DEAD POETS SOCIETY

The statement that conformity and tradition are in opposition to individualism and defiance of authority is very true in The Dead Poet Society, and even more so in today's society in general. One can walk into any high school and see this is true. In a typical high school, people seem to have very much in common, especially in dress, hair style, etc, which is in opposition to individualism in and of itself. People are so caught up in conforming to how society says they should live their lives, it really tarnishes the spirit of individuality human beings are meant to have. The movie The Dead Poet Society, even further exemplifies the statement that conformity and tradition defy individualism. In the story, the students have a new English teacher named Mr. Keating, who breaks every rule in the book in regards to the school's standards of teaching/curriculum. He encourages his students to go against the status quo. On his first day, he asks someone to read the introduction of the students' textbook on poetry. The introduction was full of complex wording and ideas about how to understand poetry, which Keating thought was meaningless. He then tells the kids to rip out the whole introduction, saying that poetry goes well beyond the "technical aspects". Another example from the movie is the life of Neil Perry. He and his friends restarted The Dead Poet Society, which originally began with Mr. Keating himself. What Neil and his friends were doing was against school policy, but they did it anyway. Also, although Neil was very smart and popular, his relationship with his father was very overbearing. Neil had a passion for acting which his father thought was a waste of time and talent, thinking nothing of his son's wishes. Neil's father warned him that he was not to perform in the school play, and if he did, he would be removed from the school. Neil went to Mr. Keating for advice, and he advised Neil to tell his father how he feels. On the night of the play, Neil performed. He did his best to portray his character. Suddenly, he saw his father watching the play, he had no idea what to do but to lat the play to end. After the play, his father took him home though Mr. Keating and his friends stopped his father. Because of depression, Neil killed himself at their house using a gun. And there, the story ended with Neils classmates stood above their desk to show support on Mr. Keating.

Reygiena Marie A. Galman, I-15 Prof. Evelyn Bagaporo