Dead Poets Society Conformity Post

It is and always has been human nature to seek acceptance from one’s peers and to fear loneliness. The desire to fit in usually overwhelms people’s desire to always be independent and be themselves. This is especially true among teenagers. In a school environment, a student’s worst fear is to be taken as strange or weird, and be shunned by his fellow students. In order to feel socially acceptable, students constantly feel the need to conform and try to behave, think, and look similar to those around them. Dead Poets Society is about a group of students living in this environment at a very esteemed boarding school called Welton Academy. With the teachers and professors of Welton Academy encouraging this behavior, as well as most of the student’s parents, the majority of the students at Welton found little opportunity to stay true to themselves and follow what they believed in. Everyone around them, their parents, their teachers, and unknowingly their friends, constantly influenced them to conform. The method of education that Welton utilized went completely against that idea that every child has a right to express them self however they want, and should choose their own future.

            At the beginning of Dead Poets Society, a new professor is being introduced to the students and staff, Mr. Keating. Mr. Keating is the new poetry teacher for the group of students who make up the movie’s main characters. Mr. Keating uses an extremely unorthodox method of teaching, one that most if not all of his fellow teachers and professors disapprove of. Because of his strange teaching strategy and refusal to conform to the ways of his peers, Mr. Keating quickly earned the dislike of the dean of the school. Indeed, he was blamed for some horrible events that transpired towards the end of the story. Mr. Keating’s lessons about how everyone should choose their own future and not let anyone tell them who they should be gave many of his students the courage to speak out against the school and their parents. Some of them were inspired to be themselves and follow their passions despite severe consequences that occurred later on in the story. Every student who stuck out and attempted to be a non-conformist for a while quickly faced severe punishment from either the school or their parents. One student went against the wishes of his extremely controlling father and followed his passion for acting without his father’s consent. His father became infuriated, so furious that he pulled his son out of Welton and enrolled him in military school. The student soon committed suicide rather than live with a father who wouldn’t let his son do what actually made him happy. Because of the overpowering tradition of conformity and discipline that was enforced at Welton, the school was essentially a place where all the professors, who were practically clones, could mold the students into exactly who their parents wanted them to be. When Mr. Keating arrived and attempted to change some of the student’s way of thinking, the academy quickly rejected his ideas and promised punishment or expulsion for any who would not continue to conform.

Modern Day Transcendentalism Post

A good example of a modern day transcendentalist would be the lead singer of the band Slipknot, Corey Taylor. The nature and genre of this band somewhat defies categorization, because their music is fairly unique, but heavy metal is one thing that many people describe them as. The band was composed of nine members, until the recent death of their bass player, and they often referred to themselves as the nine. Corey and the rest of his band are extremely non conformist, and go to great lengths to display their uniqueness. For every album, they each wear a new grotesquely designed mask that they always wear at performances and on their music videos. Much of their music is about them expressing their hatred for what they believe to be an extremely corrupt society that we currently live in. They are anti government, anti religion, and basically anti anything that they don’t agree with. Although for the most part the whole band agrees with these beliefs, it is Corey that comes up with most of the songs and themes and writes most of their lyrics. 

http://www.songonlyrics.com/slipknot-biography

Slipknot is a pretty popular band, and their fans have taken to calling themselves maggots, after the release of a song Named Pulse of the Maggots. The song is essentially about how he and his band are going to support each other and their fans, and stay the way they are and deny anyone’s attempt to change them. One song that is an even better example of Corey’s transcendentalist beliefs is My Plague. It is about Corey’s utter contempt for anyone who tries to be someone they’re not just to change what people will think of them. The song expresses Corey’s belief that people should be themselves, and how anyone who doesn’t do so he considers to be his “plague”. The song The Heretic Anthem describes how Corey believes in standing your ground and not following or taking orders from anyone. Corey Taylor is an extremely unique human being, and he and his band are at least as independent and strange as Lady Gaga.

Modern Day Transcendentalism Post

A good example of a modern day transcendentalist would be the lead singer of the band Slipknot, Corey Taylor. The nature and genre of this band somewhat defies categorization, because their music is fairly unique, but heavy metal is one thing that many people describe them as. The band was composed of nine members, until the recent death of their bass player, and they often referred to themselves as the nine. Corey and the rest of his band are extremely non conformist, and go to great lengths to display their uniqueness. For every album, they each wear a new grotesquely designed mask that they always wear at performances and on their music videos. Much of their music is about them expressing their hatred for what they believe to be an extremely corrupt society that we currently live in. They are anti government, anti religion, and basically anti anything that they don’t agree with. Although for the most part the whole band agrees with these beliefs, it is Corey that comes up with most of the songs and themes and writes most of their lyrics. 

