Movie Comparison

There have been many movies throughout time recognizing teachers’ accomplishments and passion. Movies, such as Dead Poets Society and The Emperor’s Club, do just that. These two films were similar in that both teachers featured in the film were passionate about the discipline they were teaching. In Dead Poets Society, the teacher, Mr. Keating, displays his passion for English. In The Emperor’s Club, Professor Hundert, displays his passion for the classics. Both teachers in these films demonstrate the lengths they would go to ensure that their students gain an appreciation for the disciplines they teach, as well as ensuring that they excel academically.

                In the beginning of Dead Poets Society, Mr. Keating starts off his first class by having the students address him as “O Captain, My Captain.” I felt this was an unusual way for a teacher to introduce himself for the first time to his students. However, I think that this is a funny and entertaining way for a teacher to introduce himself because not only will the students get an idea of the teacher’s personality, but it also allows the students to become more comfortable around him. I feel that building a good teacher-student relationship is very important the first day of class. It ensures that the student will be comfortable around the teacher to ask questions or go to the teacher for guidance.

In The Emperor’s Club, Professor Hundert begins his class by asking his students who Shutruk Nahunte was and asks his students to look him up in books.  However, it turns out that Shutruk Nahunte was a forgotten figure. Because Shutruk Nahunte was a forgotten person, Professor Hundert then proceeds to ask his students what their contribution will be and how will history remember them. I thought this was a clever way to start off a class. Professor Hundert’s message got the students to think about how they will contribute to society and also motivated them to be extraordinary beings.
                These two films were mostly similar in that the teachers both were very passionate about the subjects they taught and were fully involved in their students’ academic lives. Mr. Keating demonstrates his passion by not only teaching English in the familiar way, but also encourages his students to think for themselves and “carpe diem” or “seize the day”. This sets the tone for what the class was going to be like for these students. Reciting poetry and other works of literature was not what Mr. Keating had in mind. He wanted his students to think about the literature and create their own interpretations about it and relate it to their own lives. Mr. Keating also shows his passion by telling his students about the Dead Poets Society that he was a part of as a student. Eventually the students recreated the Dead Poets Society, which became an organization created for the students to talk about the meaning of life and to read poetry. Because of his love for English, Mr. Keating has the students put on the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, where one student in particular, Neil Perry, develops a passion for theater and English.

Professor Hundert was also passionate about his subject, the classics. While Professor Hundert’s method of teaching is more traditional than Mr. Keating’s, he was still motivated to help his students excel academically. One event that stands out the most in The Emperor’s Club, was the Mr. Julius Caesar contest. I felt that this was a fun and exciting way for the students to motivate themselves to succeed in school because they would be recognized in the end for the hard work they did in trying to win this contest. Professor Hundert demonstrates his concern for his students when it came to this contest when one of his students, Sedgewick Bell, was not doing well in his class. Because of this, Professor Hundert devotes his time and energy towards making sure that Sedgewick succeeds in the class and in the contest.

Finally, both films demonstrated that each teacher had to deal with hardships and obstacles. At the end of the play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, that Mr. Keating had his students perform, one of his students, Neil, commits suicide because of his father’s disapproval for wanting him to perform in the play instead of focusing on his future of becoming a doctor. As a result of this suicide, Neil’s father tries to blame Mr. Keating for the suicide, which eventually leads to his dismissal from the school. However, despite the unfortunate circumstances, the students still show their allegiance to Mr. Keating and exhibit their appreciation and passion for English.

Professor Hundert also had obstacles to overcome. One obstacle in particular that Professor Hundert had to deal with was with Sedgewick’s cheating ways. Not only did Sedgewick cheat in the original Mr. Julius Caesar contest, but he also cheated in the contest twenty-five years later. Knowing this, Professor Hundert feels as though he has failed as a teacher. Seeing this was discouraging for me. However, as a teacher I feel that there are not always going to be positive results. But that does not mean that teachers should give up on their students. I believe that this is just more motivation for teachers to want to impact their students’ lives and hope that they succeed in the future.

These two films inspired to me to become a teacher that impacts students’ lives and share my passion with all my students. I want to be a teacher that contributes to my students’ successes as well as keep them motivated and encourage them to pursue their dreams. There are definitely going to be obstacles along the way and I am not guaranteed to succeed in every goal I try to achieve, but watching these films encourages me to not give up.