Power and Authority in Dead Poets Society

Power and Authority in Dead Poets Society
The film Dead Poets Society (1989) directed by Peter Weir and written by Tom Schulman is an inspirational story of seven teenage boys who attend the private school Welton Academy for Boys. The young men face the challenge to defy the schools’ strict and traditional disciplines, led by the role model of their English teacher Mr Keating. Many of the boy’s face the tough challenge of living with the school and Headmaster Nolan’s strictness and Neil Perry faces the challenge of defying his father’s plans for him. The film utilizes many examples of power and authority which conveys the schools strict nature, Headmaster Nolan’s traditional attitude, and Mr Perry’s power over his son Neil.

The opening speech led by Headmaster Nolan showed many examples the schools reinforced power and authority. Welton Academy for Boys is an eighteenth century aristocratic school in northeast United States, the school has carried on its traditional and authoritarian nature a hundred years after establishment. The eighteenth century architecture itself looks very overpowering and authoritive. In the hall scene in the boy’s first English lesson Mr Keating showed the schools pride of past students on the wall, this was an act of power, showing the students what they are expected to live up to. When Nolan said “gentlemen, what are the Four Pillars?” and the crowd responded “Tradition, Honour, Discipline, Excellence.” This showed an example of Nolan reflecting the schools power and authority over the boys. The way in which the school was filmed with panning shots of the grounds and long shots to show the size of the property, reflects on the vastness of the school also showing the school to be big and intimidating. The boys show that they do not like the schools morality when they mock the schools values “Gentlemen, what are the Four Pillars?” “Travesty, Horror, Decadence, Excrement.”

Headmaster Nolan is a very much traditional headmaster at Welton Academy for Boy’s, his strong beliefs of discipline reflects the power that he bestows on the boys at the school. Nolan is often seen lurking around ‘keeping an eye out on misbehaviour’s’ or looking out the window on Mr Keating’s English class. There is always a general feel of authority when Headmaster Nolan is present. Nolan exploited his power and authority when he intimidated all of the Dead Poets Society members into signing a letter blaming Mr Keating and his unorthodox teaching methods for the suicide of Neil Perry. Headmaster Nolan made his students feel like they had no rights, leaving them insecure and broken. The camera angles often look up on Nolan so he appears to be ‘empowering’ and ‘authoritive’. In the final scene, Headmaster Nolan’s power and authority is damaged, when the members of the Dead Poets Society finally defy him and refuse to step down, when they stand on their desks in insubordination to his power and authority.

Mr Perry an angry and stubborn father, shows power and authority over his son Neil Perry at many times in the film. Mr Perry wants the best for his son Neil, but has his eyes dead-set on a future for Neil that he himself wished he could have had. He is becomes very upset when Neil tries to express that he does not want his father’s planned out future. Neil develops a passion for acting when he auditions for a role in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but his father wants Neil to become a doctor. Neil is too intimidated by his father’s power and authority to do anything about his dream of becoming a professional actor. An example of Mr Perry’s power and authority is shown in the scene were Neil is asking Mr Keating for advice after his talk with his father. “I just talked to my father. He's making me quit the play at Henley Hall. Acting's everything to me. I- But he doesn't know! He- I can see his point; we're not a rich family, like Charlie's. We- But he's planning the rest of my life for me, and I- He's never asked me what I want!”

The film Dead Poets Society showed the themes of power and authority in many ways such as being expressed in a multitude of characters. The school and its traditional governing body is an example of power and authority. Headmaster Nolan was a big example of power and authority with him dictating the students, making them live a life of intimidation insecurity. And Neil Perry’s father inflicted his power and authority over Neil throughout the film leading to Neil’s imminent suicide. The boys joining the Dead Poets Society lead to them becoming freethinkers and individuals rather than fitting in with the schools conformity and lack of freedom.