Changes in Dead Poets Society

Omar Villalba Vázquez 801-10-8512 ENGL 3012 Section 404 Dead Poets Society In the movie Dead Poets Society, the story is about of group of kids who are living a life total control dictated by the traditions of the moment. At the time, children are taught to be very submissive towards their parents and not to question anything they say and because of it, they have no actual opinions or thoughts because everything they know has been dictated by the system in which they live. In the story , there is a plethora of characters who change through the movie but the one whom I find to have changed the most is Todd Anderson. Todd Anderson is a student for whom there is high expectations due to being the younger brother of a former student of Welton who was also the valedictorian of the academy. New to Welton and very shy evidenced by when he was asked to write a poem and still couldn't bring the poem to the class. Todd was greatly affected by Neil Perry's death, being one of the most emotional of the group in his reaction. With the help of both Neil and Mr. Keating, Todd in the end is able to break out of the mold that what set for him by his parents and think for himself becoming his own person and not simply complying to everything that was set in stone by others for him. At the end of the movie, Todd is the first one to stand up from his seat when Mr. Keating is going to leave. He feels he has sold out Mr. Keating and betrayed him. Mr. Keating however, understands that it was best for everyone, since getting expelled from Welton for his sake, even if the accusations against were false, would have damaged his life in a great manner. By being the first one to stand up from his seat, he demonstrates the change that has gone through him and that he has the same spirit Neil Perry has. Regardless of the outcome of the story, he demonstrates he learned Mr. Keating's lesson and that he will think for himself and never go