“Set honor in one eye, and death in the other, and I will look upon both indifferently.” This quote from Brutus catches the essence of Whelton Academy. It claims the parents’ and school’s view of honor as fatal. From all the stress parents weigh upon students at Whelton, they have no choice other than to conform into what their parents want them to be. Conform to fit their parents definition of honor. For the kids at Whelton, this means adopting the humdrum realistic philosophy. In order to do so, students are forced to enroll in specific classes, pursue certain hobbies, get into an Ivy League college, and essentially, live the life their parents want them to live. Neal Perry was one to realize how such a dreadful fate truly was. Todd Anderson was another, and nearly all kids at Whelton shared this epiphany once Mr. Keating came in to teach. His teachings were based off of Romantic beliefs, beliefs that stated one could do whatever they please. Opening the idea of Romanticism to a school that had forever been realistic had set off a battle. A battle between Romanticism and Realistic beliefs. This continuous tug-a-war of philosophy was demonstrated throughout the movie Dead Poet’s Society. Hence, the progression of romanticism is perfectly shown through skepticism, distinctiveness, and self-reliance.These attributes counter three of the school’s original four pillars of character; honor, tradition, and discipline. Excellence though, is the one both have in common, in which Romanticism opens a new, appalling way to reach there.
Leading the way in the battle against realist beliefs was skepticism. In a school where everything remains static, havoc was never within sight of students and teachers. Once Mr. Keating spreads romantic...
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...chool’s four pillars of character. There is skepticism which illustrates the diversity of Mr. Keating’s teachings, uniqueness which marks some of the students‘ distinct qualities, and self-reliance which permits students to speak up for themselves. The three of these pillars fit together presents a different way of reaching the fourth pillar, excellence. The chief difference between the two are that one gives happiness while reaching excellence, and the other is the no-control-over-one’s-life way to do it. Should happiness be the way one defines excellence, or should “playing the part of the dutiful son” define excellence? The nine of seventeen not including those expelled chose happiness, and the other eight did not. Though these eight did not understand the true meaning of “Carpe diem”, the others and were will in turn, “seize the day”.
Wilbur shows a good effort made to protect a child from fears because the fears are irrational. On the contrary, Collins juxtaposes a history teacher’s efforts to protect his students from historical truths and their ensuing behavior to show that the time he spends misguiding his students could be better spent teaching children to mature. Wilbur and Collins both demonstrate approaches to calming children; however the approaches differ in terms of protecting the children verses outright lying to them. Theses passages attempt to answer the controversial question of whether it is better to shelter children or expose them to the harsh realities of the world.
“School can be a tremendously disorienting place… You’ll also be thrown in with all kind of kids from all kind of backgrounds, and that can be unsettling… You’ll see a handful of students far excel you in courses that sound exotic and that are only in the curriculum of the elite: French, physics, trigonometry. And all this is happening while you’re trying to shape an identity; your body is changing, and your emotions are running wild.” (Rose 28)
In modern society, the rules for school are simple and straightforward. To do well in school means to do well later in all aspects of life and guaranteed success will come. Sadly however, this is not the case for Ken Harvey or Mike Rose. Author Mike Rose goes to Our Lady of Mercy, a small school located deep in Southern Los Angeles where he meets other troubled students. Being accidentally placed in the vocational track for the school, Rose scuttles the deep pond with other troubled youths. Dealt with incompetent, lazy and often uninvolved teachers, the mix of different students ‘s attention and imagination run wild. Rose then describes his classmates, most of them trying to gasp for air in the dead school environment. On a normal day in religion
Perry, Robert T. ""On 'Real Education'"." Practical Argument: A Text and Anthology. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2011. 625-627. Print.
Romanticism, rationalism, and realism all have one thing in common; they are each time periods that influenced change in American Literature. The three main components of each time period that differed were style, theme, and literary devices used in the writings.
The movie, Dead Poets Society truly captures the essence of the conformities that children are facing. The difference is letting the hourglass run out of time, or making the best of time, facing tough challenges along the way. Todd Anderson makes the best out of his time thanks to the teaching of Mr. Keating, his beloved English teacher. From a misunderstood adolescent to a courageous man, Todd shows his true colors and releases the inferior thoughts stirring up in his developing, young body. In the end, romanticism crushes idealism with power and envy, showing the eye-opening ways that a teacher can contribute to such a tightly wound academy such as Welton.
