Comparing Conformity In Dead Poet's Society 'And The Gathering'

Whilst conformity can be perceived as order and fitting in, it also has plentiful consequences of control and coercion which can inhibit free thought and self-expression. Although, choosing to challenge conformity is a dangerous experience, it has the possible outcome of a better life and the freedom to pursue one’s own life of individuality and purpose. ‘The Gathering’ by Isobelle Carmody is a novel which represents the power of conformity through the characters and how they choose not to conform. As well as this, the movie ‘Dead Poets Society’ by Peter Weir show the characters challenging conformity. Both of these examples show the consequences of both conformity and non-conformity.

‘The Gathering’ by Isobelle Carmody conveys the message

The first scene provides a clear sense of conformity throughout. This is demonstrated when the camera zooms in and out on a young boy. His mother tells him to put his ‘shoulders back’ while she fixes up his tie. This shows how strict the school is and how their parents want them to fit in. This relates to the gathering as it shows the standards for the school, “and get your hair cut to regulation length. It is untidy and shows a bad attitude.” At the start of the movie there is a long shot where they chant ‘tradition, honor, discipline, excellence’ symbolizing ‘the four pillars’. This shows them committing and conforming to these values by standing at the same time and chanting, showing their desire to be acknowledged by the society. Their restriction and conformity is conveyed through their body language, as they stand in an, abiding, vulnerable, stifled position. Later on in the bedroom there is a long shot where they chant, ‘travesty, horror, decadence, excrement’. This shows that they feel slightly oppressed about the four pillars, they also have a sense of cynicism in their tone of voice as they are mocking them. The ideas in ‘Dead poet’s society’ by Peter Weir, show that the young boys are in a world full of restriction and