Poetic Answers #5

Here are your responses to the fifth question of which of the boys was the bravest. (NOTE: Most of the people who sent responses did not mention if they wanted their email addresses displayed. To be safe, I assumed they did not. However, if you would like your email shown with your response, please .)

Luana: The bravest of keating's boys was knox. He was the only one who totally captured Keating's point about carpe diem. He took a chance without 'choking on the bone'. Todd was right behind him though. After all, he was the first to stand up at the end!

Ray: The bravest of the boys has to be Todd followed by Charlie aka Nwanda. Todd had the most to overcome since he was so introverted but Charlie had the guts to put everything on the line and get kicked out of the school. True his parents had money but we have no idea of knowing if his parents would cut off his fortune.

DJ: I think the bravest could either be Todd (but only at the end), or Knox, because he went after Chris and basically risked his life (or at least his limbs) by going behind Chet's back. And in the end, he does get the girl, proving, I think, that nice guys finish first.

Katleen: I think Todd was the bravest. It was very difficult for him to stand on his desk and say "O Captain, my Captain". I believe it was even more difficult for him to do that, than it was for Neil to kill himself, or for Nuwanda to push Cameron. Todd overwon himself, that is one of the most brave things you can do...

Lauren: I feel that the "bravest" of Keating's boys was Todd Anderson. He took an emotional risk by getting involved in the club, even though he didn't want to read, he wanted to be part of a group. He also took the risk to get up in front of the class to share his feelings (with Keating's help). This takes a lot of courage.

Catherine: I think that the bravest of Keating's boys was Charlie. I have come to this conclusion because when Charlie was questioned by Mr.Nolan about the Dead Poet's Society he had the courage to hold up for his comrades and face expulsion and his parents in the end. Also it DID take alot of guts to go through with the prank . Hey, even if it did expose the society, it takes some courage to be stupid, right? Neil wasn't all that brave because he took the easy why out and couldn't even stand up to his dad for his passion's sake. After all that, I must give him some credit, it did take alot of bravery to try out for the play and all.

David: I would say that Todd was the bravest because he took everything he was given and dealt with it and survived; and because he didn't take his life. However, he kept everything inside and never let it out. To me this is partially a cowards way out. Therefore, to me, Charlie was the bravest. He took everything given to him. Dealt with it and expressed his feelings. He didn't take crap from anybody and did do what he felt was right, as seen in the scene when he gets back from being questioned and says to Neil, "It's Nawanda." He lived life to its fullest and the way he thought he was meant to. He did not run from his problems, but instead faced, voiced, and dealt with them.

Aixla: Todd, definitely. His character grew so much from the beginning of the movie to the end, and personal growth requires great strength and courage. We don't get to see what he does with his life after he takes his stand in the classroom, but I'm sure that that moment was a turning point from him, and his life was radically different and bold from that point on!

Adam: The "bravest" boy as a result of Mr. Keating's teachings was Todd Anderson. When he joined the class he didn't have any self confidence. The more classes he attends the braver he becomes. His confidence never reaches that of someone like Charlie Dalton, but he does develop courage when it comes down to something of utmost importance. Through Mr. Keating's inspiration he makes the choice to join the DPS. Still lacking in confidence he manages to get out a poem at the front of the class. For someone who feels useless this would of taken a lot of courage. For the final and greatest display of bravery he stands on his desk at the end of the film. By leading this emotional movement he is risking expulsion. This is also a great display of bravery because earlier in the film he says to Neil Perry that he isn't like him, people don't listen to what he has to say. So as a result of these feelings, Todd decides never to make a stand and is only one who follows others, in the same way as Cameron. However in the end we see him leading others and declaring Mr. Keating's innocence all the way, including in Mr. Nolan's office. Charlie is not the bravest. He interprets the meaning of Carpe Diem incorrectly and remains the 'rebel without a cause' he was at the start. Risking what he did through his pranks were not as bigger deal for him as what Todd did. Second behind Todd was Knox. He was brave enouph to follow his dream of dating Chris. When considering Knox's courage we must set aside the incident at the paty for he was under the influence. He never displays bravery when faced with the figure of his hesitation (Chett). Todd did.

Charlie: I feel that Neil was the bravest, after all, he did take his own life. Someone would have to be pretty brave to do such a thing. He was the one who re-established DPS. He was the one who willingly accepted Mr. Keating's teachings no matter how far from realism they were. He was bold enough to forge the letter saying that he could act in the play, knowing good and well that he could get caught by his father. The only aspect of boldness that he never portrayed was the very boldness that he never possessed so as to stand up to his father and it ended up taking his life.

anonymous: That is an interesting question, although I feel it is a bit limited. It should be rephrased to ask who was the bravest character in the movie. It's no mystery that Todd, Neil, Charlie, and Knox were all brave in their respective ways. They seized the day in a way that fulfilled their characters. They were all brave, that is for sure. At the same time, hasn't anyone given a thought to Mr. Keating? After all, he too was a graduate of Welton, and the founding member of DPS, so doesn't he deserve some kind of credit for his bravado? He knew the situation he was entering into and probably knew that he would receive negative feedback for his rather unorthodox teaching methods. To sum up, everyone else is brave, but Keating is the hero of the movie. I would have killed to have had a teacher like him.

