fridays post

 1.Who is the most influential leader you have ever had? Why did he or she have such an influence on you? The most influential leader in my life is my mom of course. This is because she cares for me day by day and is very successful for her age. There is not a day that goes by that I don't say my mom is my goals.

2.“We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering; these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love; these are what we stay alive for.” Professor John Keating says this—what do you think it means? Do you agree? What are your views on poetry and why we read it?
 When keating says this I think he means poetry is more then just words that rhyme, I think poetry is a way for someone to express themselves. So, Yes I do agree with Mr. Keating. 

3.“I stand upon my desk to remind myself that we must constantly look at things in a different way. The world looks very different up here… Just when you think you know something you have to look at it in another way… When you read, don’t just consider what the author thinks, you must consider what you think.” Comment on this quote from Professor Keating. Do you agree? Why or why not? Do you have a personal story about a time you took another perspective?
Yes, I agree with Mr. Keating and this is because sometimes you have to look at others people perspective in order to view things both ways. Also, others look at things different from one another and a person has to understand that in order t fully understand something.  Especially something as complex as poetry. 
4.Keating asks his students to consider what their ‘verse,’ or lasting impression, will be when they leave either Welton or this world. What ‘verse’ will you contribute in your lifetime? What do you hope will be the lasting impression you leave behind?
My lasting impression I will leave behind is that I was hard working and I tried my best in everything I do. I will never have people think I just slacked. 

thursdays post

In my opinion I feel like if anything the suicide would have came a lot earlier if Neil wouldn't have met Mr. Keating, he held off the suicide a little be longer in order for Neil to be able to find himself a little bit more. The bravest out of Keating's boys was Charlie; he was the rebel out f the group. Charlie made that illegal article knowing the consequences but he still sated how he felt. Also, charlie took the blame for everyone and got beat with a paddle in exchange for his loyalty. The coward in the group was Neil and this is because he committed suicide instead of fighting for what he wanted. In my opinion he could of tried harder to convince his father.  I believe Mr.Keating put the book there as a way to get the boys thinking, and he wanted them to take interest into the book. Also, he wanted them to know they probably wouldn't approve but that doesn't mean they shouldn't do what they desire.

central theme

The central theme of the Dead Poets Society is to be your own person and find yourself. Throughout the story each character went through obstacles to over come their fears. For Example, Todd had to learn how to come out of his shell in order to stick up for Mr.Keating and develop such a strong bond with Neil. Neil tends to build Todd up and gives him the self esteem and confidence he desperately needs. Another character is Charlie, he is very rebellious and loyal to his friends Nr.Keating gives him a boost to his rebellion. Another character is Knox, he has to overcome his Shyness in order to confess his love to a girl named Chris. Lastly, Nail which was the only character that did not overcome anything through out the story. He gave up instead of fighting for what he desired.

opinion on poetry

Poetry is a way to express emotions that you might be too afraid to just flat out say. For example, if you're a boy in love with a girl, you're most likely not going to write a poem that specifically says that. Instead you might write a poem that is describing the beauty of a flower, but really you're talking about that special someone. Poetry is used to indirectly express how you feel about any given topic. I agree with what Mr. Keating says. There are many things that are facts, like the ice cream in life, but when making a sundae, the cherry and the chocolate sauce on top are like the opinions and the art that you use to make life interesting.

follow up character questions

1. Todd transformed the most in the film because at first he did not want to open up and show the class all of the talent that he had when It came to poems. But Mr. Keating brought out that side of Todd and changed the way that Todd looked at situations when it came to performing in front of people.
2. I think Neal stayed the same for most of the movie because he really wanted an acting career but his dad was pressing him to be a doctor and so he threw all of his dreams away and just killed himself because it wasn't worth all of the stress.
3. Mr. Keating did not want to change the way that he taught the students because he felt like he made them look at situations at a different way and learn stuff in their own way. But the people that were over the school did not like the way that he was teaching. So in the end, he decided to leave. Not because of the students, but because of the individuals above him in the school.
4. Todd has to get over being shy and opening up to larger audiences when it came to speaking or doing a poem. Neil wanted to overcome being afraid to tell his dad what he really wanted to do in life which was acting, not being a doctor. Knox had to overcome the girls boyfriend because he was in love with the girl and he would stop at nothing to get the girl that he really wanted. Charlie has to overcome the fear of speaking out about putting girls in the school so he spoke loudly about it in front of everyone.

responses for mona lisa smile

I think that Katherine Watson was said to be subversive because the college that she was teaching at had a certain teaching method that all of the professors followed which was just mastering everything in the text book. But she felt like they didn't have a view or perspective of art besides the information that they got from the syllabus or the text book. So she was subversive because she showed them pieces of art that they had never seen before and told them to study them. They were not used to that kind of teaching method and they were surprised by this. She didn't want to have the same teaching method as every other professor at the college so she did what she was most comfortable with and she believed that her teaching method would help the students to understand and comprehend the material better.


The roles for women in the 1950's in the movie Mona Lisa Smile was to find a husband, get married, and have children. Many of Katherine Watson's students were in a relationship or at least trying to be in one. She believed that education was way more important than trying to get married and have kids at a young age. Because without education, there was not many options and she didn't think that it was good to have to depend on a man for everything.