Identity in Dead Poets Society and Frost's Poetry Dominic Law 12th Grade

Discovery is the process of unveiling a fresh or renewed understanding of the world which may be the result of an unexpected journey or experience. While relinquishing societal norms can result in the most profound revelations which may be unforeseen yet wonderful, this experience may generate a heightened appreciation for the world around them with a brighter perspective on their outlook of life. Robert Frost’s ‘The Tuft of Flowers’ (TT) and ‘Stopping by woods on a snowy evening’ (SB) explores that an understanding of place and the intellectual experience may result in a greater experience of self through the ramifications of the romanticist settings and the persona’s isolation. Similarly, Peter Weir’s film Dead Poets Society (DPS) explores literature as an outlet for individuals to attain the intellectual and self discoveries with a renewed understanding of their surroundings in a suppressive society. Thus, through these texts, Frost and Weir demonstrate their characters to abandon established ways and embrace new outlooks that provide a profound understanding of an individual’s identity.

Natural and romanticist settings are often the catalysts for the sudden and unexpected journey of place discovery for individuals to...