Keating
Why do I stand up here?
Mr.Dawson
To feel taller.
Keating
No. [ding] Thank you for playing. I stand upon my desk
to remind myself that we must constantly look at things
in a different way. See, the world looks very different
from up here. You don't believe me? Come see for
yourselves. Come on. Just when you think you know
something, you have to look at in in another way. Even
though it may seem silly, or wrong, you must try. Now,
when you read, don't just consider what the author
thinks. Consider what you think. 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 in quiet desperation. Don't be resigned by that.
Break out. Don't walk just off the edge like lemmings.
Look around you. Dare to strike out and find new ground.
Now, in addition to your essays, I would like you to
compose a poem of your own, an original work.
Class
Ooh!
Keating
Ooh! Bon chance, gentleman. Mr. Anderson! Don't think
that I don't know that this assignment scares the hell
out of you, you mole.
Keating
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 all noble pursuits, and necessary
to sustain life.
But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are where we
stay alive for.
To quote from Whitman: "O me, O life of the questions of
these recurring,
of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities filled
with the foolish
What good amid these: O me, O life?"
The answer: That you are here. That life exists, and
identity.
That the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a
verse.
What would your verse be?
Keating
A man is not 'very tired'. He's 'exhausted'. And don't
use 'very sad', use--Come on, Mr. Overstreet, you twerp.
Mr. Anderson
Morose?
Keating
Exactly! Morose! Now, language was developed for one
endeavor, and that is--Mr. Anderson. Come on, are you a
man or an amoeba? Mr. Perry?
Mr. Perry
Uh...to communicate?
Keating
No! To woo women. Today we're going to be talking about
William Shakespeare. Oh, God. I know, a lot of you look
forward to this about as much as you look forward to
root canal work. We're gonna talk about Shakespeare as
someone who writes something very interesting. Now, many
of you have seen Shakespeare done very much like this:
"O, Titus, bring your friend hither." But many of you
have seen Marlon Brando, "you know that Shakespeare can
be different. Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your
ears." You can also imagine maybe John Wayne as McBeth
going, "Well, is this a dagger I see before me?"
Keating
Dogs, sir? Oh, not just now. I do enjoy a good dog once
in a while, sir. You can have yourself a three-course
meal from one dog. Start with a canine croquette. Go to
your Fido Flambe for main course. And for desert a
pekingese parfait. And you can pick your teeth with the
little paw.
Keating
Now I'd like you to step forward over here. The
poets aren't that different from you, are they?
Same haircuts. Full of hormones, just like you.
Invincible, just like you feel. The world is their
oyster. They believe they're destined for great things,
just like many of you, their eyes are full of hope, just
like you. Did they wait until it was too late to make
from their lives even one iota of what they were
capable? Because, you see gentlemen, these boys are now
fertilizing daffodils. But if you listen real close, you
can hear them whisper their legacy to you. Go on, lean
in. Listen, you hear it? --- Carpe --- hear it? ---
Carpe, carpe diem, seize the day boys, make your lives
extraordinary.
