Click on the image to watch a video in which Keating explains the value of poetry and key theme of the film.

The idea of a mentor is critical to the theme of identity that Keating influences with his students. As Anundson offers in her article Carpe Diem and Coming of Age in Dead Poets Society, "In life, as in Dead Poets Society (Weir, 1989), mentors are essential to navigating the challenges of maturing into adulthood." (p.92) 

"The movie definitely appeals to most teenagers who are struggling with individual identity and negotiating relationships with their peers, parents, and teachers," (p.21) says Blake R. Bickham in his review on Dead Poets Society and it's usefulness in his own classroom. Keating uses poetry and literature to identify with each students personal desires and goals in life and to help them break free from the constricting life their parents have plotted out for them.

The reason this was very well received was because it was a well needed break from the fearful and powerless feelings that arose from the impact of the Cold War on the general populace. Instead of a scared nation as a whole, they were being told they were each individual people who were not powerless in their fate, but that they could grab hold of their lives and fulfill their goals if they believed they too could contribute a verse.