Yun Suh
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Yun Suh – Dead Poets Society Analysis
I better understand how to execute set-ups and pay-offs as well as how to deliver the movie’s profound truth and message at the end through very few words and powerful images/actions.
1. What is the CHANGE this movie is about? What is the Transformational Journey of this movie? Move from conforming and upholding tradition to become “free thinkers” and seizing the day.
2. Lead characters:
Change Agent – Mr. Keating. He was an ace student at the school, yet broke free, and found a visionary way to teach students to be free thinkers within the system.
Transformable Character – 5 Keating’s students. They are new and open to learning. The lead student, Todd, has trouble expressing himself and is confused about his direction. He moves from feeling worthless, powerless, and voiceless to speaking his truth and standing up for his beliefs.
Oppression – conformity demanded by the headmaster
3. How are we lured into the profound journey? What causes us to connect with this story?
-funny and intriguing unconventional teaching style of Mr. Keating
-empathize with students who are pressured to conform by school and parents
-inspiring ideas like “carpe diem (seize the day)” and suck the marrow of life
-identify with students’ desire to express their true selves
4. Looking at the character(s) who are changed the most, what is the profound journey? From “old ways” to “new way of being.”
Identify their old way: follow rules to succeed, don’t make waves, uphold tradition, the adults know the right decisions not the youth.
Identify their new way at the conclusion: always look at things from a different perspective, make your life extraordinary by seizing the day and suck the marrow of life.
5. What is the gradient the change? What steps did the Transformational Character go through as they were changing?
Psychological/belief/action change for Todd:
-Trust and know he has something valuable to contribute
-Follow your own beat, not someone else’s
-Stand up on desk to see things from different perspective
-Throws away his desk organizer sent by his parents two years in a row for his birthday
-Stands up for Neil against his father
-Stands up for Mr. Keating against wishes of the headmaster to speak his truth
-Leads the class in honoring Mr. Keating at the risk of expulsion to demonstrate he has gained a new perspective
6. How is the “old way” challenged? What beliefs are challenged that cause a main character to shift their perspective…and make the change?
-Keating tells students to rip the page from the book that instructs how to measure poetry
-Friends resurrect the Dead Poets Society and model for Todd how to express themselves and follow their heart rather than move away from fear
-Pressured to compose poem in front of the class, confronting his biggest fear that he has nothing to offer, and gets a positive reception and appreciation from his peers.
-His roommate/best friends committed suicide to opt for a life of his choosing rather than follow his father’s commanded path, which felt like death to him. Reminds Todd the importance of following one’s own path.
-Admin/headmaster and Neil’s father lie about the cause of his suicide and fire the beloved teacher, leading Todd to speak to truth and break away from the old ways.
7. What are the most profound moments of the movie?
-Keating tells boys to rips page from poetry book that instructs how to measure poetry/life
-Stand on desk to gain different perspective
-Keating shows Todd that he has something valuable in him
-Keating reminds boys to walk in their own pace
-Forming Dead Poets Society
-Defying parents orders (eg. Todd breaks desk organizer, Neil tries out for the play)
-Knox follows his passion and wins over the love of his life
-Neil’s suicide rather than follow his father’s command
-Todd stands up for Mr. Keating in front of the headmaster and leads the class to stand up on their desks in honor of him.
8. What are the most profound lines of the movie?
-Carpe Diem – seize the day
-Words and ideas can change the world
-Gather ye rosebuds while they may. Make your lives extraordinary
-life is a powerful play and you may contribute a vers
-suck the marrow of life
-stand up on the desk to remind yourself that we must look at things in a different way
-”I think you have something inside you that’s worth a great deal” Keating to Todd
9. How does the ending payoff the setups of this movie?
Set up – tear pages of the book that instructs how to measure poetry/life
Pay off – students not being able to read from it when headmaster tries to go back to old ways
Set up – Keating teaching boys to stand on the desk to look at things from a different perspective.
Pay off – Todd, the most fearful and powerless student, defying the compliance orders of the headmaster and speaking his truth in defense of Keating despite risking expulsion. He inspires other students to stand on their desks too to honor their teacher, who has been fired but not defeated, and demonstrate to Keating that he has fulfilled his vision of his students to stand on their own feet and be free thinkers.
10. What is the Profound Truth of this movie?
-Seize the day. Find your voice. Be free thinkers.
