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School teaches conformity
Individuality and conformity in schools
Conformity in schools
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Early in the movie you meet one of the boys teachers Mr. Keating. Mr. Keating is very different compared to the other teachers. He isn't strict and lets the kids minds roam freely . As the movie progress each character takes on their own development and grows as a person. At the end of the movie Neil Perry kills himself after doing a play and his father disapproving.
Neil is similar in the way of lying in which even after confronting Mr. Keating about his dreams of being an actor and how he has kept his role in a play from his father, he continues to lie about quitting the play to his father as well as telling Mr. Keating that he had confronted his father. Neil did this solely to keep his father pleased and to make Mr. Keating proud of
When Mr. Perry tells Neil that he is making him quit being the editor of the yearbook he says, “After you've finished medical school and you're on your own, then you can do as you damn well please. But until then, you do as I tell you. Is that clear?” Neil has a constant feeling of distress due to him trying to please his father, and to do well in school. Luckily, Neil is at the top of his class, but he wants to do more, especially with his acting.
In Dead Poet’s Society, you follow a group of young boys at a rigorous boarding school who are trying to find their way. A new teacher, Mr. Keating, begins to show the boys a completely different way to approach their education and life through the unconventional study of poetry. Neil Perry, the “leader” of the group takes his teachings to heart the most and restarts the Dead Poet Society club. Living for the moment can have both inspiring and tragic outcomes, which is clearly demonstrated through the progression of Perry. Originally, in the beginning of the movie, Neil is still very obedient and trying to live up to his parent's expectations.
To begin, Neil can be viewed as immature by literally running away from a problem that he is not capable of handling. The initial shock of his father joining the army is apparent through his emphasis and repetition on the statement, “Joined the ARMY?” (124). This is the moment where a problem that he must deal with is introduced. Following this reveal, without any confrontation, he flees to a hayloft in a barn (125).
Conformity can be as simple as wearing the newest trend, or as complex as a society learning ideas that may affect their individual freedoms. Some people feel safer when they are the same and cannot be bullied or taken advantage of. Other people however, feel they have to go against conformity as it can drag down society, and limit individuality, which is essential for people to prosper and grow. As seen in both works of Twain and Douglass they emphasized the ideas of conformity. It is easy to give into conformity because it is often what is expected by society.
Social Conformity in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest “He Who Marches Out Of Step Hears Another Drum” (Kesey 154). In this modern world, to come to terms with society is to conform to its standards. When a person does not fit the standard mold of a society, they are scrutinized for their divergence.
Throughout the entire movie one of the main characters Neil Perry is seen trying to embrace his decisions against his father 's which makes them fight very often making Neil want to become a nonconformist to not only his father but against society. Neil’s father always
Another key point is when Keating was made responsible for Neil's suicide, and fires him from the
Keating did not force or manipulate Neil to pursue his passion for acting. Neil was already passionate about acting, as he stated in the movie, and Mr. Keating only encouraged him to follow his dream. In fact, Mr. Keating advised Neil to talk to his father about his interests and not to pursue acting behind his father's back. Neil's decision to disobey his father's wishes and perform in a play was his own, and Mr. Keating did not coerce or force him to do so. Moreover, when Neil died, Mr. Keating was devastated and felt responsible, which shows that he did not want any harm to come to his
Neil’s father, Mr. Perry was responsible for his son’s suicide. “Neil couldn’t deal with the idea that to give up acting was to quit playing the roles that he lived every day, and so he killed himself because he “realized that he had not lived” up to that point” (See). Neil was not an honest person to himself or his father. Neil’s father wants the best for him and is able to give him the best education. “You have opportunities that I never even dreamt of and I am not going to let you waste them” (Schulman).
Todd discovers what Mr. Keating meant when he said, “Now we all have a great need for acceptance, but you must trust that your beliefs are unique, your own, even though others may think them odd or unpopular” (Dead Poets’ Society). Todd discovers what it means to be an individual. Throughout the movie, he develops all the qualities of a Bildungsroman hero, even the ones Neil never could reach. Dead Poets’ Society is the coming-of-age story of several different teenage boys; as the boys develop with each other, they all go through the development differently, but they all come out of it as individuals.
Keating taught was, “You must find your own voice, because the longer you wait to begin the less likely you are to find it at all.” I felt like this quote was for all the boys, but more specifically for Neil. In the beginning of the movie, Neil’s father pulls Neil aside to discuss him dropping the position of the newspaper editor. Neil is sad, but does so. Then, Neil auditions for the play, A MidSummer Night’s Dream.
However a father's controlling nature pushes Neil Perry to his limits as the stress of all work and no play takes its toll. In the scene where neil and his father have a dispute in the hall clearly demonstrates the key components
Neil took Keating’s philosophy too far. It’s good to be inspired by people,