Slipknot is a pretty popular band, and their fans have taken to calling themselves maggots, after the release of a song Named Pulse of the Maggots. The song is essentially about how he and his band are going to support each other and their fans, and stay the way they are and deny anyone’s attempt to change them. One song that is an even better example of Corey’s transcendentalist beliefs is My Plague. It is about Corey’s utter contempt for anyone who tries to be someone they’re not just to change what people will think of them. The song expresses Corey’s belief that people should be themselves, and how anyone who doesn’t do so he considers to be his “plague”. The song The Heretic Anthem describes how Corey believes in standing your ground and not following or taking orders from anyone. Corey Taylor is an extremely unique human being, and he and his band are at least as independent and strange as Lady Gaga.

Walden Essay Final Copy

            In this modern age, everyday life has complicated itself beyond the bounds of anything the writer and philosopher Henry Thoreau could have ever imagined. An advocate for the beauty of nature and simplicity, Thoreau spent over two years of his life living alone in the wild forest, writing down his thoughts and ideas about the beauty around him as they came to mind. Today, it is extremely difficult for people to simplify their lives to the extent that Thoreau did. Few would be willing to take his same extreme measures and isolate themselves in the wilderness for years on end. With all the modern technology, life is more complicated than ever before. People find it necessary to process ridiculous amounts of information on a minute to minute basis, and are usually in nearly constant communication with other members of society. It is exceedingly difficult for people to just detach themselves from the complex, intense reality that they live in and appreciate the simpler things that life has to offer. Many of the things that Thoreau was incessantly expressing his love for through his writing and journal are the things that people casually take for granted today. Appreciation of nature and how its peacefulness and simple harmony affect our lives is usually far from the minds of the people living in today’s world.

http://www.flickzzz.com/2009/02/beauty-of-nature-18.html

            Looking at the state of the world today, we can confirm that Thoreau did indeed seem to have some insight as to what the future would be like. His visions of cities and farmland taking over the forests turned out to be quite accurate. The former sprawling forests of our continent have indeed been greatly reduced. The majority of the population lives either in densely populated cites or in vast suburban areas. The closest thing that many people experience involving nature on a daily basis is a few trees and squirrels one might spot while walking down the block. Most people’s thought process mainly revolves around their social life, or making enough money in their chosen career to stay afloat, nothing close to what Thoreau most valued in his life. While Henry sought isolation and simplicity, most people today greatly fear being alone and uninvolved with the wider world.  

http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/lookingatearth/NIGHTLIGHTS.html

                                                                                           

Because of how much people use their technology to always keep them updated on what’s happening in their world, it is hard for people to set aside a few moments every now and then to just sit down, relax, and think.  With things like facebook and cell phones constantly being used for people to always stay in touch, some people can very rarely find themselves a few moments of complete solitude for some quiet contemplation. Very few people today can say that they have experienced life’s, and nature’s, simpler beauties the way that Henry did.

http://louisa-catherall-art.blogspot.com/2009/11/city-stress.html

            Many people living here in the modern day could benefit much from reading the work of Henry Thoreau. Though many people of his time thought him to be a complete fool, it is clear to us today that the man certainly did learn some important, if somewhat odd, lessons and values during his time spent alone in the woods. He gained a deeper insight into the simpler beauties of life and nature, and people would do well to appreciate and perhaps try to learn from his philosophies. 

Walden Rough Draft Post

                In this modern age, it is much more difficult for people to simplify their lives. I’m sure that few would be willing to take the same extreme measures that Thoreau did and isolate themselves in the wilderness for years on end. With all the modern technology, everyday life is more complicated than ever before, with ridiculous amounts of information having to be processed on a minute to minute basis, and people being in nearly constant communication. It is very hard for people to escape the complex, intense reality that they currently live in and appreciate the simpler things that life has to offer. Most of the things that Thoreau was constantly expressing his love for are things that people casually take for granted today. Appreciation of nature and how its peacefulness and simplicity affect our lives is not something that most people of the 2000’s often think about.

