Psycho-Social Concepts in the Dead

psycho-social concepts in the Dead Poets' Society

Dead Poets' Society: An Exercise in Growing up

The Dead Poets' Society is a prime example of really thoughtful writing, as the plot encloses its messages within the story and the cinematography. The stage directions and directors" notes actually are created to illustrate the messages, including statements about social-psychology, and the plot line explains or illustrates the message. The messages are never overt, but hidden with great subtlety within the movie's plot and characterization.

The story centers on a group of boys in a very traditional private school for boys, and all the problems of both the boys and their teachers. It focuses on a particularly avant-guard literature teacher played by Robin Williams, Mr. Keating. In the opening scene we meet the boys coming for school, and a collage of scenes gives us the idea that this school has very solid traditions. The theme of group behavior and tradition is a constant background in the film with techniques like bagpipes, walls full of portraits, monuments and costumes.

Neal is the main protagonist in the film as he is the one most affected by the teachings of Mr. Keating. Mr. Keating uses very engaging tactics to interest the boys in the subject of poetry. He fires the imaginations of a group of about ten boys to find their individuality, in particular, Neil Parry. encourages them to think for themselves and to "seize the day."

The group of boys mentioned start to explore their own ideas and they form a new Dead Poets' Society, a secret club that meetings in a cave, where the boys read poetry and exchange ideas in concert with whatever innovations come to mind, including music, make-up and drums. Neil decides to audition for the part of Puck in Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream in spite of his father's opposition to anything not directly connected to his education in law. Knox, another member, decides to try to impress the girl with whom he has become infatuated. Todd get help from Keating and the other boys to overcome his shyness and get beyond the emotional neglect of his parents.. Mr. Keating's classes and his techniques are frowned upon by the other teachers and the administrators, who are very traditional.

Charlie Dalton, who has changed his name to "Nuwanda" and publishes a daring article signed by the Dead Poets Society i9n the school paper by sneaking in past the censors. Dalton is punished severely, but he does not give up the names of the members of the group. Neil speaks to Keating about his father ordering him to give up the part he won in the play. Keating advises him to tell his father exactly as he has just told Keating, and if his father insists, he should take heart that it is only one more year. Neil cannot and, instead, lies and plays the part anyway. His father arrives and takes him home afterwards and lectures him about his future: finish school, go to Harvard and become a lawyer. Neil protests that this is a ten-year jail sentence. He finally commits suicide in despair. His parents ask the school to investigate the case, and Mr. Keating is blamed for Neil's death. His students are forced to sign as witnesses. Mr. Keating is forced to leave the school but as he is about to leave they show their loyalty and their ability to resist the establishment by standing on their desks and reciting the first lines, "Oh Captain, my captain!" which is reprise of the first scenes, while the principal protests and threatens them from the background.

Concepts, then, constitute the definitions (or prescriptions) of what is to be observed; they are the variables between which empirical relationships are to be sought."

Wallace x) Three psycho-sociological concepts which are well represented in the film are conformity of group behavior, gender roles in adolescents, especially boys and narrow tradition based attitudes about what is valuable in society.

The whole film is based upon conformity of behavior according to accepted traditions and accepted societal standards of the 1950s in America. Acting was not an accepted vocation, as accepted vocations were those which carried prestige and high salaries. Society's judgment of the value of a job was its monetary worth. The school and its teachers are bound by the traditional mode of teaching, which is largely stale drill and practice with attendant exams. The value is based upon the idea of education being based upon how much information a student can store and regurgitate. It is especially well illustrated by the scene with Keating where he has the students tear out the introduction in their poetry books, because it is clinical and treats poetry like something we can measure and grade. Traditional methods teach the theory of poetry and do not encourage the students to own it and love it.

Even the boys who decide not to conform to themselves, but this is a reasoned decision by them and not imposed, so it is more individual.

The gender roles of Americans were well defined in the 1950s, and the film illustrates them well. The girls whom Knox wants is pretty much the " possession" of a big sports jock, just because he scares away anyone else. Knox gets beaten up by him for paying attention to her. This does not stop him from pursuing her, eventually freeing her to choose. Mrs. Perry is the typical quiet wife of the time, unable to speak up for her son when he tries to confront his father about his rights to choose his own future.