Dead Poet Society Essay Research Paper In

Dead Poet Society Essay, Research Paper

In fairy tales parents and children get along, but they do so less and less often in real life. Like many teens, I, argue, and rebel against my parents wishes. To most people, this is a show of no respect and consideration to my parents raising me to be who I am today. After all, I yell at my parents, and don t do things that they want me to do, but I feel that it is part of growing up to learn how to make my own decisions to find out what I want to do in life. I learned from the mistakes I made in the past and was able to become more mature. In the movie Dead Poets Society, Todd Anderson and Neal Perry have yet been given the chance to learn how to make their own decisions because of their parents interference in their life and decisions making powers over them. Although Neal and Todd seem to have responded to life very differently, both Neal and Todd have similar reactions to their peers, to Keating, and to carpe diem . Neal reacts to his peers as though they are in the similar situation as him and that he could relate to them. His situation is that his parents control his life making every decision for him without asking him. He sees the same thing happening to his roommate Todd, so he offers his friendship to Todd by inviting him to attend the study group. Neal also listens to Todd s problems. For instance, when Todd is depressed about what he got for his birthday Neal is there to listen. Todd is depressed about getting a table every year from his parents for his birthday. Neal is there to let him know that he understands what he is going through. To help Todd release his anger Neal helps Todd throws the table down a building. Afterward, Neal says to him, Don t worry about the table you be getting another next year to cheer up him up. In comparison to Neal, Todd s reactions to his peers are alike. Todd is also in the same situation as his peers, which are their controlling parents. Todd could relate to his friends, but he doesn t know how to express his feeling and is shy. When Neal offers him his friendship, he doesn t know what to say or how to react except makes an excuse for not being able to go. Todd tends to keep his feeling inside because he is scared people are going to laugh at him. In the meantime, when he is asked to join the Dead Poets Society club, he makes up an excuse that he can t because he doesn t like to read in front of people, but Neal got the others to let him join despite his excuse. Todd is able to express some of his feeling to Neal when Neal offers to listen to his problem. Afterwards, Neal gains some trust from Todd and their friendship becomes closer. Secondly, Neal s reactions to Mr. Keating s ways of teaching are daring because his methods of teaching are different and it grabs his attention immediately. For instance, Mr. Keating s idea of tearing pages out of the book just to make a point is shocking to Neal. Neal wants to be like Mr. Keating when he starts the Dead Poets Society club although he knows that he could get into trouble for doing it. Mr. Keating s method of showing how people bring out the best out of other people by playing in a soccer team is powerful to Neal. The reason why it is powerful to Neal is that now he thinks he could help bring out the best in Todd. Todd s reactions to Mr. Keating are that he knows that Mr. Keating knows that he is scared to express his own feelings in front of people. This is revealed when Todd is asked to read his poem in front of the class. Mr. Keating knows that Todd is afraid of expressing his feeling when he said, I know you are afraid to death to express your feeling to Todd at the end of class. When Mr. Keating makes Todd read his poem in front of the class Todd has another reaction, which is respect for Mr. Keating. It is the first time Todd has express himself in front of people. Finally, a last reaction Todd has for Mr. Keating is that he is dedicated and an honest man. The most important reactions Neil and Todd have is towards the word carpe diem . Neil s reactions show in many of the actions that he takes to express these words. For example, when he decides to go against his father s wishes and tries out for the school s play. Another response to this phrase is when he gets the part, he writes a fake letter pretending to be the principal to ask for permission from his father to let him be in the play. Eventually his father finds out about the play and wouldn t let him be in the play. Ignoring his father s decision in the play, Neil continues to be in the play. He decides that it is time for him to make his own decisions and make mistakes because that is what life s all about, to learn and mature as one goes on. Neil makes another point of this by trying to take his own life to show his father that he can not continue to control his life anymore. In the meantime, Todd doesn t know if he should take a chance in carpe diem [[why not]]. He is an indecisive person and not easily influence. Todd doesn t know what he wants, he already took his chance by joining the Dead Poets Society club and reading his poem in front of the class. Lastly, it was during Mr. Keating last visit to the classroom that Todd takes these words seriously. He revolts against the new teacher order and stands on top of his desk and says, Oh captain my captain to give his farewell to Mr. Keating. At that time Neal Perry, Knox Overstreet, Charles Nuanda Dalton, Cameron, Pitts, and Meeks also stands on their desk to also give a farewell to Mr. Keating. If it weren t for Neil and Todd, Mr. Keating, and carpe diem, their lives would not be the same. Their peers help them to mature into adults and take matters into their own hands. Todd has to learn how to deal with the loss of a friend. In the same way, he needs to deal with his fear of expressing his expression first. Neil learns how to do what he loves in life from Mr. Keating. He takes his life to do what he loves, which is acting by challenging his father authority and taking control of his life. It is hard to break away from parents, but it is necessary to experience life and find out who we are. We would enjoy life more if we know who we are.