Critical Analysis of Happiness Pursuit in Dead Poets Society

This essay provides a critical and analytical response to the film *Dead Poets Society*, focusing on the theme of how individuals pursue happiness. The essay examines the character of Todd Anderson, highlighting his transformation from a shy and reserved student to someone who embraces his aspirations. It explores the pressures of family and societal expectations, using the film to illustrate how individuals either compromise their happiness to meet these expectations or seek their own path. The analysis references the film's key scenes, such as Todd's spontaneous poem and his final act of defiance, to demonstrate the complexities of pursuing personal fulfillment. The essay also discusses the influence of Professor Keating and the impact of societal norms on the characters' choices. Ultimately, it argues that individuals pursue happiness by either conforming to or rejecting societal expectations. The essay also includes references to academic sources supporting the arguments presented in the film analysis.

Running head: CRITICAL/ANALYTICAL RESPONSE TO TEXT
CRITICAL/ANALYTICAL RESPONSE TO TEXT
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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How individual pursue happiness:
Individuals often pursue their happiness by means of disregarding the expectations of the
family as well as society. On the other hand, some of the individuals compromise happiness by
echoing similar actions (Wong, Gong and Fung 2020). Therefore, when individuals seek to fulfill
their personal desire, they often become subject to an accidental path of unhappiness whereas
some of the individuals jeopardize their happiness in order to meet the expectations of family
members and society (Uchida and Oishi 2016). By disregarding expectations, individuals may
easily seek their happiness by gaining an understanding of their potentials. The accurate
demonstration of such action was observed in the movie dead poet society, especially the
character Todd Anderson. Todd Anderson is arguably the most dynamic character of the dead
poet society who appeared to be an extremely shy, quiet and reserved boy and eventually
evolved into a young man who stands up for his true aspiration (Weir 1989). Todd Anderson
began his senior year of high school at the Welton academy and became an excellent example of
the performance anxiety. Peter Weir excellently highlighted the expectation of the family and
society in this context exhibited through the elder brother of Todd Jeffery who was a famous
student (Weir 1989). Todd experience discomfort and anxiety to meet the expectation of his
parents as his parents forced him to live up to the legacy of the brother. Peter Weir altered the
dynamics of the character through the changing perception of happiness. While pressure to
follow the expectations may influence the individuals for compromising their happiness, some of
individuals seek their happiness by refusing to live up to the expectations. This is evident in the
narration when Todd said, “ I am not like you alright? You say things and people listen. I am
not like that? (Weir 1989)“

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While Todd was reluctant to attend the class, he was startled by the unorthodox teaching
method of new English teacher John Keating who encouraged the students to alter the
perspective of life. Similar to other students, Todd came out of his shell when he engaged with
the poetry with the assistance of Professor Keating. Peter Weir in Dead Poets Society exhibited
that the expression of happiness can be altered through the character Todd who composed a
poem spontaneously in front of the class with the support of Keating and his friend Neil (Weir
1989). The character of Todd evolved when his friend Neil committed suicide where he refused
to live up to the expectation of the society rather fulfilled his own aspiration (Weir 1989). While
Todd signed the letter that imposed the blame of his friend, he did not stand up to the expectation
of family. Peter Weir in Dead Poets Society highlighted the point of happiness when Todd stands
up the desk and said, “O Captain! My Captain!” which was promoted by other members of the
dead poet society (Weir 1989). Therefore, in the end, one pursues their happiness either by living
up to the expectation of society or living up to their aspiration.

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References:
Uchida, Y. and Oishi, S., 2016. The happiness of individuals and the collective. Japanese
Psychological Research, 58(1), pp.125-141.
Wong, N., Gong, X., and Fung, H. H. 2020. Does valuing happiness enhance subjective well-
being? The age-differential effect of interdependence. Journal of Happiness Studies, 21(1), 1-14.
Weir, P. (1989). Dead Poets Society (1989) - IMDb. Retrieved 4 March 2020, from
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097165/characters/nm0000160