Examples Of Conformity In The Dead Poets Society

Mr. Keating’s class and lessons are very different from anything else at the school. He teaches his students to look at poetry and life and a whole new way. This new way of thinking that he teaches his students is very transcendentalist. This is shown through the poetry that he reads to his students and his overall message of “carpe diem” or “seize the day”. He reads a large amount of poetry from Walt Whitman and Henry David Thoreau who are both very transcendentalist writers. Mr. Keating also encourages his students to form the Dead Poets Society in which they open

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.

The movie Dead Poet Society was released in 1989 and is directed by Peter Weir. The story was set in Welton Academy, a boy’s boarding school in Vermont. It takes place in the summer of 1959 when Todd Anderson and his peers begin their first day of school.

"The Dead Poets Society" is an awe inspiring film set in the 1950s about a teacher who went against the grain and taught his high school students to think for themselves and not allow their attitudes and behavior to be constrained by conformity by older generations. In our class lectures/discussions, we have touched on many aspects of human culture and communication and this movie illustrates many of these concepts. Perspectives, gender, communication theories, persuasion, language, verbal and nonverbal communication, interpersonal relationships, public speaking, intercultural communication--these are all included and exemplified in this film.

This essay intends to examine different aspects of Social Psychology in the film, Dead Poets Society. Released in 1989, this film provides a look at the culture of an Eastern preparatory school, and how a charismatic leader can utilize minority influence to inspire a mass of students. Interactions between characters exhibit many phenomena evident of social psychology, such as how a person can influence a situation and vice versa; social influence; conformity; situational strength; the human need for individuality and to be unique. These different types of interactions all define Social Psychology, and are exhibited in every unique situation.

Conformity and ignorance go hand in hand. Fahrenheit 451, The Lego Movie, and The Twilight Zone’s ‘Obsolete Man’ are all prime examples of this statement. It is glaringly obvious in Fahrenheit 451, specifically when Clarisse is talking to Montag about how her uncle was arrested for driving slow. He was complying with all the rules and regulations of his society, yet he was still arrested. This is because he wouldn’t conform to what everyone else was doing. Mildred mentions in the book that when she needs to let out her anger she drives around fast and kills animals in the road. This is a stark contrast to Clarisse’s uncle, who wanted to drive slow in order to appreciate the beauty of life, not destroy it. This labels Clarisse’s uncle as a non-conformist, something so dangerous that you can be

Ralph Waldo Emerson, a leader of the Transcendentalist movement in the nineteenth century, once expresses his opinion on nonconformity when he wrote, “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” His words express what many people have aspired to be. These words from Ralph Waldo Emerson highlight the idea of nonconformity which is one of the main pillars of the . Humans, having naturally social instincts, find it challenging to risk going against the crowd for fear of isolation, so Transcendental ideas can be difficult to execute amid the pressures of society. Ideas from this movement, particularly nonconformity, are some of the main themes in Dead Poets Society directed by Peter Weir. While Neil’s character in Dead Poets Society initially displays characteristics of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Transcendentalist ideas from “Self-Reliance,” he fails to continue his Transcendental endeavors proving that while Transcendentalism is possible, society ultimately causes individuals to conform.

“Facing evil” grows to be a very grand issue in our lives, it is the fine line between choice and demand, it is what separates the conformist from the non-conformist. This is specifically shown in the novel “The Catcher In The Rye” by J.D Salinger. Holden Caulfield, being someone who is unique, strong in his beliefs and ideals, shows sufficient proof to portray how development is represented on account of experience. After further examination of Holden’s fight with Stradlater, James Castle’s sucidie, and Holden’s incident with Maurice, it will clearly be proven that Holden Caulfield developed as a character through various incidents that involve violence.

“Why fit in when you were taught to Stand Out!!” -Dr.Suess. Individualism is greatly discussed by many viewpoints, many for it, as well as against it. “Dead Poets Society” is a film that shows why individualism is needed in our society. Another great example is “What to a slave is the Fourth of July” -Frederick Douglass. Individualism is a great deal in the world, and people should understand what it is like to be an Individual to see that the world wouldn’t be the same if everyone was alike. People should know that we are all meant to be our own person in life and if we were all the same as everyone else in society, the world would be dry and lame.

“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

There are many sociological theories portrayed in the Dead Poet’s Society. One of the main theories is strain theory. Strain theory addresses the relationship between having socially acceptable goals and having socially acceptable means to reach those goals (Keirns, et al., 2015). This theory is seen in the movie because there are social structures within their society that pressures citizens to be a certain way. The main character Neil Perry was a rebellion of this theory. He had a passion to become an actor, but his father, as well as the rest of the people surrounding him, did not approve of his passion. Sure, his friends approved of it but they had no say in his life. His father continuously pressured him to focus on his studies and forget about his extracurricular activities. In the end, Neil ends up committing suicide because of the pressure that was put on him. He saw that they only way he could control his life was by taking it. It was the only control he had, his father controlled every other aspect of his life.

In dead poets society the school setting is displayed as a strict and unfriendly place where student’s individuality is oppressed. The school immediately gives the impression of being highly traditionalistic from the first scene. It opens with the start of a new school year and new boys are being initiated into the school through a ceremony involving the lighting of a candle. The candle’s flame represents traditionalistic conformist views being passed down to the new students from a previous student, showing that new knowledge is not considered of value by the school. After this ceremony Mr Nolan is scene making a speech about why tradition is important to the school. We see in this scene that the conformity has a strong, suffocating grasp on this

Tradition, Honor, Discipline, and Excellence. Those are the four pillars in the film The Dead Poets Society, which takes place at Welton Academy, a prep school located in Vermont, 1959. The Headmaster of the school is Mr. Nolan, who is very strict and traditional leader. The film focuses around a group of boys that attend Welton, who later reinstate the Dead Poets Society (DPS). The boys are Neil Perry, Todd Anderson, Charlie Dalton, Richard Cameron, Pitts, Meeks, and Knox Overstreet. Two of the lead boys are Neil Perry and Todd Anderson. Another main character is Mr. Keating, who is the new poetry teacher at Welton Academy. He encourages his students to become their own individuals and seize the day. Mr. Keating is an alumni of Welton. When the boys find his old yearbook, they discover that he was in the Dead Poets Society, which leads them to confront him on what it is. Mr. Keating reveals that it was made by people dedicated to sucking the marrow out of life, that they would read poetry together and let it drip from their tongues like honey. The boys decide to start their own DPS. Neil is a very outspoken and charismatic boy, who is the leader of the DPS. Todd, Neil’s roommate, is very quiet and shy. Each boy struggles with individuality. Both of them are very dynamic, changing drastically throughout the film. The Dead Poets Society focuses on the social issue of personal voice and independance and how gaining it or losing is can change a person.

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

     The movie The Dead Poet Society, even further exemplifies the statement that conformity and tradition defy individualism. In the story, the students have a