Dead Poet's Society

For my film analysis, I watched Dead Poets Society. Directed by Peter Weir, Dead Poets Society was released in 1989. Dead Poets Society was set in an all-boys residential preparatory school notorious for its traditions set forth by alum, high standards upheld by elders, and meritorious excellence expected by ivy leagues colleges. As viewers, we are introduced to Mr. John Keating, a Welton alum turned English teacher. Mr. Keating uses unorthodox methods to teach English to the students.
Bulman refers titled his chapter covering private school films as ‘Challenging the Culture of Privilege’. It is interesting to see what is considered privilege to some. In the opening scenes, one boy is pictured crying to his mother as the parents prepare to depart, he tells her between sobs, “I don’t want to go here” as if it was the worst in the world for him. Privilege is very subjective to the describer. However, many of the characteristic described by Bulman align with Dead Poets Society. Academics are very prominent in the film. There is much

Perry. Most students do not talk about their parents, home life, or even seem to call home. Mr. Perry, however, is controlling, limits the extracurricular activities Neil participates in, and gives a guilt-trip speech about how Mr. Perry is ‘breaking the bank’ to send him to Welton. This sort of parental involvement aligns with Bulman’s belief that the parents are typically snobby rich, over controlling and often not seen in the movie. The parents and educators alike seem to be willing to sacrifice the students own identity to achieve the own personal goals. The students are simply pawns for the adults around them, means to an end. Most of the parental control and actual raising of a young boy has been turned over to Walton. Bulman describes the lack of parental involvement, and Dead Poets Society seems to align with most of his