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Realism In Dead Poets Society

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Words can be defined as ‘something that someone says or writes’. In the books and film I have chosen it is clear that words have a great power as it has an impact on the characters and their lives. There is also a form of authority, where an individual or people use words to control the other characters with less authority. In the novel The Book Thief words from books help Liesel to mature, they also caused the death of many individuals because of the way Hitler used them and lastly, it has the power to heal. In Macbeth, words create a positive image at first then prophecies from witches and the words from Lady Macbeth control him and his actions which lead to his downfall. In the film Dead Poets Society, there’s a conflict between realism …show more content…

A realist can be defined as ‘one who submits to realism and opposes romanticism’ and a romantic can be defined ‘as one submits to romanticism while opposing realism’. These aspects are presented to the students at an all boys’ preparatory school. Welton Academy is founded on tradition and excellence and is based on providing strict structured lessons that is led by the realist and anti-youth administration, parents send their children there with the expectation that they would become doctors and lawyers. It’s as if they believed that only they had a say in their children’s lives and future. Todd Anderson is a new comer to Welton; he is painfully shy and terrified that what he might say may be insignificant and meaningless. Todd is constantly told that he has ‘big shoes to gill’ being the younger brother of a former valedictorian. Neil Perry on the other hand, is bright and ambitious but has a very controlling father. When new English teacher comes, he brings with him a passion for teaching romanticism which opens a never-seen-before world to his students. He starts with his teachings with a lecture on their imminent deaths, explaining to the students that their lives are fleeing so they should seize the day to make their lives count, to leave a legacy of ‘carpe diem’. He teaches them the works of the romantic poets such as Thoreau and Lord Byron and starts outdoor exercises to warm them of dangers of conformity and the power of sports as a way which human beings push each other to excel. From the start, Mr Keating’s words had a very strong impact on most of the students, his way of teaching was different, and he encouraged freedom of speech and read poems containing words and meanings that changed the students’ perspective of life forever. Todd Anderson is given an assignment which he doesn’t complete, Mr Keating sees through Todd’s fear and makes him say whatever comes to mind,

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The Importance of Words in the Book Thief The plot of The Book Thief if heavily influenced by words. Used by persons like Hitler, words are what turns a country like Germany into a horrible dictatorship. In the novel The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, words are important because they are more powerful than just pure force alone and can be used to convey emotions. In this novel words are used mainly in three ways.

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The dramatic coming-of-age film Dead Poet’s Society follows a group of young as they attend Welton Academy, an ultra conservative all-boys preparatory school, in 1959. Enthralled and inspired by the unconventional musings of their new English teacher, Mr. Keating, each of the students embark on a powerful journey of self-discovery, reflecting core transcendental themes of civil disobedience, non-conformity, and self-reliance. Heeding the mantra of their eccentric professor, the film’s characters learn they must rebel against societal conformity and willingly accept the consequences to truly seize the day and make life extraordinary. Aware of the repercussions of their bold and brazen actions, three of the film’s central characters undergo a process of igniting change to

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This all comes together to form the claim that language is not just words being spoken out of your mouth, they all have a solid and important meaning behind them. Like Martin Luther King Jr. and Patrick Henry, words can be very helpful to people and can be used to bring people together or to point them in the right direction. Through his words, Martin Luther King Jr. brought people together and fought for

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In the Dead Poets Society, the idea of conformity is the tradition for students in Welton Academy. For instance, in school, students we forced to dresses the same school blazers and follow the same "four pillars" (tradition, honor, discipline, excellence). That shows the repetition in school spirits even though it can't work for everyone. Similarly, in Neil's family, his father seems to care a lot about his son's success by layouts his own path to become a doctor. This illustrates through the discipline and conformity which leads to achieve 'success' but in a narrow, material sense of getting good grades, going to a good school to get a good job.

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He did not learn about himself and his passions until he took Mr. Keating’s class. Neil was just another student who molded himself to maintain the academic pressure his father and school put on him. He did not know who he was or what he wanted to be. Then, he gained a taste of freedom by paying attention to Mr. Keating’s lessons. Lessons such as ripping pages out of his poetry and standing on top of his desk encouraged Neil to rebel against his father’s demands.

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Human beings do not have a total control over their thoughts and emotions. The human mind can easily be influenced by changes in terms of social status, greediness, and ambition. The play, Macbeth by William Shakespeare and the novel The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith are types of artworks where these changes or events can unleash the worst characteristics of people, and a battle for control ensues, between the good side and the dark forces within. To begin with, firstly, at the beginning of the play, Macbeth appears as a brave soldier and a warrior hero, whose fame on the battlefield led him to get a great honor from the king.

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Keating's fault for his unorthodox method of teaching, and encouraging Neil to go against his father wishes. Others may argue it was the fault of Mr. Perry for controlling Neil, and directing him down a path that seemed to be influenced by Mr. Perry’s own failure to accomplish his plan of becoming a doctor. Regardless of the influence Mr. Keating had on Neil, it is my strong belief that Mr. Perry’s controlling, selfish, and intimidating ways trumped any of Mr. Keating's contribution to Neil’s discovery of his inner creativity and expression.of interests. Mr. Keating helped open Neil’s eyes to a whole different side of things which his father prevented him from seeing for his entire life. Why should Mr. Keating be at fault when he tried his very best in providing an educational experience that brought him success when he was in Neil’s age?

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Is Mr. Keating a good english teacher? In my opinion, yes because he shows so much he cares about his students and his passion teaching his way, not by a book. Mr. Keating teaches his students about being more independent and more passionate about what they want to do or be. Mr. Keating is doing this because many of the parents are putting so much pressure on their kids to become a doctor or a lawyer. The reasons why many of the students listens to Mr. Keating is because he uses different teaching skills, making it seem more fun.

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There are many ways words can be used, they can be used in a negative or positive way. For example, a positive way that words were used in The Book Thief is when Liesel reads out loud in the basement during the air raid. She thought of the accordion how it comforted her when Hans

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The supernatural power in Macbeth, is not relatable to a modern audience, yet, the concept of believing that no one has power over their own life is still the same. This similarity helps the audience relate to Macbeth, as many of us believe that fate controls us. In addition, another theme demonstrated in Macbeth is, power corrupts judgment. After Lady Macbeth finds out about the prophecies she says, “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be /What thou art promised.

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