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Learned from Assignment: I need to keep asking myself “what’s underneath that” to arrive at a deeper and truly profound truth. Feel like I haven’t gotten there with my story yet because it sounds too generic.
1. Profound truth: Develop your voice because no one is going to speak for you.
2. Change for the audience: Be curious rather than judge people who seem “different” from you. Empathize with others because you don’t know they’ve suffered.
3. Entertainment Vehicle: Embellished True Story.
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Yun’s Analysis of “Groundhog Day”
I learned that the audience can believe an unbelievable conceit like being trapped in a repetitive single day when they are thoughtfully led step by step through a transformational journey that’s grounded in emotional truth. This is a brilliant script for us to analyze because every day repeats so there’s potential for no movement forward except for the protagonist’s transformation, so it really helps us to track the character’s changes. Great first assignment!
1. What is the CHANGE this movie is about? What is the transformational journey of the film?
Moving from self-serving narcissist, pessimist which leads to misery/negativity and being alone to being of service to others which leads to happiness and finding true love.
2. Leads:
Change Agent – new producer Rita who is always kind to others and genuinely happy and positive.
Transformable Character – Phil (same name as the groundhog). He’s the right one to deliver the profound journey because he’s initially likeable, relatable, identifiable to the audience and is skeptical of his current world and wants to leave for something else. Has difficulty with being intimate and vulnerable with others.
Oppression – repeating the same day and being stuck in the past/pattern
3. Connection to the story – humor, relate to being dissatisfied at a job that beneath one’s talents and having difficulty relating to co-workers. Pokes fun at the annual groundhog tradition which does seem ridiculous in modern era. Then intrigues us with a fascinating and original idea of reliving the same day over and over.
4. Profound journey: Old ways – self-absorbed, believing he’s superior to others, know-it-all, cynical
New ways – being interested in others, living to be of service, appreciating life and being happy
5. Gradients of change:
Psychological (similar to stages of grief) – denial, fear, bargaining, depressed, acceptance
Action – rude behavior, take reckless and selfish risks since he suffersno consequences, takes interests in others, physically intimate with women, multiple suicides, emotionally and physically intimate and vulnerable/honest with Rita
Emotional – annoyance and anger, fear, excitement, attachment, despair, happiness, joy, love
6. Old ways/beliefs challenged: his self-centered and materialistic ways which lead to emptiness and loneliness are challenged by 1) repeating the same day 2) Rita’s rejection.
7. Profound moments: Meeting Rita and observing her positivity, joy, and kindness to others, repeatedly helping the homeless man Phil affectionately calls “dad” who still dies no matter what Phil does to try to save him, being vulnerable with Rita who believes the bizarre phenomenon he’s undergoing and stays with him overnight despite her better judgement to help him move onto the next day, helping people around town and being appreciated for his kindness.
8. Profound lines in the movie: “Watch out for the first step, it’s a doozy.” (Ned)
“Glass ½ empty or ½ full, you’re a glass is ½ empty guy.” (bar friend)
“What would you do if you were stuck in one place and every day was exactly the same and nothing you did ever mattered?” (Phil)
“I’m not going to live by their rules anymore!” (Phil)
“You make choices and you live with them.” (Phil?)
The wretch, concentred all in self,
Living, shall forfeit fair renown,
And, doubly dying, shall go down
To the vile dust from whence he sprung,
Unwept, unhonored , and unsung. By Sir Walter Scott (Rita)
“If you only had one day to live, what would you do with it?” (Phil)
“Amazing how you can start with one expectation and end up with a completely different expectation.” (Rita)
“You don’t love anyone else but yourself.” (Rita)
“There’s no way this winter is ever going to end as long as he keeps seeing his shadow.” (Phil)
“He’s got to be stopped and I have to stop him.” (Phil is essentially talking about himself)
“Winter on his slow slumber dreams of spring.” (paraphrasing Phil, I don’t remember exact line.)
9. Ending payoffs the setup of the film?: The journey moves from self to selfless. For example, Phil starts by lying to himself and others by saying Rita is not his type but as he becomes more honest and humble, he realizes he’s in love with her, and ultimately wins her over by becoming selfless, thereby undergoing a transformational journey.
10. Profound truth: Be in service of others, not the self, to be truly happy, deeply appreciated/acknowledged by others, and find love.
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I learned that the elements of the profound map all happens beneath the surface of the story, and thereby giving it depth and cause for repeated viewing. I’m exciting to take this journey! Thank you!