student individually and uses this knowledge to make teaching fun and exciting. Also, he uses drama and music to help his students understand new concepts which results in them being more interested in class.
And we don't just mean "carpe diem," albeit that is a key phrase. He instructs them in the ways of life, love, and, you guessed it, poetry. Mr. Keating: We don't read and create poetry for the sake of being cute. We read and create it because we care what happens to the soul of another human being. Why are we doing this? So we can learn about ourselves and our world.
He starts off by telling them a story about how poetry has helped him understand his own personal struggles regarding faith, hope, and love. Then he has them tell their own stories in order to help them see that they are not alone in their experiences. At the end of the lesson, he asks them to define beauty for themselves by choosing one poem from among their own creations and analyzing it under three categories: form, content, and technique.
Mr. Keating wants his students to learn not only what poetry is but also why we write it and even more important, how it makes us feel. He teaches them that art is anything that gives someone else's thoughts and feelings words and music to help express who they are inside.
In conclusion, he says that there are three types of people in the world: those who want to make money, those who want to talk about money, and those who want to go fishing.
Mr. Keating also assists Todd in breaking out of his shell and leads him through a self-expression exercise to help him achieve his full potential. Todd impulsively composes a poem in front of the class as the activity concludes. He shows it to Miss Gephardt who tells him that it is very good and urges him to share it with someone he loves.
As soon as the words "I'm OK" appear on the screen, an emotional Todd rushes into Mrs. Gardner's office and begins to cry. She hugs him and tells him that she knows what it's like not to be able to control his feelings because she too has a heart condition. However, she goes on to say that he should never feel bad about himself for feeling the way he does because it is what makes him special. This statement seems to give Todd some relief as he returns to his seat.
After school, Miss Gephardt calls on Todd again during recess. This time, she asks him to read her something he has written. Once again, he breaks down while reading and this time it is apparent that he is crying behind his glasses. When he is done, she tells him that it is beautiful and that she will keep it with her all day long.