Velasco 1

Kyra Velasco
Mrs. Baker
1st hr. Literature Analysis
12 December 2013
Throwing Caution to the Wind
Life is all about seizing opportunities, taking advantage of them, and making lots of
memories, good or bad. In other words, Carpe Diem, or seize the day. Carpe Diem is about going
out on a limb, and taking chances no matter what the consequence is at the end. Opportunities
only come once in a lifetime and should be taken advantage of right away. In the book,
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and in the movie Dead Poets Society, the characters expressed
the ideas of Carpe Diem by taking advantage of all the opportunities that were thrown at them,
thinking about the consequences of their actions before making their decision, and dealing with
the following consequences that came as a result.
Many opportunities were thrown at characters in both the book Fahrenheit 451 and the
movie Dead Poets Society. All of them decided to capture the opportunity that was given to
them, turn it around and make something of it. Characters such as Neil Perry from Dead Poets
Society had the opportunity to audition for the play, Midsummer Nights Dream by William
Shakespeare, for the role of Puck. He took a risk by going and auditioning because it was against
his fathers wishes. Another character from Dead Poets Society, Knox Overstreet, took a major
risk when he kissed Ginny Danburry during her party, knowing that she had a boyfriend. Even
after being threatened by the boyfriend, he still chose to pursue her. As for Fahrenheit 451, the
main protagonist Guy Montag, took a major risk of obtaining books and reading them. He knew,
being a fireman, that having and reading books was against the law, and being caught with them

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would cause severe punishments. He still did it still because thats what he thought was right.
The same goes with the two characters from Dead Poets Society, they believed what they did
was right, no matter what the consequence would be at the end; they wanted to take the risk.
When making a decision, balancing out all the pros, cons, and the consequences that
follow are all thought of before making the decision. The characters, in both the book and movie,
didnt really take much consideration of what the pros and cons might be and just threw caution
to the wind. They did know the consequences, but they didnt feel that the consequences
outweighed the reward they would achieve at the end. They let the pieces fall as they may and
disregarded what other people told them. In the case with Neil Perry, he wrote a letter claiming
to be his father, to the administration of his school so he can take part in the play. He knew that if
his father found out, he would be in a lot of trouble, but that didnt stop him. He had a dream of
becoming an actor, and he wanted to pursue it. He didnt want his father to stop him. Thats what
motivated him to go through with his decision. Knox Overstreet knew that if he ever got caught
with Ginny Danburry out in public, he would get killed by her boyfriend. He still chose to go to
her school and read her poetry in front of her whole class, knowing the boyfriend would hear
about it. He was willing to take a risk, so he could get the girl of his dreams. He was in love with
her, and love makes people do crazy things. As for Guy Montag from Fahrenheit 451, there
wasnt much thinking when he decided to do things, it was really based on feeling. After meeting
Clarisse, his eyes were opened; he felt things he never felt before. He felt something was wrong,
and he wanted to change that in his society. When he was sent to burn a house of an elderly lady
that was filled with books, he took a book from her and kept it. So it was the hand that started it
all . . . His hands had been infected, and soon it would be his arms . . . His hands were ravenous
(Bradbury 41). His hands are a symbol for his defiance and his curiosity. There are other crimes

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he commits throughout the book, such as killing Beatty, the captain of the Firemen, and planting
a book in another firemans house. He admits his crime was an impulse, he feels the guilt for
what he has done. He questioned his society and the way it functioned. He knew he would get in
trouble, but that didnt stop him because his overwhelming amount of curiosity and need of
wanting to learn more.
All these characters knew what would happen as a consequence if they were caught, but
they felt that the consequences didnt outweigh the reward they would get at the end. Neil knew
if he was caught by his father, he would get in a lot of trouble, but he wanted to live his dream.
He has always wanted to be an actor, not a doctor, like his father wanted him to be. During the
opening night of Neils performance, his father caught him and immediately took him home after
the play ended. When they arrived home, Neils father forced him to quit the play. Unfortunately,
that night, Neil killed himself. He knew that no matter what he did, his father would never
approve of his acting career. Before his death, he got to live out his dream on stage. That one
time he was on stage was reward enough for him, even if his father didnt approve. Knox
Overstreet knew he would get majorly injured or killed the next time he encountered Ginnys
boyfriend, but he still decided to take her out. He wanted Ginny for himself. He knew she liked
him, but she didnt want to break up with her abusive boyfriend. The reward of being on one
date with her was enough for him, and he would be satisfied with that. At least he knew he
tried. As for Guy Montag from Fahrenheit 451, he knew the consequence of being imprisoned or
even being killed if he went against his society, but he felt that spreading the news about reading
and literature, was the right thing to do. He wanted to spread the news, not only that, but he also
wanted to learn more. He knew that if people read, they wouldnt be emotionless and they would

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have feeling. He felt that would be a good reward for his actions, even if his actions would lead
to imprisonment or death.
The ideas of Carpe Diem were expressed in both the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray
Bradbury and the movie Dead Poets Society; the characters took advantage of all the
opportunities that were thrown at them, thought about the consequences of their actions before
making their decision, and dealt with the consequences that came as a result. Montag started to
drum to his own beat, a different beat from everyone else in his society. His verse would be
different from the rest, the verse that talks about being your own person. The boys from Dead
Poets Society also learned to drum to their own beat. So, when opportunity knocks, answer the
door, and open it because it may never knock again. Opportunity comes once in a lifetime. As
said by Mr. Keating, the teacher from the movie Dead Poets Society said, Carpe diem. Seize the
day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary. Go out there and make the best of the opportunities
that are given, seize the moment, and live life.

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Works Cited
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Ballantine Publishing Group, 1982. Print.
Dead Poets Society. Dir. Peter Weir. Perf. Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke,
1989. DVD.