Essay On Transcendentalism In Dead Poets Society - 1344 Words

This essay assignment is very similar to some of the ideas discussed in class. All that was talked about for days was the basic principle of individuality and nonconformity, and according to Dead Poets Society, that pretty much sums up what writing consists of. That seems to be why the class is writing this, to complete the whole lesson on uniqueness. In general, transcendentalists seem to be very inspirational toward anyone who ventures to read their work. As in the words of Emerson, â€Å"To great is to be misunderstood† (Emerson 370). This quote is the main idea of transcendentalism. After reading many pieces from this movement and watching the movie Dead Poets Society, I have found there to be many occurrences within the movie that†¦show more content†¦Tradition includes the concept of losing your individuality and becoming uniform with other people at the school. This is shown through most of the characters becoming lawyers or doctor. They also all wear u niforms, sleep in the same dorms, learn and study exactly the same. When most of the adults find a nonconforming child, they associate that with being disobedient or even a failure. On a side note, thesaurus.com even defines disobedience as a suitable synonym for non-conforming. In general, the school and leaders or teachers within the school, contribute to the boys’ new strange views on life. One of the main characters who does not believe in conformity is Mr. Keating. Mr. Keating is a prime example of this, especially considering that he got fired from his job at the end. This was because of his knack for not being a traditional, textbook-style teacher. He used real life examples to portray his teachings of non-conformity. For example, on one of the first days of school, Mr. Keating told them to rip pages out of their textbook that were too â€Å"mainstream† for his taste. Later on in the movie he taught the boys to view life at a different angle, and he repr esented this by standing on his desk. Lastly, Mr. Keating used a more physical example of conforming to society at a young age. He asked three boys to start walking in a circle around the courtyard. This was to prove that everyone starts atShow MoreRelatedTranscendentalism Vs Nonconformity1061 Words   |  5 PagesRalph Waldo Emerson, the man who started the Transcendentalism movement, was an American poet and essayist. Transcendentalism was a literary and philosophical movement in the 1820’s and 1830’s that was considered an opposition to the previous age of Romanticism. Transcendentalism emphasized the importance of the individual, nature, and the Oversoul, among other things. The founder, Emerson, wrote many essays in a Transcendentalist style. 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