(no subject)
In our society, we are taught to go with the flow of conformity and blend into the group with our peers. We are swept up in the thought that tradition and group thinking is more important than what you actually think, because it is better to be socially accepted then anything else. In Dead Poets Society and Fahrenheit 451, the main characters are given the seed of a thought, that they can make a difference, and use that to grow and change the world.
In Dead Poets Society, the boys are close to being the finished products of a traditional system. They are driven by one thought-to do what the superior tells you. Or to at least make it appear that you are doing what your superiors are telling you to do. In the traditional world, it does not matter what talents you have or how smart you are, because you are only worth as much as your age. Keating made the boys realize that there was always a different perspective on things. He pointed out and emphasized to the boys to think "Why do I have to look at this only one way? Why don't I look at it another way,and see the whole picture?" Even though Keating first showed them how to look at things with a different perspective and to seize the day,the boys did grow into something much different then how they started out. The boys were more confident, and more excited to live each day. They were not afraid to do something simply because they were told not to, but wanted an actual reason as to why or why not. Neil did not learn his lesson very well, because instead of trying to look at his life and see it in a different, better perspective, he decided to end it.
In Fahreneheit 451, Montag realized that his life was unhappy. He worked at a job that seemed pointless, he lived with his wife who didn't feel like his wife, and he did what everyone else did simply because he was told to. He knew that he was missing something, but did not know, or realize, what he could do about it. Although he may have been collecting books, he never read them and never stepped outside the boundaries of the social norm. It wasn't until he was made to look at a different perspective that he began to feel the need to do something. When Clarisse gave him that first nudge, that avalanched into Montag becoming one of the few to change the world. Although he was caught by Beatty, he managed to escape his illusioned-life and made it out into the real world. There, he teamed up with some intellectual hobos who were waiting patiently to bring order back into the chaos. Had he never took the chance for change in the beginning with Clarisse, he would have ended up dead in the bombings. He changed in the story, and he evolved to understand that it is not right to simply ignore everyone and allow yourself to be swept up in the lights and sounds of diversions. He understood that one must think, and read, and understand to truly be happy.
In both Dead Poets Society and Fahrenheit 451, the characters evolved with the nudge, and managed to drastically change their surroundings. Whether it was standing on a desk to prove a point, or bringing the Bible back into the world, they now knew that to have any meaning in your life, you must make a difference. They stood by their new ideas firmly, and stood up to those who said to conform and get the nonsense out of their heads.
In Dead Poets Society, the boys are close to being the finished products of a traditional system. They are driven by one thought-to do what the superior tells you. Or to at least make it appear that you are doing what your superiors are telling you to do. In the traditional world, it does not matter what talents you have or how smart you are, because you are only worth as much as your age. Keating made the boys realize that there was always a different perspective on things. He pointed out and emphasized to the boys to think "Why do I have to look at this only one way? Why don't I look at it another way,and see the whole picture?" Even though Keating first showed them how to look at things with a different perspective and to seize the day,the boys did grow into something much different then how they started out. The boys were more confident, and more excited to live each day. They were not afraid to do something simply because they were told not to, but wanted an actual reason as to why or why not. Neil did not learn his lesson very well, because instead of trying to look at his life and see it in a different, better perspective, he decided to end it.
In Fahreneheit 451, Montag realized that his life was unhappy. He worked at a job that seemed pointless, he lived with his wife who didn't feel like his wife, and he did what everyone else did simply because he was told to. He knew that he was missing something, but did not know, or realize, what he could do about it. Although he may have been collecting books, he never read them and never stepped outside the boundaries of the social norm. It wasn't until he was made to look at a different perspective that he began to feel the need to do something. When Clarisse gave him that first nudge, that avalanched into Montag becoming one of the few to change the world. Although he was caught by Beatty, he managed to escape his illusioned-life and made it out into the real world. There, he teamed up with some intellectual hobos who were waiting patiently to bring order back into the chaos. Had he never took the chance for change in the beginning with Clarisse, he would have ended up dead in the bombings. He changed in the story, and he evolved to understand that it is not right to simply ignore everyone and allow yourself to be swept up in the lights and sounds of diversions. He understood that one must think, and read, and understand to truly be happy.
In both Dead Poets Society and Fahrenheit 451, the characters evolved with the nudge, and managed to drastically change their surroundings. Whether it was standing on a desk to prove a point, or bringing the Bible back into the world, they now knew that to have any meaning in your life, you must make a difference. They stood by their new ideas firmly, and stood up to those who said to conform and get the nonsense out of their heads.