Generally speaking, "Dead Poets Society" tells the story of a group of rebellious youths pursuing self-liberation and spiritual freedom in cruel bondage. Their parents arranged a perfect life for them, went to an Ivy League school and became successful bankers, doctors or businessmen. However, children have their own ideals and pursuits, girls they like, and careers to fight for. The center of the conflict revolves around Mr. Keating, his teaching methods and his influence on children. On this issue, nothing more than the following factors:
First of all, it is the school. The school in the novel is a very famous preparatory school, located in a closed valley. 75% of its students can enter ivy league schools, and a large number of talents have emerged. The teaching style of the school is a bit rigorous. In fact, this is understandable. After all, the school has a good reputation. Of course, students will be strictly required to ensure the quality of teaching and live up to the hopes of every student and parent. In this sense, the strict requirements of the school are understandable. For teachers, the school is also very harsh. Although the teaching style like Mr. Keating is novel, interesting and vivid to us, it will lead to confusion if it is promoted throughout the school (detailed reasons will be discussed later). Therefore, it is reasonable for the school to require teachers' teaching style to be consistent with the school's educational philosophy.
Second, Mr. Keating. This guy has been a core member of Dead Poets Society for a long time, and seizing time is his creed. He also brought this creed to several of his students. What he said is very reasonable and profound. He made students realize that life is short and insignificant, unity and harmony destroy personality, and they should seize the time and do what they want. He wants students to look at problems from different angles. He wants students to write poems according to their own ideas. He wants students to look at articles in textbooks dialectically and critically. To put it simply, Mr. Keating is the ideal state of "quality education", and in this ideal state, a living person with dreams and enthusiasm is cultivated.
However, the ideal state can never exist in reality. Not to mention the promotion of the whole school, something that should not have happened happened in a class of Mr. Keating. Students have personality, but they are rebellious, arbitrary, naive and impulsive. You can see the logo of the new socialist party. Mr. Keating's failure lies in his excessive pursuit of quality education, while ignoring the progressive significance of discipline and restraint to students.
The third aspect is parents. From the book, even parents in Europe and America are working hard for their children's good future. Neil's father tried his best to make him a doctor, and even when his family was not rich, he sent Neil to this famous school. It can be said that Chinese and foreign parents are the same. Often parents will pin their unrealized ideals and wishes on their children, hoping that they can make a difference, or parents often hope that their children can inherit their father's career and inherit and develop their own labor achievements. Although these reasons are understandable, the problem is that this is actually not to care for and train the next generation, but to sacrifice the children's future to meet their ideal needs. There are some selfish elements in this. In this case, although we can do whatever we want most of the time, it will become more and more difficult with the opening of society and the renewal of consciousness. Neil's suicide is an inevitable result in some cases, because if you can't find the joy of life, there is not much difference between physical death and mental death.
Finally, it is about students. Generally speaking, students' age determines their cognitive level. At the stage described in the book, students are really rebellious and full of curiosity about the real world. They are bold but often reckless, and they often pursue something illusory or unrealistic. Correct guidance is appropriate. The question is what kind of guidance is correct, academic, paternalistic or Mr. Keating's?
Maybe there is a gentler way to go, or maybe there is not, because education and teaching methods are not the kind of things that can be universally applied. Therefore, the book did not answer this question. Indeed, there may be many problems and helplessness, many attempts and failures in education and teaching reform. However, the current education circles in China seem to have no time to care about this. ...