Dead Poets Society shows
the affect that one man can have on a group of young minds. Mr. Keating’s
teaching style was so different because instead of drilling ideas into the student’s
heads he gave them the chance to think for themselves and they felt free.
One instance where I noticed a lack of integrity was when
Neil was talking to Todd about trying out for the play. Todd asked him if his
father would punish him for not telling him. Neil responded with something
along the lines of “I am not deceiving him if he doesn’t know,” and while he
was deceiving his father I couldn’t help but agree with his decision. I felt
for him because his life was already planned out for him and dictated by his
father. He was doing something he was passionate and although he went about it
in a less ethical way I did not blame him for doing so.
Another part of the movie that stuck out with me was when
Richard Cameron came back into the room where all the boys were and admitted
that he gave up Mr. Keating and encouraged the other students to do the same. He
put the blame on him to keep himself out of trouble. Even though it was not
true, he was willing to give up his teacher to save himself. It is harder for
someone at that age to develop strong moral principles, but it was unethical for
him to lie about Mr. Keating’s involvement with the Dead Poets Society even
when a lot was at stake.
The final scene of the movie, however, shows the integrity
of Todd when he stands on the decks and addresses Mr. Keating by saying “O
Captain, my Captain.” It was powerful to see how Todd, who was afraid to speak
out in Mr. Keating’s class, disobey the teacher and standup for what he
believed. This set an example for the
rest of the class and Todd’s action started a movement. He gave the other
students the courage to stand on their desks and stand behind Mr. Keating.
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