Dead Poets Society Post

In the film Dead Poets Society, there is a conflict between the teachers at Welton who expect this students to conform to their rules and the students who want a little freedom. The education system reflects the teacher's views. They teachers all look the same, they dress the same, and they also teach in the same manner which is directly from the textbook. There is no opportunity for creativity. The students are strictly monitored by their parents and are expected to exceed in school. Their career options are chosen for them and there is no option of rebelling against them. As a student in Welton, there are very little opportunities for them stand out or to be themselves. The consequences for doing this is enough to discourage a student and keep them on their chosen path.

The film shows the various dangers that a student faces when going against conformity. They risk being expelled and facing the wrath of their parents and teachers. Neil, for example desperately wanted to be in the school play despite his parent's wishes. His punishment for participating in the play was being transferred to a military school. Neil being misunderstood by his parents, committed suicide. When Neil's parents requested for there to be an investigation regarding what was going on in the school, one student buckled under pressure and blamed the situation on their transcendentalist English teacher, Mr. Keaton. One student was expelled for his outburst at a student. When Neil's other friends came to talk to the headadministator, they were pressured into signing a document that framed Mr. Keaton. There was no way that these students could act like individuals at Walton.

Extra Credit Post

My t-shirt

On Monday, I wore a shirt that represented my true personality. I chose a couple of words that described me the best and put them on there so that it looked like a crossword. The words that I choose were starkid, potterhead, positive, awkward, laugh, Canadian, and softball. All these words felt like they represented me well (and that I had the right iron-on letters for)

When people first saw my shirt, they thought that it was like a fan made t-shirt for a concert. But then when they read it, I explained that it was part of my English project. It was confusing to read at times, people often thought that potterhead was "pothead." They also asked what "starkid" meant, which was difficult to explain. Some people were surprised that I was Canadian, and took the opportunity to ask me more questions about myself.

All together, it wasn't bad wearing this t-shirt. In the morning, I was a little nervous because I didn't know what people would think about when they would see softball or starkid on my shirt. But I wasn't harassed and everyone just curious about what the things on my shirt meant.

I learned that it's not bad to be yourself and that my friends are very supportive of what I do.

Matching Shirts(:

Modern Day Transcendentalists

In modern times, there are not many people who can be considered to be modern day transcendentalists. The pressures of society often stop that from showing who they truly are. They are often taunted or bullied because of their true character. But somebody who stands out as a true transcendentalist is a 14 year old girl named Abby Miller. She performs and sings to raise money for cancer. So far she has raised over $400,000 people and reached out more than 5 million.  Abby also met a 5 year old Taylor Love who suffers from a rare form of cancer called neuroblastoma that has no cure. Since then, she has been dedicating all of the songs that she sings on her YouTube channel to Taylor. She started posting videos on YouTube when she was 11. At her age it is really admirable about how passionate she is. Abby could be acting like any other high school student but instead she spends time trying to help find a cure for cancer. They aren't a lot of people would take the time and effort of performing and fundraising. She is selfishly donating her time. She truly wants to find a cure and she does it whole-heartedly. Many people are scared of putting themselves out there into something they believe in because they fear that they may be ridiculed or that they may not be taken seriously. There is so many ways that she could be discouraged. People might say that she doesn't have a pretty voice or that she's too young. But she surrounds herself with the positive and continues to sing and raise money. If we all took this lesson from her to put all our energy into something that we truly want accomplished, we can make a change.

Walden Essay

Currently, someone, somewhere is using a form of technology to make their life easier. They may be buying a dishwasher or driving a car to complete their endless list of errands. Society gets so caught up in completing tasks so they can get started on the next one that they speed through life. The people of this time miss out on the little things. Intangible things such as smiling at a stranger or talking to a long, lost, friend. In modern ages, society cannot simplify their lives because they do not appreciate what they have and they do not think for themselves, they also have a misconception of what simplicity, and do not prioritize their duties correctly.

First of all, society has unlimited wants and desires. Once one has been fulfilled another one pops up and takes it's place. There is always something better out there. The ironic part is that people don't appreciate what they have. As Henry David Thoreau said in book Walden, "Men say that a stitch in time saves nine, and so they take a thousand stitch's to-day to save nine to-morrow (American Tradition in Literature)." This quote depicts how communities try and be prepared for the worst when it has not even occurred. The unnecessary stress taken from being over prepared complicates their lives. They spend more time attempting to protect themselves from danger but it cause them to have more work to do instead. The achieve simplicity, they must be content with their character and the decisions that have chosen. Trying to cushion their decisions is pointless. They should stand by their choice and take the consequences with a strong mind. However, along with giving up temptation a person must change the way they think to accomplish simplicity. 

People are surrounded by variety. They have the choice of what to buy, to eat or what to wear. They can decide where to go and what to do. The possibilities are endless. While choices are considered as freedom or independence, it contributes to confusion. Confusion and simplicity are parallel things. People are surrounded by so many decisions to make. There are also people and devices that try and tell them what to do. Media surrounds them, attempting to tell them that they need a certain item or that it will make their lives easier. Instead, people drown in a pool of puzzlement. No simplicity exists in this state of mind. If people can just decide on what item gets the job done, they would spare themselves the stress. Why have all the bells and whistles when they cannot take the time to learn how to use it properly.

Furthermore, people's conception of simplicity frightens them. They believe that they would have to give up some luxuries of life. But this is not the case. People can still experience the pleasures of life. The true idea of simplicity is keeping the mind from craving the things that will only temporarily satisfy them. It is about keeping peace with their inner self. As Henry David Thoreau said, "We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aids , but by an infinite expectation of dawn, which does forsake us in our soundest sleep (Tradition of American Literature pg. 490." This quote portrays that simplicity is just a way of thinking. It states to sleep naturally without the aid of any medicine and to anticipate the sun in the morning. Lastly, simplicity can be accomplished by prioritizing.

As Henry David Thoreau once wrote"...let your affairs be as two or three, not a hundred or a thousand (Tradition of American Literature pg. 490)..." A typical person has so much to complete in a day. Once that list has been resolved , a new set is added on. As described in Thoreau's writing, he discusses why people need to do so much. They try and concentrate their attention to so many errands, when they would be better off just working on a few. The more important matter, however, is that they lack some basic responsibilities that they should fulfill. Duties such as talking to their children or parents or just to relax from their daily tensions that they encounter. They are often forgotten in the chaos. When thinking with simplicity, one can see what is really important. But in modern ages, the busy days pose a distraction.

Simplicity is difficult to achieve in modern times. Society takes on additional stress up on themselves and they don't fully understand what simplicity is. They are confused by all of their options and don't prioritize their tasks. It is just incommensurable for society to attain simplicity.