The Importance Of Repercussion In Dead Poets Society

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 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.

Greed can also be the reason for idiotic and irrational decisions. It influences one’s decisions and could lead to their downfall. One example Irving gave was Tom’s choice to make a deal with the devil. The “black man” told Tom about the hidden gold that was buried in the woods, and a deal Tom could make to get this gold(246). At first Tom rejected the offer due to the fact that he would have to split this fortune with his wife, but after his wife’s disappearance he went back to search for the devil. When he found the devil the terms for the deal were negotiated. Tom would have to trade his soul and open a broker shop in exchanger for the money(248-249). This is where Tom’s greed made him irrational and influenced him to make a bad decision. He made the deal, not thinking of the others he would have to hurt in the broker business and without consideration that his soul will then belong to the devil. Greed made Tom not think rationally and make a decision that would lead to his downfall in the near future. The other example Irvin gave was a greed-based decision that Tom’s wife made the ultimately led to her death. After Tom’s first encounter with the devil he came home and told his wife about his experience and the offer the devil made. Tom’s wife was all for it but Tom did not want to accept his the offer(246). Her greed came into play when she decided that she would steal some valuables and go out and make the deal herself. This greedy decision was

Greed in society has overpowered everything, meaning that once individuals attain one goal, another one can always be found to take its place. Of course, it isn’t always a bad thing to want to continue to improve oneself or better a life, but it is possible to have too much of a good thing.

Human beings have many flaws and negative qualities that make living the best possible life a challenge. Almost every book discussed this year displayed characters with prominent flaws in their attitude. In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus is the charismatic, well-liked king of Thebes who is facing a terrible plague in his city. The only way to stop the plague is by finding whoever murdered King Laϊos but Tiresias already knows who had done this. Oedipus displays his tragic flaw of hubris when talking to Tiresias because he denies him and his words of wisdom. Another character that displays hubris is Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart. Okonkwo is, much like Oedipus, well-respected but whenever faced with a situation involving head versus heart, he always makes decisions from his head and doesn’t ever follow his heart for he is too prideful. Okonkwo also possesses the negative trait of fear because he is afraid that people will lose respect for him if he appears “womanly” or weak. This fear really gets in the way of his life because it ends up controlling everything that he does. In addition to hubris and fear, humans also dehumanize others in painful situations as to make hurting them an easier task. Dehumanization is very negatively impactful because it is the epitome of preventing people from being able to live the

Greed is a common flaw in all human beings, coaxing individuals to pour in all their effort without ever being satisfied. The ultimate goal for greed is generally achieving affluence. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s insightful novel, The Great Gatsby, wealth is portrayed as the key factor in determining whether one is successful or not. Most people value prosperity over morals and ethics during the heat of pursuing their own ambitions; yet all unscrupulous behaviors do not escape God’s eyes. By utilizing eye motif, repetitions of sight words, and tone changes, F. Scott Fitzgerald justifies that avarice will always end in vain and amoral decisions will always end in regrets.

Henry Ford once said, “Money does not change men, it merely unmasks them. If a man is naturally selfish or arrogant or greedy, the money brings that out, that’s all.” Ford explains how money gives naturally selfish people the freedom to be themselves. When a person is poor, they often times are not allowed to act themselves because they do not have the money to reinforce their actions. This theme is evident in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby because money allows Daisy to act selfishly. Her selfishness is proven through her lack of interest in other people, her affair, and how she discards people without a care. Selfish people, like Daisy, oftentimes do not even understand that they are selfish because they lack an interest in what other people say about them.

The idea of wealthy people not necessarily having great relationships is evident in the novel, The Beautiful And The Damned, in the main character Anthony Patch and his wife Gloria’s marriage. Their marriage starts off as an intense love and Anthony believing that he has everything he could possibly need to be happy, except his grandfather’s money. This love eventually goes through a rough patch and turns to meaningless partying and alcoholism. Anthony and Gloria go through his inheritance money and find themselves in debt. The stress of this debt caused the couple to argue a lot and begin to resent each other. The excessive money available to them and the irresponsible use of it lead Anthony into alcoholism and into a downward

“The poison of selfishness destroys the world” (Catherine). The Great Gatsby by Francis Scott Fitzgerald, shows that relationship causes people to have problems and that many people manipulate and twist words and connections. This proves that wanting power is only an act of selfishness.

Along with George Jung, Frank Abagnale Jr is a great example of a person wanting more than they can handle. Abagnale begins to devote his life to becoming rich. His reason for working so hard is because his father had problems with the IRS, and he vowed never to

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.

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