Christie: Todd. He learned the lesson Keating was teaching by finding the middle ground between passion and control. He also learned that he had a verse to contribute, and did just that.

Ana: Todd. I would usually give a more ambiguous answer to this, but during the final scene we can feel Todd's courage. His life will never be the same; he will follow his dreams--he will seize the day. We realize this when we see him standing up on that desk and letting Mr. Keating know how he's changed his life. Completely ignoring the jerk, Mr. Nolan, unconcerned about the expulsion that will follow-(sarcastically) what a tragedy THAT would be, anyway!- Such an extremely powerful scene.

Charles: Knox Overstreet. Bravery, as suggested by Keating, is the denial of that which is conformity. To seize the day and take every opportunity is to be brave. Yet Keating warns us to suck out the marrow, but not choke on the bone. Overstreet is able to give his dream (a noble pursuit of hormonal love) every chance of realisation, through denial, embarrassment, angst and torment, without crossing the line into denial of other potential experiences in life. Charlie crosses the line. Whilst he is brave to tell the truth when others would have him lie, it does indeed cost him some opportunities that his education at Welton would offer him. Knox acheives the dream, yet maintains the potential for more. He seizes the day, and lives to fight another.

Sharon: Todd was the bravest. He lived all his life in his brother's shadow, and he changed into someone who could speak for himself, and show how he felt, and not worry about what the others thought.

Neil: There are a number of candidates:

Neil - suicide is brave.
Todd - faced his own indecision and faced up to the world.
Knox - truly took the spirit of Carpe Diem and entered uncharted waters (girls).
Charlie - went all the way to keep his beliefs. He risked everything.

All have their possibilities but I think that Todd's facing up to the unthinkable and doing it, was strength beyond belief. Neil's bravery would have come if he had continued and found his dream come true. I don't say
that what he did wasn't brave. I wouldn't belittle his action.

Nuwanda: I think that the bravest of Keatings boys must have been Todd. Now, I know that some people won't agree with me but the change from beginning to end for him is bigger than anyone elses. To surpass your own personal goals is far greater bravery than to surpass a standard goal. Knox is a very close second though.

Ilias / Maria: We strongly believe that Todd was really the bravest of Keating's boys and that was revealed at the very end of the movie. At first, one gains the impression that Todd is a very introvert guy who is reluctant to act according to what he feels. However, Mr Keating obviously affects him regarding LIFE in general. In the wake of this effect he eventually erupts at the most burning moment of the whole film, by crying out indirectly the inalienable truth that Mr. Keating was indeed the one who signed the turning point of Todd's life.

TGFAPD@aol.com: I feel that Neil was the bravest of the boys. He took his own life because he would rather be remembered for his acting, his boldness, his love for poetry; for himself. He would rather have died and been remembered as unique than to have given in to the pressures of conformity. He knew who he was and who he wanted to be. " The difficulty of maintaining your own beliefs in the face of others. We all have a great need for acceptance, but you must trust that your beliefs are unique, your own. Some people may think them odd or unpopular."

Lauren: Knox and Todd were equally brave, but each in his own way. Todd, obviously, grew the most during the film. He was able to overcome his shyness and stand up for what he believed in, even if not until the end. He found his own voice and realized that he was indeed worth something. He had the most obstacles to overcome in that respect. Knox, on the other hand, was brave in that he followed his heart, even when others tried to step in his way. Some might say that he was cowardly for not standing up to Chet, but the truth is that he knew what he felt, and shared those feelings with the only other person that needed to know about them. The fact that he was able to do this while avoiding a confrontation that would only end in his face getting bashed in (again) is a definite plus!

Amy: I think Todd was by far the bravest for a number of reasons. Mainly because he changed so much throughout the film. He went from a guy who can barely speak to someone who literally stands up for what he believes in. Todd, in a way, took the road less travelled (travelled by his parents and the school) and became a better, more passionate person due to Keating's teachings. Before going to Welton I'm sure Todd expected to live a life of his parents expectations, and now I bet he stood up to them and lived an extraordinary life.

Angelius: I think Todd was the bravest of the characters because he had the courage to face up to himself and stand on his desk at the end to say goodbye to Mr. Keating. I think he was probably the only one who truely understood and applied Mr. Keating's teachings, the only one who understood that "there is a time for caution and a time for daring". Nwanda was mostly silly instead of brave, but his courage for refusing to give up the names of the other DPS members was definitely courageous.

Verachai: Todd Anderson. Because in the last scene, he braves being different from most students and showing his feeling to Mr.Keating by standing on the table. That also led other students who felt like him, standing up on the table too. All of all, it is the purpose of Mr. Keating's teaching "learning in individual ways and to brave being your own way although it is different from most people".

anonymous: I mean, damn it, they're all brave. There's no degree of bravery. they've all done things that I don't have the courage to do. They break away from themselves. Did you, yeah, YOU, did you ever have the courage to do that?

