Thoroughly Responded to Questions Part 2!!

1. The most influential person in my life would have to be Jesus/God. They have influenced my life majorly, in how I treat others, and how I try to be in my personal life. God is who I live for, and I try to give all of the honor to him when he blesses me. He shows me how to live a good life by the laws he gives me, and these are a very big influence on my life.
2.I think that Keating is trying to get his boys to believe that poetry is a way of life, and involves true passion, whereas other jobs are simply "noble pursuits". I do agree that SOME poetry can be very meaningful and passionate, but that is not the case with all poetry. I believe that we read poetry as a way of interpretation. It is not as much passion as it is a type of hieroglyphics in my opinion now a days.
3.I do agree with this quote from Keating. He is trying to get the boys to see that there are all kinds of views on a work. Not everyone has the same opinion about the same piece. When the boys realize this, it will let them be able to be their own person. I most likely have a personal story about this topic, but I have been sitting here for 30 minutes and still cannot think of any.
4. I hope that my 'verse', even if not very big, will still contribute to making this school, or world better. I know that I may not be very likely to have a major impact on the world, but I can still have a lasting impression on it, making it a slightly better place. I hope that people can see why I am here, and what I have come here to do. I would like to be a light leading others to Jesus, and it would be nice to know that I have accomplished this on a large, or small scale in life.

Thorough Responses to Questions

1. I do not think that Neil would have committed suicide, but I do think that he would have been unhappy and uncomfortable for his entire life. He never liked what his father had planned for him to do in life. He wanted to take up acting and his father was not impressed, he only wanted his son to become a doctor and provide for a family. Mr. Keating only took part in Neil's life when he told Neil to be his own person and pursue his dreams. This may have caused his suicide, but overall, Neil was never happy.
2. I believe that Todd is the most brave of the Keating boys. He is very shy throughout the movie and barely ever talks, but in the end he stands up for what he believes. He believes that Keating is a good teacher and teaches the boys good ways to get through life. On the other hand, Cameron was the coward in the film. He never feels like it is safe to go with the boys to the cave for the Dead Poet's meetings. In the end of the movie, Cameron is the one that turns in all of the boys that attended the meetings and they were all told to sign for the resignation of Mr. Keating. If Cameron would not have been so scared of everything, Mr. Keating most likely would still have his group of boys that followed him.
3. I believe that Keating did place the poetry book in Neil's room. He knew that Neil was the one ready for the challenge, and he did not want to be the one to stop him from chasing after what he wanted. Even though Keating knew that it was not the best idea, due to the administrations issues with reckless behavior, Keating believed that the boys needed to find their true potential.

Being Different in Dead Poet's Society

Difference is a major theme that I saw used throughout the Dead Poet's Society movie. Mr. Keating always wanted the boys to be different from the society around them and not to conform into it. He tried to teach them to stand up for what they believed and not pass up on a dream of theirs, just because it is not what is normal in society. The theme of being different pops up numerous times in the film, and is one of the most central themes in the movie. When Keating first came into the classroom to teach, the boys knew that he was not the everyday teacher that taught at Welton. He made them tear out pages in their books that he was not fond of, and later on showed many more teaching differences. He took the students on a field trip outside and made them all do their own thing. He was not only teaching poetry, but he was teaching them how to be one of a kind and not just go with the flow. He wanted the boys to stray from conformity, but there were consequences that followed. Throughout the movie, Neil, Charlie and others were being taught by Keating to be their own person, and they tested out his theory. Neil did not obey his parents since he did not want to grow up and be a doctor, so he pursued an acting career behind their backs. Charlie believed that he could change the face of the school, so he tried to get girls into Welton. Although they were 'seizing the day' as Keating would have put it, they ran into some major consequences. Charlie was punished by the headmaster of the school, and Neil went as far as suicide. Difference in life was the main goal that Keating wanted his students to see. By getting his students to see this, he felt accomplished, but he was also very distraught when he found out about what was happening to them when they tried to live a life of their own.

Post-Viewing Activities; Dead Poet's Society

1. In my opinion Todd Anderson transformed the most throughout the movie. He started as a shy boy, but by the and stood up for his beliefs and for his teacher. He never wanted to get in front of the class, but he soon stood in front of them and, although nervous, gave a good performance.
2. I do not think that Nwanda/Charlie changes at all in the film, he always wanted to be his own person and never wanted to conform and be like the society.
3. Mr. Keating is an understanding character who wants the students he teaches to be original. I believe that he sees that his thoughts for the boys to be original are crippled by the system that he works in. He sees that his teaching to not conform in society can have consequences on him and his students. He is changed by his experiences in the classroom with the boys, and could change some of his ways of teaching by how he was treated at the school.
4. Todd Anderson was a shy, and quiet character who liked to stay to himself. He was an introvert, and was afraid of having to speak or do something in public.
Neil Perry was an extrovert who liked to get to know people and had a passion for acting. He had a fear of talking to his parents and telling them the truth. When he finally told them the truth they were not accepting and it led to some consequences.
Knox Overstreet was a caring person who had feelings for a girl that he saw. He was afraid of her boyfriend and telling her his feelings, and in the end was able to stand up and tell her how he felt.
Charlie Dalton was an outgoing person who liked to live on the wild side. He never wanted to listen to rules, and had a fear of conforming with society. He always wanted to be different than who he was around, no matter the situation. This led to him being punished many times throughout the film.

Mona Lisa will Smile

3. Betty seemed to be a very obnoxious person throughout "Mona Lisa Smile". Betty was the first girl in the class that Miss Watson had that was married. She believed in women's roles in the 1950's. When she heard that Joan wanted to go and study at Yale, she was horrified. She did not believe that Joan was thinking of a family and of her boyfriend's best interests. I would probably have had a similar reaction if I were in Betty's situation, but I would not be as rude about it.

5. Betty marrying her boyfriend seemed like the best thing to do when she first got married. After a few days, he had to start going on business trips, and she soon got lonely and jealous of other girls at her school. I do not think that she was very happy once she saw that he was always gone. Her mother refused to let her stay at her house, because she believed that she had her own house to live in. Her mother believed in women being the housewives,while the men worked for the family. Even when Betty saw that her husband was cheating on her, her mother did not accept her back into the house. She did not care what the circumstances were, once her daughter was married, she believed that her daughter had to stay loyal to her man.