Dead Poets Society - Short Answer #2

1. I think the most influential leader in my life would be my sister. She's always been the one to look out for me and give me her honest opinion no matter what and I've never felt like I can't come to her for guidance.
2. I agree with Mr. Keating for the most part. Some people don't understand poetry, therefore, they may not realize the purpose and impact it can often times have. I think poetry has a lot of meaning. A poem could have a different affect on each person because no two people read it the same and I think that's another reason why we've been going over it lately. It helps each of us analyze something deeper than we usually do.
3. I definitely agree with this quote from Mr. Keating. Every individual has a different perspective on a situation. If you sit two people down in separate rooms and ask them what they see in something such as a picture, they may point out many of the same things but not everything will be the same.
4. Honestly, I don't know what my verse would consist of. However, I hope that it makes an impact on at least one person. An everlasting impression that I want people to see is my faith and love for God and how important it is to work for what you want.

Dead Poets Society - Short Answers #1

1. To a certain extent, I do think Neil would have committed suicide regardless of whether he had met Mr. Keating or not. Neil's desire to be an actor were very strong and he made that very well-known. However, I also believe that maybe if Neil had not told his father about wanting to be an actor he wouldn't have been so humiliated to the point that he wanted to commit suicide. Nonetheless, he knew his father did not want him to be an actor so the possibility is still there.
2. I don't think there was necessarily only one brave boy. In my opinion, both Todd and Neil were the bravest. Each of them had something that they struggled with and they overcame it even though Neil's still resulted in his death. As far as being a coward, I don't really think any of them were cowards. They were all afraid of something but eventually faced their problems.
3. I think Mr. Keating did put the book in Neil's room. This is because it was another way to encourage Neil to do what he wanted. Mr. Keating knew that the administration wouldn't like it but he was willing to go the extra mile to make sure that Neil and the other boys achieved their goals.

Dead Poets Society - Central Theme

Throughout the movie, I think the main theme is the influence of role models. Role models are people who have one of the largest impacts on students and that's exactly what Mr. Keating was to the boys. Towards the beginning of Dead Poets Society, the boys questioned Mr. Keating's teaching habits but as the movie progressed, they started to understand him more and appreciate his methods. Many of the boys were unwilling to step out of their comfort zones until they met Mr. Keating and had him as their teacher. This is because although they did not want to stray from their ways, they soon learned that Mr. Keating was trying to help them become who they wanted to be, not what they were expected to be. One of the main parts of Dead Poets Society where the influence of role models is made obvious is when Neil Perry tells his father about his desire to become an actor. Before Neil knew Mr. Keating, he didn't have the courage to stand up to his father and even though his father may have disapproved, Neil still told him how he felt. Therefore, without the influence of Mr. Keating as Neil's role model, Neil may not have ever told his father.

Dead Poet's Society - Character Questions

1. In my opinion, I think the character that is the most transformed throughout the movie would be Todd. Until Mr. Keating got him out of his comfort zone, he was really shy but one he was no longer shy, he started to be more outgoing and expressed himself more.
2. I think one character in particular that does not necessarily change during the movie is Mr. Keating. This is because no matter how the principle felt about his teaching style and questioned it, he refused to change it so that he could make an impact on the boys.
3. Mr. Keating is the kind of character that will believe what he believes regardless of how others feel. I do not think he is changed by his experience in the film. Yes, he was upset that he was being forced to stop teaching, but it is because of the fact that he wouldn't change.
4. During the movie, it is easily seen that Todd Anderson, Neil Perry, Knox Overstreet, and Charlie Dalton have some sort of fear. Todd is afraid of being wrong because he is shy, Neil is afraid of not being able to be what he wants to be due to the fact that he does not know how to stand up to his dad, Knox is afraid of traditions changing, and Charlie is afraid of fitting in and being like everyone else.

Mona Lisa Smile - Final Blog

1. Women in the 1950's were supposed to meet multiple standards. They went to college to be married and after that, they typically felt no obligation to continue their studies. They were supposed to be the equivalent to a housewife and care for the children. Katherine disagreed with the whole view on how women were supposed to live their lives and tried to encourage them to be who they wanted to be and not what society wanted them to be.
3. Betty's reaction to Joan's application to study at Yale's law program shows that she is upset and confused as to why Katherine would give it to her. This is because of the expectations people had for women during this time period. If I were Betty, knowing the standards of that time, I would most likely react the same way just because it wasn't really heard of for women to do much more than become a housewife if they were married or were supposed to be getting married soon.