Conflict In Dead Poets Society
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Conflict in Dead Poets Society
Internal and external conflicts are something that everyone experiences day to day. These conflicts may not always be solved by the individual, but someone they can relate to. In the movie Dead Poets Society, a group of boys go through a life-changing experience where they learn how to be different from their teacher Mr. Keaton. Keaton enables the boys to overcome shyness, fall in love, follow your dreams, and create a strong self image. Unlike his colleagues, Keating employs unorthodox teaching methods and strives to teach more than just his subject matter, which is poetry. His goal is to inspire his students to be creative in their own way and express their abilities.
Keatons philosophy of “seizing the day” helps define who the boys really are. The boys learned that they deserved more than the daily routine, that they were not satisfied with living up to the expectations of others. As a result, the boys re-establish the Dead Poets Society that Keaton took part in when he was a student. Neil Perry, one of the students at the school, seems to be the first affected by Keatons teachings. Neil is faced with his fathers strict grip put on Neils life. Mr. Keaton helped Neil realize that he had other dreams that did not include his fathers. Keatons teachings and the Dead Poets Society helped Neil strive to what he thought was important, and not what his father thought was important. He learned to look past the wishes of others, and find what was important to him. Without Keaton, Neil would have never pursued his career for acting which was strongly looked down upon from his father.
Knox Overstreet is also a student that is affected by Keatons teachings also. Knox, who is already creative in his own way, learns to follow his heart from Keaton. Knox finds himself desperately in love with a girl that he has had a crush on for a long time. Keatons first lesson to the boys is “Carpe diem”. Knox takes his experiences with Keaton and the Dead Poets Society and pursues his goal. He knows that there are many obstacles ahead of attaining his goal, such as her relationship with the jock boyfriend, yet still gets the need to express his feelings to her.
Richard Cameron also resolves one of his internal conflicts by Keatons teachings. Keaton taught the boys to be different in their own way through several exercises. One of his ways to teach this was by having three boys march together. He told the boys to notice how each