            Thoreau’s vision of the future turned out to be somewhat true. There are indeed many, many more cities in North America than there were in Thoreau’s time, and the former sprawling forests of our country have been greatly reduced. Most of the population lives either in densely populated cities or sprawling suburban areas. The closest thing that many experience involving nature on a daily basis is a few trees and squirrels while walking down the block. Most people’s thoughts and attentions are mainly focused on their social life and their chosen career, nothing close to what Thoreau valued in his life. While Henry sought isolation and simplicity, most people today greatly fear being alone and uninvolved with the wider world.

Because of how much people use their technology to keep them informed of what’s happening in their world, it is very difficult for most people to detach themselves from what is constantly happening with other individuals around them and just take a few moments to themselves to relax. With things like facebook and cell phones constantly being used for people to constantly keep in touch, it is not very often that people can find themselves a few moments of solitude for quiet contemplation. Not very many people today ever come close to Henry’s experience with the simpler joys of life, involving nature and solitude.

            Many people today could benefit much from reading the work of Henry Thoreau. Although many people of his time thought him a fool, it is obvious today that the man truly did learn much from his time spent alone in the woods. He gained an appreciation for nature and the simple things in life that many people today would do well to try themselves.

Student Declaration of Independence

As students of the Grosse Pointe public school districts, we the students have certain rights. These rights have been repeatedly infringed upon, and we have deemed it necessary to form an alliance together to stand up against the oppressors once and for all to declare our independence. This document will ensure that the students and teachers alike can work in harmony to produce a healthy and fun atmosphere for learning.  Whether the matter is health conditions or pertaining to the respect of the administrators, all of the items listed below have been deemed as basic rights that every student in the Grosse Pointe districts should hold

Teachers should respect students. This goes the same for students respecting teachers of course, but as long as the students are paying due amount of reverence towards the teacher, he or she should receive the same. Stupid questions do not exist. Teachers should not be able to disregard a question ever, even if has already been asked. Students can’t be expected to be listening 100% of the time.  On a related note, students should be allowed to have extra help as needed. Teachers should be willing to give up there lunch hour to assist students, or, at the very least, direct them to another student for help. Another basic right is the right to choose your schedule. Choosing classes is a key right, as this allows students more freedom in choices and helps decide what career path to go down. Having the best technology possible is a clear basic right for students. The school district should be doing everything in their power to provide students with technology that allows them to learn better and faster. A commonly overlooked, but essential, right is the right to have good, clean water. The water fountains at South are completely disgusting and are probably violating some sort of health code. They taste like metal and blood and should be fixed immediately.  As well as all of these other examples, the most important one by far is the right to feel safe in the school environment. Whether it be from internal or external forces, no student should have to go to school feeling like they are in danger there. The administration should always be doing everything in their power not only to keep the students safe, but to also make them feel safe. 

I.                    Instead of thirty six minute lunches, South has to provide an hour and fifteen minutes.  This is students’ only free time of the day, and thirty-six minutes is barely sufficient to eat.  Lunch should be a time to relax, and rushing to finish eating is not exactly relaxing.  It is the only break in the long seven hour school day.  This time should be spent doing whatever students’ wish, whether it’s walking to Farms Market and getting some fresh air, or just relaxing in the commons and socializing with friends.  Whatever kids chose, lunch should be a complete mental break.  A full seventy-five minute period would allow students to return to class rejuvenated and ready to focus, which would increase productivity.  Grosse Pointe South students demand a longer lunch period. 

II.                  Grosse Pointe South must supply laptops to each student for use in school and at home.  In almost every class, note taking is used by teaches.   This is a very effective method of teaching, yet can be time consuming.  Note taking would be a great deal faster if students had access to laptops, and could type their notes on a Word document.  Laptops that students could carry from class to class would also allow internet research to be done in class.   This would undoubtedly increase the efficiency of students in class. Also, because most assignments that require computers are completed at home, the access to them in class could reduce the amount of homework.   And for those students who don’t always have a computer available to them at their house, because of financial issues or having to share with siblings, the ability to take a laptop home would be greatly beneficial.  Students at Grosse Pointe South need to have laptops both in and outside the classroom to increase overall productivity. 

III.               There needs to be one full hour designated for nap taking.  In classes, countless students are always falling asleep because of exhaustion.  Research shows that teenagers need 9-11 hours of sleep to be fully rested, but that number is rarely reached because of many factors.  A demanding schedule, caused by loads of homework, sports, and other activities, leads to many students getting less than the adequate amount of sleep.  Since school contributes to the large quantity of homework that keeps students up late at night, it is only fair they provide an hour to let kids catch up.  An extra hour of sleep every day would lead to increased productivity, mood, and energy of the students at Grosse Pointe South.  This would make for an improved learning environment. 

