In addition to the acting, the
delivery of the poem itself also helps establish the meaning of the film. This is not delivered in a typical way. It is created on the spot and said aloud
while Mr. Keating is encouraging Todd.
By making the delivery of the poem unusual, the director is again
showing the films message of not just being like everyone else and following
the norms. To begin, Todd starts off
slowly, but gradually gains more confidence, as he delves deeper into the
poem. He begins to think on his own and
use his own words, once again showing the theme of being your own person. Also during the delivery Mr. Keating has
Todd spinning in circles, another unorthodox way of reading a poem to an
audience of people. The director also
has the camera spin around with the action to further enhance the motion. At the end of the scene all of the students
in the class are very moved and surprised by how good this poem ended up being.
This shows that just because you do not do things the way that is most common
that you wont be as successful. In fact
by doing things your own way things can turn out even better than expected
(Emerson).
The
content of the poem also explains the films message just as the acting and
delivery does. Todd starts off the poem
by describing a picture on the wall.
This picture is of a man, and Todd describes him as a sweaty-tooth
madman. This is a very unusual way to
describe someone. He continues by
saying the sweaty-tooth madman is staring into him and reaching out to choke
him. Todd says this man is also
“mumbling truth, like a blanket that always leaves your feet cold.” All these lines in the poem are quite
unusual and not typical of the other poems they read and discuss in the
film. Yet when Todd finishes the poem,
all the students and even Mr. Keating himself are very moved. The entire class cheers for Todd and you can
see in his face that he is proud. Mr.
Keating tells Todd not to forget this moment.
The words and phrases used in this poem all illustrate how being
yourself can be just as effective as following the norm. In fact Todd’s poem ended up getting a
bigger ovation than any of the other students poem’s that were read. That is how this poem helps show the movies
theme of being your own person.
Although
there are many scenes throughout this film that illustrate the message the
director wanted to get across, this scene provides a very strong case for this
message. Everything about this scene
can show how it is good and important to have your own ideas and thoughts and
not just be a follower (Emerson). The
director and actors illustrate this theme by the way the scene unfolds and how
the characters interact with each other.
Todd’s unorthodox delivery of the poem further backs up the theme of being
an individual. Finally, the poems
content itself shows how being your own person and having your own ideas can
make you very successful. In all of
these ways, the films main message is clearly displayed through this scene and
poem.