Death is a reality that can be interpreted in many ways. Some people fear the possibility of no longer living and others welcome the opportunity for a new life in the afterlife. Many poets have been inspired by death, be it by the approaching death of loved ones or a battle for immortality. Just as each poet is inspired differently, each poem casts a different hue of light on the topic of death giving readers a unique way to look at death.
Keating's fellow teachers at the conservative Welton Academy did not agree with his non-conformist method of teaching. Keating's peers believed that the students were not emotionally equipped to incorporate into their own lives the kind of freedom and nonconformism that Keating was selling. These teachers do not want the students to be free thinkers, stuffed with facts and forced ideas to become doctors and lawyers.
Emily Dickinson wrote at the tail end of the Romantic period, and even though she was influenced by some of the ideals of Romanticism, is most commonly known as a writer from the Realist era. However, her writing embodies the defining characteristics that are identified with each of these periods.
	Bill Beattie once said, "The aim of education should be to teach us how to think rather than what to think – rather to improve our minds, so as to enable us to think for ourselves, than to load the memory with thoughts of other men." All too often, however, individual thoughts are crushed by the powerful weight of conformity. In the film Dead Poets Society, conformity exercises it’s influence and the results prove disastrous for some. For others, the effect of conformity compels them towards individual strength and the discovery of one’s true self.
In Jane Tompkins, A Life in School: What the Teacher Learned, Jane uncovers flaws in the American education system and how poorly formal education prepares pupils for careers after schooling. She describes how her teachers at P.S. 98 used authority to form the person she is now, teaching at Duke. Her experience dabbling in alternative teaching methods established the path she took throughout her career. Although Tompkins experience is atypical of most students, I agree with her argument about how fear is a successful means of motivation for those that can succumb to it, but alternatives exist that have been demonstrated and are successful.
Dead Poets Society, a movie set in Welton Academy, a rigorous and elite all-boys private school, brings to life the philosophy of transcendentalism through its characters. The philosophy, which believes a person needs to find their individual, unique self and not allow the conformist ways of society to hamper the ability to have self-reliance, is introduced by Mr. Keating, the new English teacher who, through his distinctive teaching methods, exemplifies the transcendentalist idea and breathes life into it. His personification of this philosophy is not only readily welcomed by the boys, but acted upon, consequently impacting his students in a profound manner.
How the Quotations and Poems Demonstrate the Main Themes or Ideas of the Film Dead Poet's Society
Film Review of Dead Poets Society Dead Poets Society explores the conflict between realism and romanticism as these contrasting ideals are presented to the students at an all boys preparatory school. Welton Academy is founded on tradition and excellence and is bent on providing strict structured lessons prescribed by the realist, anti-youth administration. John Keating is a new English teacher with a passion for poetry. When he returns to his own strict childhood school to teach, his unconventional methods quickly prove to be inspirational to a group of students. He inspires them to pursue their desires and live life to the fullest.
Since Keating was a Progressive, he provided a student-centered curriculum. A student-centered curriculum “focuses on the needs and attitudes of the individual students. Emphasizes self-expression and the student’s intrinsic motivation” (Ornstein, Levine, Gutek, Vocke, 2004, p. 522). Keating believed that learning is not about forcing routine packages of knowledge on them, but that it has more to do with triggering and inspiring the deepest feelings of his students. His purpose was to have his students think for themselves. Keating tells his students “Try never to think about anything the same way twice!” If you’re sure about something, force yourself to think about it another way.” Student-centered learning allows students the flexibility to learn anytime and anywhere, meaning that student learning can take place outside of the classroom. Keating really wanted to embrace this in his students. It is no coincidence that the Dead Poets Society cave in the woods is where most of the students’ engaging experiences occur, instead of at school in some classroom. According to Bramann, “Classrooms, schools, curricula, and disciplined instruction may be necessary for the education of the students and the maintenance of the life form into which humanity has evolved, but they are meaningless unless some deeper inspiration or vison will