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Shannon Enzenberger
Mrs. Baker
Literature Analysis
12/12/13
Everyone Is Special
Everyone is their own person, so why conform to the expectations of others? Its
important for people to be themselves. This gives a sense of worth and if they arent themselves,
it can take a toll. In the movie Dead Poets Society and the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray
Bradbury, its evident that the characters live in a dystopian society because of how their
societies are run, how the characters think, and the actions the characters take.
The society in Fahrenheit 451 is run by the government and takes place in the main
characters community and the futuristic world he lives in. He lives in a society that bans books
and discourages solo thinking. They worship a salamander that represents the burning of any
leftover books or remnants of the way it used to be. There is an abundant amount of technology
to keep their minds preoccupied to ensure they dont question the way things are. In Dead Poets
Society, the setting primarily takes place in an all-male school in an era when kids futures were
planned by their parents and kids respected adults and parents. The school is always keeping
track of where the children are and what they are doing. They teach four pillars to live by,
including tradition, honor, discipline, and excellence. The children are held to very high
expectations. They are all taught the same and are told how and what to think so that they dont
go against their elders wishes. They are raised by what others think is best for them.
The characters in both of these societies think in ways that prove they live in dystopian
societies. At the beginning of both of these works, it is evident to see that everyone primarily

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thinks the same. They conform to the expectations that are placed on them because they dont
see any problems with it. Gradually, throughout both the movie and the book, changes in
characters start to be apparent. In Fahrenheit 451, the main character, Guy Montag, starts to
question Why? He wonders why no one realizes their unhappiness as he does. He was not
happy (Bradbury 12). He eventually questions this so much, that he goes from burning books to
wanting to stop it from happening altogether. In Dead Poets Society, the main group of boys,
Neal, Todd, Cameron, Charlie, Knox, and Joe, respect their teachers and parents even though its
apparent that they dont always like their requests. Their futures have been planned for them all
of their lives and they dont have a say in it. However, it starts to take its toll on them when they
begin realizing their dreams and that they cant have them. They begin to feel trapped and the
illusion of a perfect society starts to wear off.
These new ways of thinking were starting to change the way that the main characters
acted in both the movie and the book. By the time the illusion of a perfect society wore off, they
had realized that they were unhappy and they wanted to do something about it. In Dead Poets
Society, the boys were defying their schools and their parents wishes by sneaking out to meet in
their newly-formed secret group of poets. They were freely expressing themselves. Neil even
went against his fathers wishes and joined a play, like hed always wanted! For the first time in
my whole life I know what I wanna do and for the first time, Im gonna do it! (Dead Poets
Society). In Fahrenheit 451, Guy started reading books and learning more about the old days.
He stopped showing up at work to burn houses with books, and he ended up running away from
society to live with a group of hoboes where he could be free to ask and answer all of the
questions he wanted.

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In conclusion, it is easy to see that the characters in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and
in the movie Dead Poets Society live in dystopian societies due to the way they are governed, the
way they think, and the way that they act. Not being who they are really took its toll on them
and didnt allow them to live their lives to the fullest. When they finally broke away, they were
able to be free and have a sense of worth. With that in mind, its hard to see why anyone would
want to conform to anyone else!

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Works Cited
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Ballantine Publishing Group, 1950.
Print
Dead Poets Society. Dir. Peter Weir. Perf. Robin Williams, Robert Sean
Leonard, and Ethan Hawke. Buena Vista Pictures, 1989. DVD.