Dead Poet's Society Essay

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The producers of Dead Poet’s Society wanted to showcase through the film that it is possible to be your own self within a uniformed society. The era in which the film was created had a lack of orators that students could look towards for inspiration. Through this film, the writer was able to influence his viewers. The film presents the school of Welton as a drab place. Everything is based upon tradition and is monotonously the same. The students are suffering under the perception that they exist only to attend their classes and roam the corridors as mere zombies. This can even be seen in the subtleties of nature that are shown in the film. There is a scene when a flock of geese takes off from the ground. They all fly in the same direction, and they all look the same. The film flashes to a scene of the boys descending a staircase, all walking in the same direction in their matching uniforms. This indicates that conformity is inexorable. When Mr. Keating arrives, the boy’s lives are turned around. By telling them to rip the pages from their poetry textbook, he plants the seed of enthusiasm within each of them. They all have aspirations that have been crushed by the conformity of life and Mr. Keating helps them to realize their dreams. “Carpe Diem” becomes a central quote in the movie. Each boy soon seizes the day for himself. For the first time these boys come to the realization that they can be their own individual and that they can think for themselves. Another scene, involving birds, is when Knox rides his bike through a nesting flock of birds, and they scatter in every direction. This comes to symbolize that conformity can be overcome. Knox is on his way to see Chris. Something he would never would have attempted without the influence of Mr. Keating. It is clear that the producer wanted to evoke that even in the most stifling conformity it is possible to be

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