Dead Poets Society By Robert Weir

The main problem that Todd faces is the struggle to maintain a sense of self-confidence as a result of living under his older brother’s shadow of success. Instead of becoming a lawyer like what his father expects, he has a passion for writing which contradicts with his father’s anticipation. However, unlike Neil, he keeps these thoughts and ideas to himself and dares not to speak them out loud to his parents. He remains obedient whether or not his opinions match theirs. There were various obstacles that prevented him from delivering his thoughts and he was often labeled as shy or timid. He was unable to present the well-prepared poem he wrote in front of the entire class due to these traits and the lack of self-confidence but Mr. Keating recognizes his strengths as well as his potential to do something marvelous. By using unusual techniques, Mr. Keating was able to bring out his potential and he receives one of the first applauses which was the beginning of his emerging confidence. It was evident that he debates against himself and requires a lot more courage to get up in front of everyone simply because he did not see the value in both himself and the work. The overall conflict is man vs. self and man vs. man. Most of the time he was bothered by himself for being pessimism and the fact that others have huge expectations on him due to his brother’s outstanding achievements.

Keating’s class. Mr. Keating taught him how to express himself through words no matter where he was. This happens through many steps and we don’t see evidence of this till the end of the movie. Mr. Keating forces Todd into creating a poem on the spot in front of the rest of the class. Although Todd is obviously very embarrassed, his eventual success, thanks to Mr. Keating's, causes him to gain confidence in his own abilities. When Mr. Keating is under the cutting Todd is conflicted over what to do. On one hand he lies and gets him fired or on the other hand he gets expelled from school. This shows the loyalty he has towards Mr.Keating and the influences from the poem taught by him. Lastly Mr. Keating’s influence on Todd is shown when he is the first one to stand up on his desk to say “O Captain my

Keating forces him to create a poem on the spot in front of the class, although he is well-aware of Todd’s resistance to speak in front of others, after he write a poem on his own as requested. Mr. Keating questions Todd and installs him with a sense of confidence in his own abilities, “Mr. Anderson thinks that everything inside of him is worthless and embarrassing. Isn't that right, Todd? Isn't that your worst fear? Well, I think you're wrong. I think you have something inside of you that is worth a great deal”. Mr. Keating teaches Todd to think freely for himself and that these thoughts and opinions he has are valued. In the end, Todd becomes self-reliant, confident in himself and his ideas and beliefs. He does not conform to society and distinguishes himself amongst the rest, maintaining his own voice, and he overcomes his previous shy and isolated self, becoming a leader, when introduced to these ideas of individualism and

Kurt Vonnegut seems to portray the protagonist of Slaughterhouse-Five, Billy Pilgrim, much like himself, a war participant and truth seeker. In the novel Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut characterizes Billy Pilgrim as a war survivor with PTSD(Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). In doing so, Vonnegut uses tone to reveal the extremely violent and unruly nature of war and flashbacks to show how war causes Pilgrim to lose touch with reality.

In the book Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr, Billy Pilgrim is the main character, the protagonist of the novel. The novel is focused on the four sides of Billy. The first being his life as a WWII soldier. The second, his present, which is a very boring life as a husband, father, and optometrist in Ilium, New York. The third is his time travels from past to future, and the fourth is his life as a prisoner on the planet Trafalmadore.

War is an omnipresent evil. At times it might be necessary, as in stopping a tyrant from oppressing a society, but at other times, it causes more harm than good. War has demolished entire communities, reshaped lives, and damaged individuals’ mental stability. Not until recent centuries has the impact of war on a person’s psychological state been considered. One book, which was published in the middle of the twentieth century, Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut, is able to show the various possible results war can have on a person’s mind. In the novel Slaughterhouse-Five, Vonnegut is effectively able to portray the psychological effects of war through Billy Pilgrim and his fantasies, his indifference, and his alienation because of Vonnegut’s own personal experiences in war.

Throughout the course of the novel Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut, the reader is walked through the morbid but engaging life of Billy Pilgrim, a character who experiences many dreadful tragedies such as war. The way Vonnegut structures this novel is scattered and not told chronologically because we experience Billy Pilgrim’s life just as he does without suspense or logical order. Shortly after Pilgrim going to war in 1944 he becomes “unstuck in time” which simply means that he experiences different moments of his life at various moments of his life knowing exactly what will happen. He discovers that free will is nothing but a misinterpreted illusion that only the Tralfamadorians can truly understand because they perceive that everything that will happen has already happened since all time is recurring.

