Jenee Monique Ocampo Socio101 Homework 2 Dead Poets Society reflection paper Tradition, honor, discipline, and excellence---that

is how headmaster Gale Nolan defined the ethos of the exclusive boys school Welton Academy. From the order and choice of words themselves, we can see how conservative this prep school is. According to Max Weber, rationalization is characterized by calculability, efficiency, predictability, nonhuman technology and control over uncertainties. Applying Webers concept, we can see that the administration of Welton Academy operated through a highly formal, hierarchical system to maximize efficiency and stand up to its reputation of producing esteemed individuals. However, overall rationality is not always the result. In Dead Poets Society (1989), the unconventional teaching methods of John Keating (Robin Williams) woke up the passion for poetry of several students. Thus, the Dead Poets Society, a group to which Keating once belonged, was revived. Charlie Dalton (Gale Hansen) was the boldest of the group and he possessed the qualities of a charismatic leader. Through poetry, he asserted that girls be admitted to Welton. The administration was of course infuriated by it. Charlie, however, took the fall for the Dead Poets Society, and he never squealed on anybody regarding all of the members identities. Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard) and Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke), who were both headed to study medicine and law, respectively, realized they each wanted to become an actor and a writer. Neil auditioned for a play and forged his fathers signature to be able to participate in it. But no matter how much he loved acting, he could not defend himself to his father. Unable to constrain his anguish, Neil resorted to killing himself with his fathers gun. Neils case is classified to fatalistic suicide, which, according to Emile Durkheim, characterizes persons with futures pitilessly blocked and passions violently choked by oppressive discipline. With the nasty turn of events, Richard Cameron (Dylan Kussman) revealed the identities of the Dead Poets Society to the school administration. Richard passed all the blame to Professor

Keating, which angered Charlie very much. The Society highly regarded Professor Keating, and if there was one thing Keating did, it was to free the students from the oppression of the scholastic and familial institutions. In my opinion, Keating was never the primary cause of Neils death. It was his fathers utmost rejection that killed Neil. Actually, it was Neils cowardice to confront his father that was the cause of his emotional and physical death. In fact, Keating constantly told Neil to admit to his father his passion for acting. I could also not forget how Keating told his students to seize the day. Neil was the one who apparently lost the will to do what Keating told them. Neil was the one who did wrong, and Keating should have not been blamed just for being the best teacher there can be. The concept of education can also be applied in this film. For Weber, the way of teaching should be facts-based and value-free. Durkheims views on education, on the other hand, focused on the moral aspect. According to Durkheim, the first goal is to provide individuals with discipline they need to restrain the passions that engulf them. Second is autonomy, but one which makes the one given autonomy realize that the rules are made for his benefit and that he must willingly accept them. Lastly is to develop a sense of devotion to society and its moral system. This process constrains people from loosening their grip of a collective morality. To Durkheim, people contain an array of passions. However, these passions must be repressed for the concept of a common morality for the common good. Weberian and Durkheimian concepts are highly interesting because of their emphasis on order. But unlike in Weber, we can see attempts of contradictions or resistance in Durkheim. In particular, he was famous for trying to understand the concept of suicide.