Dead Poets Society Analysis

Sociology is defined as a “systematic study of human society” (Macionis 583). The 1989 film Dead Poets Society features multiple sociological themes and issues. The main themes shown in this film are deviance and role conflict. These themes do not apply to every character, some characters even show neither of these theme, but with the main characters there is multiple examples provided through their lives.

He was a young boy, probably only sixteen at the time. He had everything going for him. He was on his way to becoming a doctor, he had friends who cared about him, he attended a prestigious preparatory academy. In short, he was successful--or so every body thought until that fateful winter night. Because on that night, tragedy struck. On that night, Neil Perry committed suicide.

Almost everybody who falls in love may think that they will be the same person as they were before meeting someone and putting then into your life. That as a matter of fact is very different. You may not know your real you when loving and caring so much about someone. There are many things to think about whenever you find your loved one. For example, their past friends, their past life , and actions. The author of this story “The Dead” makes us reveal various aspects of Gabriel’s character by using imagery, point of view, and diction.

“Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members” (Emerson 369). From Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Self-Reliance,” the saying explains how society wants every individual to conform to its beliefs and expectations. In addition, our manhood is the capability to have our own opinions and beliefs. Individualism is a major theme of Transcendentalism, which is a part of romanticism and combines not only literature and philosophy, but also religion. Some additional focuses of Transcendentalism are the belief that an Oversoul exists, that the individual is the center of the universe, that one should involve themselves in civil disobedience, and that self reliance is better than dependence. With that, the followers consist of mainly fierce abolitionists. This movement only lasted ten years, but its influences are apparent today. Furthermore, Transcendentalism is represented in the movie Dead Poets Society. It occurs at Welton Academy, an all boys school, when a new teacher, Mr. John Keating, takes the place of the retired English teacher. He is witty, heartwarming, and inspirational, and has many unorthodox teaching methods compared to the other teachers but the administration is not happy with him. Mr. Keating assists his students, especially Neil Perry, a boy who values independence and leadership, with the pressures of life and school. He encourages them to pursue their true dreams, not their parent’s dreams for them, and to seize the day. The

“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away” (Thoreau 385). Thinking for ourselves is very important. Transcendentalism values individuality, and not doing what others tell you. In the movie Dead Poets Society, the new English teacher, named Mr. Keating, teaches a group of boysthe boys the true value of their identity, and believing what they want to believe. Dead Poets Society represents Thoreau’s ideas of nonconformity or going against society, discussed in Walden, through Mr. Keating and Neil Perry.

Set in pre- Civil Rights South Louisiana, Ernest J. Gaines’ novel, A Lesson Before Dying is a captivating story about dignity, injustice and redemption. Gaines stylistic elements effectively takes us back to a time when racial segregation caused black people to lack hope for recognition of their humanity much less find justice in a court of law. Gaines manipulation of time, symbolism and motifs keep the readers gripped word for word with his heart-wrenching tale.

The Dead Poets Society focuses on society’s oppression and how it affects individuals. There are many sociological factors that are seen in this movie such as, strain theory, symbolic interactionism, and conflict theory. This movie opens people’s viewpoints of life and brings them to a new perspective by showing these sociological factors and how they take place.

In both the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and Dead Poets Society by Peter Wair father son relationships are observed through the stress of society's standards and the result of its oppression. The fathers, Okonkwo and Tom Perry, ultimately both want what they believe is best for their sons. Both fathers are subjected to societal standards that set their goals for their sons. The Umuofia culture depicts a great man as physically strong and stoic so Okonkwo only accepts this image for Nwoye. The modern culture in Dead Poets Society favors a traditionally hard working profession ,such as a doctor. Culture plays an important role in life, in order, to be accepted the father's conform to its praisable factors and subject their sons

The wave and dead poets’ society respectively show the struggle between the concepts of individuality and conformity. The book and movie adopt different techniques and concepts to help deliver their messages. These include the similar themes in both such as the use of a school setting, the teacher figure who encourages students to either conform or rebel and individual characters struggling to be themselves in a conformist setting.

In the book Those Who Wish Me Dead, Hannah made a good choice when she told Jace and Allison to set up the fire shelter. This is so because it is the only reason that Jace and Allison survived the fire. She said, “‘Connor?’ she said. ‘Listen to me now. Do what I say. You need to get that shelter up. Can you do that for me” (Koryta 366)? In other words, while she was in extreme pain, she summoned up the strength to authoritatively tell Jace to set up the fire shelter. This was a very important moment for many reasons. First off, it is the only reason that Jace and Allison survived (if they didn’t this book would have emerged very differently). Second of all, it was a very emotional point in the story because last time she was in this situation,

Conformity has changed lots of people and has changed their entire groups and who they really are and how they express themselves. It is never okay for someone to ever change who they really are . To begin with in the movie Dead Poets Society it showed that you can be whatever you want and to look at things in a whole different perspective. While the boys were walking and clapping together it showed that they were being conformist and that it wasnot right . Robin williams taught them to make their own walk and that their own beliefs are unique while others might think they are really not .

1.One of the main conflicts in Dead Poets Society is between individuality and conformity. Knox endures the conflict between the rules that forbid him dating and his apparent love for Chris. Charlie faces a conflict between his writing and and the strictly structured administration at Welton Academy. Neil's conflict exists between his desire for acting and his father's unwavering expectations. In fact, both Todd and Neil have conflict between their fathers and what they want. For instance, Neil knows what he wants in life. Neil wants to act, but his father on the other hand wants him to become a doctor. Todd Anderson's father also has hard set goals for his son, pressuring him to live up to his older brother, and become a lawyer. All of this

Dead poet’s society was filmed through the eyes of transcendentalism using Emerson’s philosophy, as seen in walden. The film deals with a group of young men who attend a very strict boarding school and the english teacher who gives them a new perspective on everything, the damaging effects of conformity, beautiful sense of nature, and emphasis of simplicity and individuality are shown in many elements throughout Dead Poet’s Society and are ultimately highlighted by emerson and thoreau’s philosophies, making the overall concept of transcendentalism understood. _________

Many poets and directors believe in the concept of living life to the fullest. In this quote, by Sir Henry David Thoreau, he shows that we should live life to its fullest and make sure we make our mark while we still can, so people remember us. In the Movie," Dead Poets Society," a group of students from the Welton Prep School are moved by the teachings of their English teacher, Professor Keating. He teaches the boys to be their own boss, leaders and not followers. This quote relates to the movie because this quote tells what Keating wants to teach his kids. Many events take place during the movie that asks whether or not Professor Keating's teaching are appropriate, it is also questionable whether or not he

So what in the world does this have to do with a reflection of the first day of class? Simply put, it reaffirms the old adage that we become exactly like our parents. When I reached my adolescent years, I hated being