Brad Loeffler
Mrs. Baker
Compare/Contrast Essay
November 25, 2014
Carpe Diem “Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lies extraordinary,” says Mr. Keeting in The Dead Poets Society. Take the chances that are offered so that things do not become or remain a subject to conformity. Both Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and Dead Poets Society involve a dystopian society in which conformity rules the lives of people in that society. Conformity is a bad thing; for example, never acting differently than someone else will always make for being the same as them and having nothing that stands out. In the Dead Poets Society and the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, both have characters who take their turns seizing the day and breaking conformity, making them very similar to each other. Neil Perry from Dead Poets Society brings Guy Montag from Fahrenheit 541 to mind. Both Neil and Guy have lived in a dystopian society for their entire lives and are realizing that they cannot let conformity control them. When these characters realize what conformity is doing to them, they both make a difference and break the bindings of conformity. The two characters breaking conformity is a perfect example for each and every one of us to answer the door when opportunity is knocking. In our lives it is important that we take advantage of every pivotal moment so that we can make ourselves extraordinary. Seizing the day is important in the lives that we live because if we do not take the chances as they are presented to us, we may not ever get another chance to do so, and will look back on it with regret for our entire lives. When breaking the boundaries that conformity puts on us it is important to know when to act on the opportunity’s that present themselves to us. Though it is important to weigh the consequences of something that you might do, it is also important to sometimes not think about it and just do it because you might never get your chance again. It is okay to act on whim because it is better than not doing anything at all. If you do not do anything at all, chances are that you will look back at it with regret at some point in your life. In Fahrenheit 451, Guy Montag seizes the day when he realizes what kind of dystopian society he is living in. As a fireman, Guy’s job is to burn books; to remove them from society. Guy breaks conformity and seizes the day first when he begins to steal books from the burnings and read them on his free time. Upon realizing how much better of a life he could be living, Guy stops going into work for a couple of days to think about what he should do. Guy seeks a teacher to help him understand what the books mean. When Guy is challenged to put his mischievous thoughts out of mind by his fire captain, Beatty, Guy takes his chance and acts against him and runs away from the town to be with a group of people who think for themselves. Guy shows that he feels the reward of his choices with his determination to get away from society and to join the hobos who have no bounds of the conformity that had existed in the city. In Dead Poets Society Neil Perry plays his part in breaking conformity and seizing the day. Neil is a brave young individual who
Thanatopsis --William Cullen Bryant To him who in the love of Nature holds Communion with her visible forms, she speaks A various language; for his gayer hours She has a voice of gladness, and a smile And eloquence of beauty, and she glides Into his darker musings, with a mild And healing sympathy, that steals away Their sharpness, ere he is aware. When thoughts Of the last bitter hour come like a blight Over thy spirit, and sad images Of the stern agony, and shroud, and pall, And…
English Oral Sam Freeman Miss Canniffe, and fellow students. Carpe Deim “Seize the Day” is, putting it plainly, positively living for the day and is most significantly different to the term adopted by our current youth culture YOLO which is often attributed to reckless behaviour. Poets are mostly drawn to this theme of Carpe Diem because it is uplifting and a positive way of living your life. Robert Frost wrote The Road Not Taken during WW1 after recently losing four family members. Not surprisingly…
Tyler Gargas Mr.Kinkaid English II - 4 28 January 2015 Byron’s Sonnet: Solitude in Poetry Lord Byron was a famous poet during the era of Romantic poetry. His European sonnet “Solitude” is one of his best works. His poem “Solitude” clearly demonstrates the themes of Romantic literature. In “Solitude”, Lord Byron embodies the belief that man is good when living with nature and away from corrupted society. In the midst of the poem, Byron states, “This is not solitude, ‘tis but to hold / converse…
In the,” To the Virgin, to Make Much of Time” by Robert Herrick it shows carpe diem through the whole poem. The poem states that people should seize the day, until they passed away. The poet explains why unmarried women should not waste their entire time waiting on the perfect man. The poem is stating that the young women that had not been married should go out and find a man while their still young. It clearly states that the longer they wait; time…
tell the story of living each day its fullest and helps him get his point across. The tone of this poem could be described as inspirational as Herrick seems to try to encourage everyone to live each day the best that you can. This poem is labeled a carpe diem poem, which means to seize the day. Herrick makes an impact first on that one must "gather ye rosebuds while ye may" for time doesn't slow down or is limitless, rather it's a precious limited commodity. We then might delve into the word "rosebuds"…
whole elephant, and can not solve a vital issue that needs fixing for the better of the people. In the hand book “To his coy mistress” the chapter that helped me to understand the poem more was the moral and philosophical approach in chapter two. “Carpe Diem” meaning seize the day ‘for tomorrow we shall die”. Although sex seems to be the driving factor, I think that the fear of death and the fact that we are not promised a tomorrow are the reasons that the man is so cad in his approach to rush the coy…
“Neil Perry, with the possible exception of Charlie Dalton, is the most ardent disciple of Keating’s “Carpe Diem” philosophy. This sets him up for a confrontation with the conservative forces in the film. Show how the conflict between Neil, his father and the establishment is developed from a filmic perspective.” Dead Poets Society repeatedly shows relational conflict, often between the boys and authority. Perhaps the most obvious example within the film is that of Neil’s relationship with his…
The Power of Literary Devices Andrew Marvell’s poem “To His Coy Mistress” is a provocative three-part proposition to his desired lover accentuating the theme of “carpe diem.” Marvell utilizes literary devices such as tone, pace, alliteration, and metaphor to augment his three part argument as to why his mistress should have sex with him: if there was time he would woo her, but there is not time, so she should give into his wishes. “To His Coy Mistress” examines the claim that ethics, specifically…
The YOLO Wallpaper BY Jessica Probus If you ever get the opportunity to spend the summer in an ancestral country home as a reprieve from the anxieties of city life, you should do it. Even if you think it’s haunted. Even if it isn’t really your choice. After all, you only live once. Love like you’ve never been imprisoned by your overbearing husband. Eat like this is the last meal he will let the maid bring up to you before you have to come down and be pleasant in front of company. Behave like they…
Ted Hughes The Wind Can I explain how a writer uses language to shape meaning? RF5 I can explain why the writer has made certain language choices (imperative verbs, emotive language, figurative language, formal/informal) Can I explain how a writer uses language to shape meaning? After the first reading: What is your personal response to the poem? 2Mins – write down your thoughts… Poetic terms - reminder Metaphor Simile Alliteration Onomatopoeia Personification Enjambment…