1959年，威爾頓預(yù)備學院以它凝重的風格受到了當時人們的尊敬。在那里，jiaoyu的模式是固定的，不僅單調(diào)而且束縛了思想。然而這一切在一個新教師的手中發(fā)生了改變。John Keating 反傳統(tǒng)的jiaoyu方法給學院帶來了一絲生氣：在他的課堂里，他鼓勵學生站在課桌上，用一個嶄新的視角去觀察周圍的世界；他向?qū)W生介紹了許多有思想的詩歌；他所提倡的自由發(fā)散式的思維哲學在學生中引起了巨大的反響。漸漸地，一些人接受了他，開始勇敢地面對每一天，把握他們自己的人生。不幸也在這時發(fā)生了……

　　印象最深的是mr.Keating在第一節(jié)課上對學生說的一句拉丁文：

　　CARPE DIEM

　　用英文講就是SIEZE THE DAY。抓住每一天。

　　不只是抓緊時間學習，更是抓緊時間去做你喜歡的事情。

　　I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately ...

　　I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life!

　　To put to rout all that was not life...

　　And not when I came to die, discover that I had not lived...

　　我步入?yún)擦?因為我希望活得有意義 ...

　　我希望活得深刻 汲取生命所有的精髓!

　　把非生命的一切全都擊潰 ...

　　以免在我生命終結(jié)時，發(fā)現(xiàn)自己從來沒有活過 ...

　　We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write

　　poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human

　　race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering,

　　these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry,

　　beauty，romance, love, these are what we stay alive for．

　　我們讀詩寫詩，非為它的靈巧．我們讀詩寫詩，因為我們是人類的一員．而人類充滿了熱情．

　　醫(yī)藥，法律，商業(yè)，工程，這些都是高貴的理想，并且是維生的必需條件．

　　但是詩，美，浪漫，愛，這些才是我們生存的原因．

　　Just when you think you know something,

　　you have to look at it in another way.

　　當你認為你知道某件事時

　　必須再以不同角度看它

　　Even though it may seem silly

　　or wrong, you must try!

　　即使那看來似乎愚笨或錯誤

　　你們都必須試試

　　Now, when you read, don't just consider

　　what the author thinks...

　　當你閱讀時

　　別只想到作者的見解

　　consider what you think.

　　想想你的見解

　　Boys, you must strive to find

　　your own voice.

　　孩子們，你們必須…

　　努力尋找自己的聲音

　　Because the longer you wait to begin,

　　the less likely you are

　　to find it at all.

　　因為你等候起步的時間愈長

　　便愈不可能找到它

　　Thoreau said, “Most men lead lives

　　of quiet desperation.”

　　梭羅說“大多數(shù)人都生活在平靜的絕望中”

　　Don't be resigned to that.

　　Break out!

　　別聽任此事發(fā)生

　　要突破！

　　Come my friend，till it's not too late to seek a newer world.From my purpose hold to be the other side of sunset.And though we are not now that strength which as old days moved earth and heaven. That which we are we are,one equal temper of heroic hearts.Maybe weak by time and fate, but strong is will,to strive, to seek,to find,and not to yield.

　　來吧，我的朋友，尋找更新的世界尚為時不晚。我決心已定，要駛過夕陽的盡頭，盡管我們不再有昔日的偉力，可以震天撼地，我們?nèi)匀挥兄瑯拥挠⑿郯愕男?。時間和命運使它衰弱，但堅強意志仍在，去拼搏，去探索，去發(fā)現(xiàn)，永不屈服。

　　Why do I stand here? To feel taller than you? I stand on my desk to remind myself that we must constantly force ourselves to look at things in a different way. The world looks different from up here. If you don't believe it, stand up here and try it. All of you. Take turns.

　　我站到講臺上是想提醒我自己，我們必須時刻用不同的眼光來看待事物。