IV.               Thanksgiving is one of the most popular holidays, and for the most part is loved by all. Many families put a lot of time and preparation into its celebration. Thanksgiving is one of the best holidays of the year to have long periods of family time, and some wish that this did not have to last for only one day. Considering this, it is our suggestion that an entire week of school be given off for its celebration.

V.                  Being as far north as it is, our home state of Michigan can often have very extreme winter weather conditions. The snow can often pile high enough to make even walking on the sidewalk a hassle, and temperatures can easily drop to the point that frostbite is something to worry about. Our district’s reason for having so few snow days is that Grosse Pointe is a walking district, but the majority of South’s students either get a ride from their parents or drive themselves to school. Even the kids that walk often have to deal with extremely low temperatures and very deep snow. Therefore, it is our belief that South should have more days off because of extreme winter weather conditions.

VI.               One of the things that South’s students look forward to the most is holidays. They are an excellent time to relax and take a nice break from school. Because of this, one of the most disappointing things is when there is a holiday but students still have to go to school. Sadly, there are a few holidays out of the year that South does not give even one day off school for. We have the opinion that this should be changed, and that for every holiday, no matter how obscure, at least one day of school should be given off for its celebration.

VII.             The purpose of a school is to provide a child with the best education possible.  Each individual varies from his or her peers.   The option of block scheduling can allow for a more personalized schedule focused on each student’s individual needs.  It allows students to select classes and times that will better stimulate their learning process.  Block scheduling allows for breaks between classes for instance you might have math on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, this allows for breaks which helps students alleviate stress and keeps grades high.  This would also to give students assignments spanning over the break, which can help the student’s time management skills.  Those who have had block scheduling have remarked that the change in scheduling keeps your days from being boring so you tend to be more alert in class. Block scheduling allows for students to be more alert and have classes and schedules that fit their needs thus improving the Childs educations, which is after all, the main goal of the school system.

VIII.          Good grades and an attentive attitude is important to ones high school career.  To maintain grades and stay alert it is important that students come to school with their best mindset, which is why it is important to have breaks on holidays.  Students should have a half-day on Halloween and the day after off.  This will allow students to have a short break to alleviate stress and to enjoy the holiday.   Halloween is a national holiday that should be recognized by the Grosse Pointe Public School System with a day and a half off for the students and staff.  Many students in all three stages of school are out late on the night of October 31, Halloween, and would not be attentive at school the next day.  Giving students a short Halloween break will keep them on track and attentive during school.

IX.                High School is a very important segment of ones school career. It is also one of the more stressful and demanding.  For this reason High School students should not have homework on weekends.  The abolishing of weekend homework will allow for students to rejuvenate over the break and to recharge for the coming school week.  Without homework encumbering the student’s weekend, students will have more time to study for test or review materials covered in class.  This will raise students grades exponentially, students will be more relaxed, attentive, and better prepared for class which will result in higher test scores and grades; which will drastically improve students resumes come time to apply for collegiate study. Abolishing weekend homework will help Grosse Pointe students drastically. 

X.                  School should be adjusted to 4 days a week; the weekend spanning Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.  2 days for weekends simply does not suffice for the amount of homework and rest students need.  The week of a typical high school student is extremely stressful and exhausting. The weekend is needed to recover.  Teachers tend to assign more homework on the weekends, though, knowing students will have more time.  This leads to the whole weekend being spent completing schoolwork.  Weekends are needed to relax and rejuvinate, and doing homework all weekend is neither of those things.  The weekends are also a sacred time to be spent with family or friends, seeing as though during the week, students are simply too busy.  Three days for a weekend would allow time for schoolwork, as well as friends, family, and rest. 

