Dead Poet Society

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In “Dead Poets Society”, directed by Peter Weir, the obvious feature which most deserves further thought and learning is the theme of conformity. The theme is present in the film as both a negative and a positive idea. It is generally portrayed as being a negative influence but there are a few scenes where the lines between unity and conformity become blurred. The theme is emphasized and given importance through the costuming choices, dialogue and the shots and angles. In this movie, the choice of costume is a powerful device used to communicate the idea conformity. This becomes evident when we compare two scenes from the movie. Firstly of all, the opening scene, where all the pupils of Welton are gathered together. In this scene, all the boys are wearing their school uniform. This emphasizes the idea that when they are at school, they are all the same and are treated as such. The other scene depicts Neil acting in a performance of “A Midsummer Nights Dream”. In this scene, Neil is wearing the costume of his part, Puck. This scene is demonstrating how Neil is most happy when he is doing what he loves, not what other people love and that this often involves wearing different clothes from other people. Another important device used to communicate the ideas surrounding conformity in the movie is dialogue. It is the device that makes it the easiest to communicate complex ideas. Because of this, there are multiple examples of it across the entire movie. Most of them come from Mr Keating, a Romantic who believes that conformity will hold the boys back and stop them from following their dreams. He says to them “boys, you must strive to find your own voice”. By urging them to find their own voice, he is telling them to break out of the strict conformity of their school and strive to be their own people. He later tells them “…you must trust that your beliefs are

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