Dead Poets Society By Tom Schulman And Robin Williams

Introduction

The Dead Poets Society is an American drama film written by Tom Schulman and Robin Williams. The film was praised, and it was a box-office success. Tom has received the award for the best screenplay. The film revolves around the tale of an English teacher who inspires and convinces his students through the teaching of poetry. The main character of the movie was Neil Perry. In pursuit of finding himself, he meets with his teacher, which helps him in finding his particular dream. The school somehow accepted Neil’s individuality but not his father’s. Conformity is mostly expected from the group, individuals, and the different factions. Three diverse societies illustrate the compliance in the film.

Discussion

Analysis of the film shows that individuality exists even inside groups. Any person can be attributed to the phenomena of identity, but in each group in the movie, there is individuality in each of the characters. The movie proved that identity could fit with those traditional and conventional societies. The film reveals that in a school where strict and rigid rules are applied. The school represents the aspects of society, and it is the first of three diverse cultures of the particular community. The ceremonial welcome at the start of the film with the banners that quote discipline, honor, excellence, and tradition shows the expectations of the culture from the children. The rules that are set by the conventional society bind the school to prepare the children according to the respective norms.

Different methodologies are applied to convey the message to the students. Some use professional manners, and some try to influence the feelings and thoughts of the learners (Caron, 1). However, what Keating, as a teacher of English, did with his students will have long-lasting effects on the minds of the children. Though he was fired from the job over the activities of the dead poets’ society, his message can never be distracted from the minds of his students. Similarly bored and confused, Neil Perry met Keating, who helped him find his way. The restriction from Neil’s parents drives him to the edge. Here, the school rules and conventions are not so strict for him, but the father is expecting something else from him.

The boys inside the school formed a group to read and give practical shape to the inspiration from their teacher. They went to the cave after school hours and read the poems. It was a kind of deviant behavior against the rules of society and the school, but they had certain rules for their inspiration. The boys also brought materials like cigarettes, food, and other related items with them. Other than one of the boys, Todd, everyone was expected to read the poems aloud. The group of boys also has to keep the meeting secret along with the conversation they have during their sitting. By doing these activities, they show their conformity with the society.

Each characteristic of the member of the group reveals that they have certain individual traits. The boys of the Dead Poets Society try to represent their self. One of the members, Todd, was shy and afraid of speaking in public places or in front of people. Regardless of the rules of the group society, Todd was also restrained from talking loudly. There was an exception in the group for those who had personal issues. With the passage of time and with the conversation and meeting among the members of the group, Todd later finds that he has a passion for inspirational poetry (Neck, 181). Here, the question is why he was not allowed to speak before the group for poetry started their meeting and conversation about idealistic thoughts.

In the film Dead Poets Society, every boy wants to become a doctor, engineer, or lawyer. These preferences of the children show that their parents’ thoughts and ideas are profoundly influencing them in deciding their future plans and goals. They have no personal opinions and dreams for their life. In such a society where teachers like Mr. Keating try to provide their class with a different perspective on life, they will face rebuttal from the conventional members of the community. The principal and the parents of the students fired the English teacher from their job just because he wanted to give a real lesson in life to the students.

The English teacher has provided different hopes and dreams to the children in a conforming society. The faculty members of the school and the parents severely oppose the dreams of their children and show angriness toward the teacher. Similarly, tradition is one of the most emphasized pillars in the film Dead Poets Society (Witte, 108). The hallways were filled with photographs of alumni to the rituals that were performed by the people for many years. Welton stands for excellence through tradition. However, the most exciting point of the film is at the end when Mr. Keating moves into the class to collect his material. He was surprised by the response of the students who stood in his honor and saluted him. They called him their real captain despite shut-up calls from the new teacher.

Conclusion

Concluding the discussion, the Dead Poets Society presents one of the great and valuable lessons for the people and parents. There is no discretion about the illness of conventional rules of society. Those rules are also necessary, but the organization must adopt new things, especially in terms of creativity in their children. They must encourage teachers like Mr. Keating. The faculty and the other members can also learn from Mr. Keating’s teachings. Conformity is most likely expected not only from children but also from groups, individuals, and factions.

Works Cited

Caron, Paul L., and Rafael Gely. “Dead poets and academic progenitors: The next generation of law school rankings.” Ind. LJ 81 (2006): 1.

Neck, Heidi M., V. M. Gerde, and Christopher P. Neck. “Teaching entrepreneurial mindset: Lessons from Dead Poets Society.” International Journal of Entrepreneurship Education5 (2007): 175-192.

Witte, Shelbie. “What Does It Mean to Be Literate?” Exploring Teachers in Fiction and Film: Saviors, Scapegoats, and Schoolmarms (2016): 108.