Barry Sadler singer of the song Ballad of the Green Beret and novelist Kurt Vonnegut maintain comparable tones regarding their literature pieces representing the war and the underlying image that is portrayed by the Green Beret. Sadler insightfully states that the impacts that committed soldiers fought through and the sacrifices their families had endured: represents honor, courage, and is described as jingoistic. It is an exceptionally sentimental song that displays astounding pride in Americans as he delineates his observations. “Fighting soldiers from the sky, fearless men who jump and die, men who mean just what they say. The brave men of the Green Beret”, these soldiers last request were to make their sons America’s best. In the novel Slaughterhouse Five Vonnegut’s attitude towards war begins to contradict Sadler’s, he advises his own sons that under no circumstance should they participate in war massacres, nor shall they be satisfied by the killing of enemies or work for companies that produce machinery for war. Massacres in the perspective of Vonnegut are brutal, there is nothing intelligent about then as he embodies a prominent antiwar stance due to his horrific experience in war.

Insanity is generally described as being mentally deranged. They are unable to make conscious decisions on their own therefore they are placed in a psychological state that prevents normal behavior and perception. Slaughterhouse-Five explores the life of the protagonist Billy Pilgrim in a series of arbitrary events. As his life progresses, his insanity begins to progress and reveal more. In Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut introduces Billy Pilgrim who is ‘unstuck in time’ and creates Tralfamadore for his positive reinforcement, as someone insane due to the trauma and causes of his war-time experiences.

Plato, a well-known philosopher and founder of the Academy in Athens, argues that parents need to, “bequeath to their children not riches, but the spirit of reverence.” Parents should give their children more than what the eye can see. Children rely on their parents to teach them moral lessons and to support who they choose to be. In the film, Dead Poets Society, written by Tom Schulman and directed by Peter Weir, the parents of characters Neil Perry and Todd Anderson maintain an unhealthy relationship with their children. They believe that their plan for their children will bring success and happiness into their children’s lives.

Since the last time I wrote a journal, I started and finished Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five and started Neal Stephenson’s Seveneves. Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five had a total of 275 pages, and Neal Stephenson’s Seveneves has a total of 854 pages, however, I am currently on page 50. Slaughterhouse-Five is a piece of historical fiction that explores the hardships of war, the odd simplicity of death, and the confusing topic of time. The novel stars Billy Pilgrim, a physically weak and strange man who doesn’t follow the passage of time in a straight line. He sees his own death multiple times, and he also relives his time in the German town of Dresden before and after the town is obliterated by a barrage of bombs struck down on the

The Graveyard Book written by Neil Gaiman is a fictional book published in 2008. The setting in the beginning of the story is in a house in the middle of the night, but it very quickly transitions to a graveyard. Towards the end, the setting is all throughout the town, in which the house and graveyard are located. This book is written in the third person point of view. Having a third person point of view helps the author tell the story the way he wants to by not showing an emotional connection with the protagonist but still making the reader develop positive emotions toward the protagonist.

Todd, a new student at Welton Academy is painfully shy and anxious to speak up. Being constantly told he needs to live up to his older brother’s reputation leaves him constantly tormented. The amount of pressure that Todd’s parents have on him lead to intense shyness, to the point he can scarcely converse with others. “Mr Anderson thinks everything inside of him is worthless and embarrassing.” Mr Keating looks down on Todd as a result of a high angle shot, making Todd look idle and powerless, telling

Carpe diem the term used to urge someone to make the most of the present time and give little thought to the future. This term was a central idea in the movie Dead Poets Society. Dead Poets Society is a drama written by Tom Schulman and was released June 2, 1989. John Keating, a new english teacher at a strict all boys school uses different teaching methods to teach his students life lessons. Even with the high stress of the student's home life and school work Keating manages to teach the boys to break out of their shells, pursue their dreams and seize the day. In Dead Poet Society the methods of teaching was divided into two ways, Mr. Nolan’s high discipline for success and Mr. Keating’s uncommon life lessons.

Knox Overstreet is a young man going to Welton School. He is a part of the newly developed extracurricular group, “Dead Poets Society.” During his school, he stays on a campus of a college prep school, but is able to come home when needed. During the first part of the movie, Knox has a dinner invitation with his family at the Danbury house. As he knocks on the door, The Beautiful Kris Danbury opens the door, and locks up Knox’s heart.