In: Psychology
In “Song of Myself,” Whitman describes the transformative process of coming to know himself and his country and the spirit within both. In “I Sing the Body Electric,” Whitman discusses even a more personal journey of understanding. Dead Poet’s Society has some of the characteristics of a Bildungsroman, a narrative dealing with one’s formative years or spiritual education. More familiarly in English, we call them coming of age stories.
Compare the transformation(s) described by Whitman with the transformation advocated by Mr. Keating, and most fully realized by Charlie and Neil. Do you think they have the same spirit? Why or why not? Cite examples from the poems .
Note: This response is in UK English, please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily. You may elaborate the answer based on personal views or your classwork if necessary.
(Answer) The poem “Song of Myself” may seem confusing at times. However, upon close analysis, it is evident that Walt Whitman is talking about his relationship with the society, his relationship with other people and above all his relationship with himself. In the poem “I sing the body electric,” Whitman talks about the grandeur of the human body and its connection to the soul. He goes on to describe the greatness of the bodies of different humans like men, women, children, labourers, swimmers etc. After this, he talks about the physique of a farmer who lives nearby and how he appreciates his physical structure.
In the film “Dead Poet’s Society” Professor Keating teaches at a highly orthodox and traditional school where the boys face pressures from the school and their parents. Keating helps these students to embrace life in a way that is seemingly unconventional. Two of those are Charlie and Neil. Charlie who has a fun-loving attitude towards life comes out of his shell at the nudge of inspiration that Mr. Keating offers him. Neil who was interested in the school play decides to perform in it despite his father’s orders.
The poems and the film revolve around the idea that the human soul is nuanced. Some individuals might have quirks that are strange to other people and some might be quite unusual. However, both pieces inspire an individual to feel that “coming of age” would be to embrace these quirks, despite what the conventions of society might suggest. This is evident when Neil takes part in the play despite having a strict father and when Walt Whitman describes how he appreciates the farmer’s body. Both these examples are things that were frowned upon by the society, yet both Neil and Whitman embrace their unique perspective like a mature person who has come of age would.