Rebellion in 'Dead Poets Society' and 'Pleasantville'

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When people get to a specific age, they start to care less which promotes teen rebellion by breaking rules and expectations. Teens are developing into their own separate person and starting to get their own sense of direction by testing boundaries and experiencing the consequences.

An important theme explored in Weir’s ‘Dead Poets Society’ and Ross’s ‘Pleasantville’ was rebellion. ‘Pleasantville’ is about two teenagers Jennifer and David who travel into a different world where everything and one is pleasant, whereas ‘Dead Poets Society’ is about an all-boys boarding school which has very strong traditional beliefs. Both movies have similar themes but there are also significant differences too. For example, ‘Dead Poets Society’ is very traditional and conformity is expectation, while ‘Pleasantville’ has themes relating to fear and negative change. Teens are developing into their own separate persons and starting to get their own sense of direction by testing boundaries and experiencing the consequences.

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Throughout ‘Dead Poets Society’ rebellion is a common theme seen. The boys at Welton Academy would rebel against traditional beliefs and repressiveness. An early scene during the movie was when Mr. Keating told “Seize the day”; this inspired his students to make the most of their lives and to enjoy their time as teenagers. Mr. Perry was a strict father and had high expectations from his son, Neil perry was expected to go to an Ivy League university to become a doctor. To his father’s disappointment Neil had a passion for acting, and his father disapproved. This encouraged Neil to test the boundaries and forge a letter allowing him to perform in the play. Eventually Mr. Perry was informed about the letter and rebuked Neil’s want to act. Neil continued to disobey his father’s expectations and the day of his performance arrived. Neil was an arguably rebellious character to the point when he would take his own life to follow his passion. A character who was also a teen rebellion was Mary Sue from ‘Pleasantville’.

Mary Sue was a popular figure seen in the movie ‘Pleasantville’. She was a classic teenage rebellion who caused chaos in the small town of Pleasantville. At the start of the movie Jennifer (Mary Sue) and David (Bud) were transferred into a different world. Mary Sue was not happy about this change and did whatever she pleased discarding the rules and expectations. She didn’t care about what society thought and would go to lover’s lake with Skip and have sexual intercourse. She broke the usual routines that were expected which encouraged the locals to step outside of their comfort zones and experience what is normal for her. People were starting to become more independent and individual. Although Mary Sue’s actions changes people’s lives negatively in the end her rebelliousness made Pleasantville a accepting and diverse place.

In conclusion, rebellion didn’t go unnoticed in both ‘Dead Poets Society’ and ‘Pleasantville’. ‘Dead Poets Society’ experienced rebellion in a sense of breaking traditional beliefs and repressiveness by disobeying parents’ expectations as well as Welton Academy’s. Whereas Pleasantville encountered many negative changes from one’s act to rebel. Today teens continue to rebel as a way of becoming more individual, but nowadays they do this in a more negative way including drugs, alcohol and committing crimes. While in 1950s America, sex and rock n’ roll music were inappropriate. These actions aren’t seen as such inappropriate acts today as they have become a normal and accepted.

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Rebellion in ‘Dead Poets Society’ and ‘Pleasantville’. (2023, March 01). Edubirdie. Retrieved December 14, 2024, from https://edubirdie.com/examples/rebellion-as-an-important-theme-explored-in-dead-poets-society-and-pleasantville/
“Rebellion in ‘Dead Poets Society’ and ‘Pleasantville’.” Edubirdie, 01 Mar. 2023, edubirdie.com/examples/rebellion-as-an-important-theme-explored-in-dead-poets-society-and-pleasantville/
Rebellion in ‘Dead Poets Society’ and ‘Pleasantville’. [online]. Available at: <https://edubirdie.com/examples/rebellion-as-an-important-theme-explored-in-dead-poets-society-and-pleasantville/> [Accessed 14 Dec. 2024].
Rebellion in ‘Dead Poets Society’ and ‘Pleasantville’ [Internet]. Edubirdie. 2023 Mar 01 [cited 2024 Dec 14]. Available from: https://edubirdie.com/examples/rebellion-as-an-important-theme-explored-in-dead-poets-society-and-pleasantville/
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