Carpe Diem
The phrase "carpe diem", Latin for "seize the day", asserts that if one does not live life to the fullest, one does not live life at all. Applications of this adage are widespread among numerous literary works. A few of the many examples include the poetry of Emily Dickinson, the motion picture "Dead Poet's Society", and Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself." The words "carpe diem" are designed to move people into considering not death itself, but considering the lives people live before death. This phrase brings not about the fear of death, but the frightening prospect of never following their dreams in life. In the "Dead Poet's Society", expectations are premeditated resentments. These expectations impede the growth of the spirit of a person, their passions, vitality, and lust for life. Specifically, they are imposed by the often too-demanding parents of the students who attend a strict preparatory school in the movie. It is no wonder why Neil, a victim of these great expectations, takes his own life. Ironically, Neil killed himself because he, like many others who feel restricted, wanted to live.
In addition, the creed of the Dead Poet's Society was to live life to the fullest, and when Neil realized that he could not do that, he felt no desire to continue living. There is a realization in the movie that it was better to die after living, then to die after a long life of unhappiness. There is a certain dignity to that, which is the embodiment of "Carpe Diem." People too often lose themselves in the past and hide from the future, all the while impatiently waiting for it to arrive, forgetting that in the eyes of the universe they are already there. It is a very human tendency to put off living in the moment and wait for better days in which to start living one's life. Too often it is the fear of the future that keeps one from seizing the day, and from living fully one's hopes and dreams. "Carpe diem", to seize the day, is to breathe in the essence of one's spirit, and be filled with the love, peace, and knowing of oneself. While the phrase "carpe diem" is applied to certain individuals on a microcosmic level, Walt Whitman envisions a much grander scale. He celebrates his life as one mig
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Approximate Word count = 744
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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