"Dead Poet Society"- Going Too Far With Transcendentalism?

Transcendentalism is great in many ways. It encourages us to be ourselves and to stand-up for what we believe in. It inspires us to stand-out from society and show our true colors instead of blending in with a crowd. Transcendentalism seperates society into the group of people who have the power and strength to stand-out against society and the group of people who are more cowardly and follow "the current". So while this does show how transcendentalism can be helpful and good, transcendentalism has it's bad sides to. Transcendentalism can be really hurtful and dangerous to those who take it to the next level. Those who can be "extreme transcendentalist" can cause damage to those around them and to themselves. In, The Dead Poet Society, it is showed how extreme transcendentalists can get.

The Dead Poet Society is one of the most transcendentalist movies. Showing how one teacher or one person can give a different outlook on life and change the views of all those who listen to them. It also shows how that if someone hears it, they can take it the wrong way or go too far with it. Charlie (aka. "Nuwanda"), in the movie, is a perfect example of someone taking transcendentalism the wrong way. Charlie starts acting out against the boarding school the movie takes place at and trys to get himself expelled. The dean catches on to his act though and only spanks Charlie. There is a difference between stupidity and standing-up for what you believe in. It is people like Charlie that get this concept mixed up and end-up doing something stupid instead of standing-up for a belief or going against society. If someone does something that is just stupid instead of an act of transcendism, something worse could happen than just getting expelled from a fancy, expensive boarding school.

Those who aren't transcendentalists, can be that way for many reasons. There are those who may not have a fear of being different from the crowd, but those who are afraid of what someone important to them will do if they are different. Children are always trying to please their parents. They are trying to get their approval, respect and love at any means necessary. Neil, in the Dead Poet Society, wants to be an actor, while his father plans for him to be a doctor. When his teacher speaks of being a transcendentalist, he finally decides to go against his father and become a actor. When his father refuses to let him be an actor, he ends up commiting suicide. Neil is one of the few people who have felt "trapped" or "cornered" when trying to be themselves. Those people are the ones who end up taking the ultimate step and try to kill themselves because of their inability to be themselves. Transcendentalism can show them that there is a way to be yourself, but it can show people how "restrained" they are. Transcendentalism is great at showing at how being different is great, but it can be too much for some people.

Transcendentalism is viewed by alot of people as a great thing, but they just don't see how some people can take transcendentalism the wrong way. Being yourself is always encouraged by transcendentalism. It always inspires us to stand away from the crowd. It also can show us a dark side. A side that leads to stupid decissions and rash ones that lead to harm for everyone who listens.