Jennifer: I think that everyone is brave except Neil. This is because everyone has mettle to face the music, alternative of life, even ego. At the same time, this is also cause that Neil chose this way to close his road of his life--he can't face and realise the bondage of ego. He chose death to become a key to the padlock of his mind in order to get a relief.

N. B. Turfrey: There are a number of candidates:

All have their possibilities but I think that Todd's facing up to the unthinkable and doing it, was strength beyond belief. Neil's bravery would have come if he had continued and found his dream come true. I don't say that what he did wasn't brave. I wouldn't belittle his action.

Kristian: I think that Todd was the bravest of Mr Keating's boys and of course Neil. Todd was brave because he stood up for what he believed in at the end. Neil was brave because he had the courage to take his own life.

Helmut: If you answer such a question, I think, first of all you have to define the word "brave". When I hear the word "brave" I think of heroes. But aren't we all heroes in some ways and so aren't the Dead Poets and Mr. Keating? Every person in that movie had his own character(except Camaron, he was shown as someone without charaxter) and so everyone had his own special development throughout the whole movie. The most remarkable one was without any doubt the one Todd went through. He was able to change his personality in some ways and so I think he was the one who had the most emotional part. But summarizing Neil is still the one who I have to pay most credit to. He was the one who really understood the meanng of "Carpe diem". He knew that this didn't mean to dare yourself to do things you could get determits for (like Charlie). He know that "make your lives extraordinary" is nothing about other people thinking of you, he knew that it's always about yourself and your dreams. So Neil had the courage to fulfill his dreams... We don't know so much about the family of the others (except Todd who was caught in the role of his older brother) and so for me Neil stood up. He stood up against conformaty and against a life under the rule of his father. I think you can't say he escaped from that problem by commiting suicide. He was just realistic enough to see that there was no way for him to realize all his dreams without the permission of his father. I know for us today it might sound stupid, but life then and especially Neil's life was different from ours now. We can speak up against our parents, if it works out, that's something different to talk about. We even can cut our relation to them, but only in the worst cases. But what chances or possibilities did Neil have? He depended on his Dad. So if you want to define these things with the term of bravery. Neil was definitely the bravest, not because of his suicide, but for is courage to live his dream, for the try to make his life his OWN life.

Millicent: I don't feel that Todd was as brave as Neil was. I'm not saying that suicide made Neil brave - in fact I think it was the cowards way out. But Neil was more drastic, and could handle the dark, while it was all Todd could do to keep his own beliefs in the eyes of the world.

Anchi: Todd Anderson won the prize with no doubt (although Charlie was our favorite boy in the movie)! Unlike Charlie, who had been brought up in a family that encouraged him to be assertive, Todd had been chased to the cold lonely corner by his brother's excellence and there seemed not much room left for him to speak up. Charlie had always been the brave rebellious one, while Todd was stumbling all the way to finally stepping up on the desk calling out "captain, my captain", inspiring other boys to stand up and show their true feelings toward the education authority.

Linda: I think that Todd Anderson is the bravest student. At first, he was the shyest boy in his class. He was afraid to express himself and his feeling. But he has changed a lot in the end of the movie. He stood up for Mr. Keating. He showed his courage to everyone. He didn't care what will be happened to him if he stood on his desk and shouted out "Captain, my Captain." I think that is very difficult for people to change themselves. Therefore, in my opinion, Todd Anderson is the bravest of Mr. Keating's students.

Jason Harris: I can't really choose a "bravest". But I think the one that learned the most and took the advice had to be Todd. Knox was very daring and brave. But he was like that through the entire movie. He didn't make a drastic change like Todd. Nuanda also stood up for Keating which really makes me respect him. But I am going with Todd.

Cutegirl: Todd. Because he used to be an extremely shy boy...but at last he could stand up on his desk and call his teacher as " Oh, captain, my captain" inspite of a requirement of his strict principal - I mean "Sit down!!! Mr. Anderson!!"

Cynthia, William, JunHo: Todd, he shows his respect to Mr. Keating by standing on the desk. This action also shows that he has courage to go against the authorities. He is one of those guys who are encouraged most by Mr.Keating.

Sylvia: Who was the bravest? Todd. He's got the guts to own up to Keating that he and the other boys weren't brave enough not to sign. Admitting failure publicly takes real courage. He isn't self-dramatising, like Neil or up himself, like Charlie, and he hasn't had a vision like Knox (like I said, he's still waiting for the new day, for salvation). There's nothing in it for him. But he still seeks clarity and he knows that the relationship of teacher and pupil that they had, although it was betrayed on both sides, was a good one and ought to be acknowledged

Class of 99 Alberton , South Africa: To say which is the bravest is to say the rest were weak. In their own ways each was a hero and a failure so each must be looked at in their prime and in their failures and then compared to your outlook on Bravery.

Du Toit Albertus: Knox wasn't bright, Nwanda was a joker, an attention seeker, Neil opted out and though that was a MAJOR decision, I think Todd was the bravest. He stood up for the truth (Keating) when it went against his whole being.

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