We, the students of Grosse Pointe South High School, hereby declare our independence from the Grosse Pointe Public School System. We only asked that we receive the treatment that we by our rights deserved, the treatment that we were neglected when a part of the Grosse Pointe Public School System. If we don’t receive our independence, there will be severe consequences. We may be peaceful and civil; we may boycott classes or organize a sit out on the lawn. Protest what we believe to be a corrupt establishment.  Hold strong to what we want and receive it in a peaceful manner. Or, we may be violent, vandalize the school. Rip doors off their hinges and graffiti the hallways. Break the windows of every educational institution, and yell blood curdling battle cries of freedom that even the bravest soul could not bear to hear. Though we are only students, we will crash board meetings. We will disrupt the very foundation that this educational system is based upon and wreak havoc among the board members, never faltering in doing so until our demands are met. Planting fear in every adult’s heart, because independence is a basic right; all students are naturally born with freedom in their blood. The students’ actions to take control of their independence are unpredictable yet organized, extreme yet understandable. It is best that the students receive independence and no other actions are put in place to stop the progression. By this time, there are no measures that can be taken to reconcile both the students and educational program. In no way can the ties between the two be bonded back together, and form a united assembly once again. Independence has spread to the very heart of the matter and no act can be taken to stop it. Independence will rise, and the Grosse Pointe School System should be prepared to fall.

Epilogue of Mr. Parris

The Epilogue of Reverend Parris

            The Witch Trials are finally over; Salem is once again a quiet, peaceful town, but that is really the only thing that hasn’t changed since before. The judges from Boston have departed, their pride somewhat diminished. Even the instigator of all the hysteria, the one who caused the dramatic shift in power, has fled, destroying all credibility of her stories for most. It seems as if every citizen of Salem had at least one friend or family member get hanged for witchcraft. Because of this, the majority of the people who still reside there have a simmering anger towards anyone or anything who was a supporter of the girls who did most of the accusing. One of these people is the former Reverend Parris. Before he could be chased out of Salem by angry townspeople, Mr. Parris left on his own, giving no warning to any family or friends.

            Before he was robbed and driven from his position of power, Mr. Parris was relatively content with his life and thus a fairly peaceful man. However, after being driven from his home and robbed of his power and reputation, Parris has focused most of his newfound rage at the people whose fault he believes it to be; John Proctor and Abigail Williams. If John had done what Mr. Parris, Reverend Hale and Danforth wanted him to and confessed, then Parris’s reputation would have been mostly restored and everyone would have believed that all of the accused really were witches. But John chose to keep that from happening and denied the charges until he was hanged. Towards the end of the Witch Trials, Abigail stole all of Mr. Parris’s fortune and fled with Mercy Lewis, rumor having it that they traveled to Boston. Now penniless and powerless, Parris has decided his best course now that he has been kicked out of his hometown is to kill two birds with one stone by tracking down his niece, Abigail. His first desire is to have vengeance on the deceptive girl who ruined his life, and his second is to reacquire his fortune that she stole.

Following the rumors that surrounded the girl who cried witch, Parris managed to follow Abigail’s trail to the nearest big city, Boston. Upon his arrival, Mr. Parris saw just how daunting his task would be hunting down one girl in this huge city. For a few days he searched relentlessly, searching every crowd hoping to catch a glimpse of his niece, but eventually he realized that it was very likely hopeless. Having no desire to return to the town in which he was so despised, Mr. Parris decided to settle in Boston and found employment as an innkeeper. For weeks he lived peacefully, always keeping an eye out for his despised niece and her companion. Strangely, Parris’s anger over what happened increased over time instead of diminishing. He came to blame Abigail for everything that happened during the Witch Trials up to where he left. Eventually he bought a pistol, and then started going out and roving the city every night searching for her. One early morning Mr. Parris was making a short stop at the market to pick up some more food for the inn. Because of the hour very few people were also out wandering the streets. As luck would have it, Parris glanced into the window of another inn while talking with a merchant and caught a brief glimpse of a familiar face.

            Mr. Parris’s eyes widened, then filled with excitement as he rushed up to the door of the inn. Throwing it wide, he quickly glanced around the room and found it to be empty save for the barkeeper. He rushed upstairs, drawing his pistol as he did so, and began throwing open doors in search of her. Suddenly, in the last room of the hallway, he threw open a door and found her. Abigail looked at him, and the look of recognition in her eyes quickly turned to fear as she took in the pistol and the look of rage in Parris’s eyes. With seemingly no hesitation, he pulled the trigger, muttering that she should not have so ruined his life as he did so. Feverishly he searched her room afterwards, and found his fortune stashed inside of a drawer. Only about half of it was remaining, but for Parris, that was enough. With a shout of victory, he quickly scrambled out the window and sprinted to collect his belongings from his old inn. Feeling elated at his weeks of searching being worth it, Mr. Parris quickly packed his belongings and left the state of Massachusetts forever.