These two works of art not only share there prestigious all boys boarding school setting, but the theme of nonconformity. However, differences between the two pieces do exist. A Separate Peace is a reminder of one of the minor themes in the novel, related to the danger of jealousy, while Dead Poets Society has "Carpe Diem," written all over it.

Dead Poet's Society is a film about conflict and passion. It is set in a

Vermont school, Welton Academy and the scenes largely involve the teacher,

Professor John Keating and his students. Robin Williams is well cast as the independent, passionate teacher. His portrayal of Keating is both convincing and moving. Keating is a man who teaches because he loves to teach. He gives more than just knowledge to

his students. He inspires them. He urges them to "seize the day!", to seek out their dreams and to believe in themselves. His teaching techniques are unconventional and appeal to the boys' imaginations. He earns their respect and becomes their friend and mentor. The novel, A Separate Peace, tells a

In Dead Poet's Society, John Keating is questioned by an older, more experienced teacher, to weather or not 15-17 year old kids are really ready yet to handle Keating's brand of freedom. "Gee, I never pegged you for a cynic," says Keating. "I'm not," says the other teacher. "I'm a realist." The only forces opposing Keating's philosophy are rigid and towering ones, headmaster, Mr. Nolan (Norman Lloyd), and a cruel stubborn parent, Mr. Perry. "After you've finished medical school and you're on your own you can do as you damn well please!" Mr. Perry lectures his son Neil, one of Keating's prized students. "But until then, you do as I tell you to!" In the end however, the movie indicates that maybe the cynic/realist teacher was right after all. Although there's a scene which Keating tries to make the distinction between unrestrained self-expression and self-destructive behavior, the principles behind the re-formation of the Dead Poets Society eventually lead to catastrophe. It becomes clear that at least some of the boys really aren't emotionally equipped to incorporate into their own lives the kind of freedom and nonconformist Keating is trying to get across to them. The result is tragic. Mr. Perry's son Neil feels over pressured and commits the violent act of suicide. This could easily be compared with Gene's internal emotional conflicts in A Separate Peace. Gene and Finny come up with the idea for a "Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session," a group for exciting and dangerous things, and make a leap from the tree the entry requirement. Gene goes onto the diving limb with Finny, and loses his balance; Finny stops Gene from what could have been a very dangerous fall, and Gene soon realizes that his friend saved his life. However Gene has so much envy towards Finny, when they are joining a new member (Leper Lepellier) Gene "juggles" the branch which he and Finny are standing upon. Gene intentionally knew it would cause Finny to fall into the river. Gene did not have any idea of the extent of his actions. Finny had

Some common words found in the essay are:
Separate Peace, Poet's Society, Welton Academy, Phineas Gene, Gene Finny, Robin Williams, Poets Society, Summer Session, War II, Lepellier Gene, separate peace, dead poet's, dead poet's society, poet's society, welton academy, john keating, separate peace gene, teaching techniques, world war, war ii, peace gene finny, peace gene, poets society, dead poets society, world war ii,
Approximate Word count = 1367
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)