Pontifical and Royal

UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS

COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE
España, Manila

CALUYA, Javin Alan F. March 4, 2023

4AR-8 Art Appreciation

1. What is the major conflict of each of the characters? Internal or external conflict? Briefly

explain.

The fight between fathers and sons is one of the Dead Poets Society's major conflicts. For

instance, Neil Perry's father encourages him to focus on studying medicine rather than pursuing

his literary and dramatic interests. When Neil refuses and continues to participate in the play

despite repeated demands from his strict father to stop, his father threatens to have him withdraw

from Welton and pursue a career in medicine instead. As a result, Neil kills himself. The father

of Todd Anderson also has expectations for his son that conflict with what Todd wants to do.

Todd mostly lives in his older brother's shadow because his father wants him to go to Yale and

study law like his older brother did. However, Todd aspires to write books.Conflicts between the

boys' divergent aspirations and their insensitive dads' unrealistic expectations for them both exist.

Mr. Keating ends up standing in for the kind of father both boys dream of having. The boys'

conflict also encompasses the gap between what they desire for themselves and what the boys'

conservative culture expects of them as privileged young men. They aspire to more artistic and

creative careers even if they are expected to become attorneys and doctors.
 Pontifical and Royal
UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE
España, Manila

2. The major theme of the movie is “carpe diem”. How do the themes affect the major conflict

of each character/s that leads them/him to their/his tragic lives?

The motto "Carpe Diem" inspires Todd, Neil, and Charlie to seize opportunities and make

the most of their surroundings. Dead Poets Society's Charlie is a fantastic illustration of Carpe

Diem in action. Charlie performs in the Dead Poet Society Meetings and is not afraid to speak in

front of his colleagues. In addition to this, he sees a chance to seize the occasion by bringing

attractive women to the society meetings in order to positively diversify it and to portray himself

as an opportunist who seized the chance to "woo" women with poetry. His actions of introducing

girls to the community and subsequently serenading Gloria, in contrast to what his peers

expected of him, give Carpe Diem a positive meaning.

When he joins the play, Neil's character in Dead Poets Society represents Carpe Diem. He

discovers his calling at the theater, and despite criticism of his performing career, he keeps at it.

He went to the trouble to challenge his father's opinion about something he valued. When his

own father questioned it, he grasped the chance to fulfill his ambition. In this way, Neil embodies

Dead Poets Society's Carpe Diem ethos.

Mr. Keating was nearing the end of his tenure at Welton when Todd took the courageous

decision of expressing his gratitude for him publicly. Mr. Keating was dismissed from Welton

Academy after being accused of encouraging Neil to consider suicide. Todd was sorry to see Mr.

Keating fired over an accusation he did not agree with because he had much benefited from his
 Pontifical and Royal
UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE
España, Manila

poetry instruction. While Keating was just coming out the door, Todd stood in front of his

classmates and gave him the "Oh captain my captain" salute and as a result of his bravery, his

peers quickly followed. He made the most of the chance to thank his influential teacher in his

final moments at Welton, which is a superb illustration of the topic of Carpe Diem's significance

in Dead Poets Society.