Whitman & Dead Poets Society

In the film Dead Poets Society the famous poet Walt Whitman is symbolically referenced in various ways. The main characters live by the saying “carpe diem”, which means to “seize the day.” This attitude is the same as that which Whitman exhibits through much of his poetry. Whitman is also referenced by the way the main characters behave. The once obedient prep school students begin to rebel against their parents and school administration. They start freely expressing themselves through reading and writing poetry, much like Whitman, who was also radical in his time.

The phrase “carpe diem” becomes the theme of this film. The boys at Welton Academy learn it from their Whitman-like English teacher, Mr. Keating. They start living by this attitude much like Whitman lived his life. They begin taking risks and accomplishing feats they never once thought possible. Knox Overstreet pursues his love of a girl with a boyfriend. Another example is Todd Anderson finally becoming vocal and open with Mr. Keating and his peers. Throughout the film this Whitman-like attitude of “carpe diem” is clearly displayed.

The phrase “carpe diem” also directly correlates to the Whitman-like behavior the Welton boys begin to display once they are enlightened by Mr. Keating. They re-establish his old Dead Poets Society, where they are able to liberally voice their feelings and thoughts to one another through poetry. The epitome of this is Charlie Dalton renaming himself “Newanda” and painting his face and body. These acts are undoubtedly Whitman-esque. Neil Perry exhibits a change of behavior outside of the Dead Poets Society. He pursues an acting career against his father’s stern orders. His punishment for his acts, however, lends to his suicide. Despite living in strict environments, both at home and at school, Dead Poets Society members display behavior influenced by Walt Whitman.

Throughout this film, Whitman is a prominent figure. He is represented by Mr. Keating and his students in various ways. Whitman’s poetry and lifestyle heavily influences how the actors behave and what they do in the movie. Overall, Whitman looms large in this thoughtfully put together film.

The Crucible Essay: Prompt #1

John Proctor is an admirable figure as a man, husband, citizen, and friend. His commendable qualities are displayed throughout Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. His human weaknesses are vigorously tested by the evils of the Salem witch hunt. His strength in each of these categories prevails however, despite the excruciating adversity he faces.

In the early parts of the play, Proctor’s loyalty as a husband appears to be compromised. This is due to the apparent affair that he had with Abigail Williams. After realizing how wrong this was, Proctor ends his relationship with Abigail and remains by his wife’s side. This is exhibited on page 177 when he says “Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach for you again. Wipe it out of mind. We never touched, Abby.” Proctor’s compassion for his wife is also shown when he valiantly fights to clear her name in the witch trials. Aside from his human mistakes, he is a truly loving husband.

John Proctor’s dignity as a man and a friend is also depicted well in the play. Along with the fighting for his wife’s fate, he also attempts to prove his friends’ innocence in the trials. He desperately tries to convince the court that Rebecca Nurse, Martha Corey and others have never done any harm. He calls them “my friends” and presents a testament in favor of their innocence. These acts show what a considerate and protective man and friend he is.

Proctor also truly cares about his reputation as a citizen of Salem. It was once respectable but is now damaged because of the witch trials. He eventually does not confess to witchcraft and hangs to prevent his name from being completely tarnished in the town of Salem. This is an excellent example of his pride as a citizen.

Ultimately, John Proctor is an admirable man, husband, citizen, and friend. Despite all the adversity he faces, his human strength prevails.

About Me

Hey I’m Shane. I like sports and hanging out with friends.

The Axe

While Mrs. Wright cooked breakfast, her son Michael and daughter Mary got dressed for school and cleaned up their bedrooms, making sure everything looked just right.  Mr. Wright was already in the kitchen, sitting at the head of the table in his new suit reading the newspaper.  When the meal was ready, Mrs. Wright called for the children to come down for breakfast and they obediently did. 

The Wrights sat at the table, eating their bacon and eggs while talking about each of their plans for the day.  Mr. Wright glanced at the clock and realized it was time for him to leave for work.  He quickly got up from his chair and put his dish and glass in the sink.  He grabbed his briefcase and said goodbye to the children.  He looked at Mrs. Wright and said “Make sure you double check the whole house.”  She smiled and responded, “Of course I will.  Have a good day at work.”  Mr. Wright smiled back and walked through the large foyer and out the front door into the radiant sunlight.  He got into his car and drove off to work. 

A few minutes later, it was time for the kids to leave for school.  They grabbed their books and lunches and said goodbye to their mother.  Mrs. Wright hugged them both and said, “Remember, no family talk at school.”  They both sighed and responded, “We know.”  They turned and laughed at each other and quickly walked out the door to wait for the school bus. 

Michael, a boisterous eleven year old, who loved to play sports, ran back into the house to retrieve his football.  He emerged from his house a few minutes later to see the bus coming down the street.  His ten year old sister Mary teased him, “You got lucky, I wouldn’t have waited for you.”  Michael responded, “Oh you better have.”   As Mary searched for a reply, the bus screeched to a stop in front of the Wrights’ white picket fence.  They both quickly got aboard and headed to school.

Michael and Mary were both outgoing children with many friends.  They played with their friends out in the neighborhood and at other kids’ houses as well.  The Wrights never invited friends over their house, however.  They knew it was against the rules to ever have anybody in the house.  They also knew the reason for such a rule.  The reason was to keep the secret.

Around five o’clock that day, Mr. Wright came home from work to find his wife cooking dinner in the kitchen and his children doing their homework in the living room.  A few minutes later, it was time to eat.  Just as they sat down, there was a knock on the door.  Mr. Wright slowly opened the door to find Joe the plumber standing there.  He looked at him surprised and said, “Oh darn Joe, I completely forgot you were coming. Come on in.”  The short, stocky plumber replied “Gee, are ya sure it ain’t a bad time Mr. Wright?”  “No”, he said, “of course not, we need that damn pipe fixed as soon as possible.  Here, it is downstairs, let me show you.”  

As they walked down the stairs, the plumber asked, “Say Mr. Wright, did ya read the newspaper this mornin’?  There was another murder in town.  That’s number five in just three months and all five were killed with an ax.  I hate to say it, but there has got to be a serial killer living in our town.”  As they reached the end of the stairs, Mr. Wright replied, “I have to agree with you Joe. There is just no other explanation.” 

They turned and walked toward the leaking pipe in the corner of the basement.  He spotted the leak and began moving clutter out of the way to reach the pipe.  There was a bunch of boxes in that corner all muddled together.  He picked them up, one by one, and made a new pile a few feet away.  He picked up the last one and to his horror found an ax covered in blood behind it.  Joe looked at Mr. Wright bewildered and said “No, it can’t be you, no!”  “It is a shame that you had to find out this way Joe”, he said.  “Please let me go, I won’t tell anyone!” pleaded the plumber.  “I’m sorry Joe, but I can’t”, said Mr. Wright, “it needs to stay a secret.”

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