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Transcendentalism In Dead Poets Society

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The movie Dead Poets Society has quite a few connections with the world of transcendentalism. The movie ties in with some of the writings and themes. It also talks about a transcendentalist writing directly in the movie. The movie is about a group of boys who learn to express themselves and decided who they want to be. They learn this because of their teacher in Mr. Keating and the Dead Poets Society, which they found out about because of Mr. Keating. There are many parts of Dead Poets Society that tie in with transcendentalism. One of the first ones is the English class. In the very first class, Mr. Keating says “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, the latin term for that sentiment is Carpe Diem” (Dead Poets Society). Mr. Keating then asks what “carpe diem” means, and one of the students replies with “sieze the day.” Mr. Keating wanted the kids to learn on the first day, that it’s okay to go after your dreams, even if it’s stupid or you have people saying no. Mr. Keating also has some of his classes outside. This connects with the essay Nature by Emerson.
Another example of how the Dead Poets Society relates to transcendentalism is the Dead Poets Society itself. The society that the boys were in helped them realize …show more content…

Todd Anderson is the shy, quiet boy that is trying to live up to his older brother. In the beginning, Todd doesn’t really express himself in the movie, but by the end he is standing out from the crowd. Mr. Keating helps Todd understand that it is okay to express yourself. The essay Self Reliance connects with how Todd is and how he develops as a character. “'Ah, so you shall be sure to be misunderstood.' — Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood....” (Self Reliance,

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Halley Geist Honors 7 Gibson 22 January 2016 CREED Paragraph Ralph Waldo Emerson once said something like, to be misunderstood is to be great. This aphorism can be used all around the world today because the only person that truly understands you, is you. “To be great is to be misunderstood.”

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In the film Dead Poets Society, the pillars at Welton Academy reflect more conservative values compared to the nonconformity values represented by transcendentalism; they not only discourage singularity, but make it a crime for any student to exercise an individualistic form of consciousness. With his encouragement throughout each lesson, the students are able to “think for [them]selves again,” as they take the road less traveled by, finding their own direction (Dead Poets Society). In the film, Mr. Keating, with his individualistic teaching style, encourages his students to put into practice the overall transcendentalistic way of thinking but most importantly an individualistic way of looking at life. While Keating is not their savior, he does enable his students to undergo a journey of self discovery. Keating allows the students to find the savior within themselves and thereby be free from the acquiescence that society has created through transcendental values of individualism and nonconformity.

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Transcendentalist writers were focused on the belief of the divinity of the individual soul, the inner voice, (Crawford, Kern & Needleman, 1961) to overcome social stereotypes and to avoid conformity. It is highlighted the importance to return to nature to enhance the quality of humans beings by living simply since being apart of common social rules is the only way to be in communion with nature’s wisdom. Those transcendental characteristics could be seen in Emerson’s ¨self-reliance¨ or Thoreau’s ¨Walden ¨ bearing in mind that although, Emerson’s ¨Self-reliance¨ adheres more descriptive examples to illustrate metaphors and Thoreau’s ¨Where I lived and what I lived for¨ introduces metaphors creating much more imagery, both make a critique of the modern individual using

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Society requires individuals to live up to certain standards. It fails to understand that there are some individuals who are simply unable to live up to the set standards and expectations. Todd manages to gain confidence and step out of the shell within which society has confined him. There is a scene in the film where he is challenged by his English teacher, Mr. Keating, to be creative and imaginative (Weir). Despite initial hesitation and discouraging performance, Todd is eventually able to amuse his classmates with his creativity.

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