Romantic Realist: Todd Anderson, Thesis Paper Example

In the narrative of the Dead Poet’s Society, Todd Anderson was portrayed through a characterization of defined insistence on how he is less able to fully embrace his capacities because of the rate of insecurities he was feeling. Noticeably, it could be understood that Todd Anderson represents a great number of individuals in the society who can offer so much but are rather hindered by their personal thoughts and considerations about themselves. Insecurities played a great role on how Todd, a seemingly talented and intuitive individual, was taken far from his dreams of realizing his capacities fully as a person. Practically, his role in the story was repeatedly considered as the foundation of the narrative that fully identifies well with what was assumed as direct distinction of individual separation and personal stereotyping.

The way he saw himself was a very important part of the story as it defined how humans tend to become overwhelmed with their shortcomings, as if not being able to control the situations that they get involved in. Several times, Todd Anderson was shown to be trying to reach out and make a mark not only in class by in the Dead Poet’s Society, but he also repeatedly dismisses the idea of actually presenting himself to the crowd. This shows the romanticism about his character. Amidst being a man, he is noted to have shown particular characteristics that are emotionally attached to his attitude. He feels so much, he does not show it, and yet he cannot fully control the fact that these matters are the ones controlling him, even hindering him from realizing what was necessarily good about himself.

Dismissing the idea behind the concept of self-distinction; Todd Anderson was seen to have let his insecurities rule over him. Making a mark in school and in the society was an important aspect of his being. This was shown through the ways he tried on living away from his brother’s shadow; a definite insistence on how family has controlled his vision and understanding about who he was. Noticeably, Anderson did have the capacity to go against the situation, to become more of what he is presenting himself to be, however he kept himself from realizing such fact just because of believing on the reality that he cannot do it. Somehow, the romantic side of his character is overcome by his supposed realistic view about himself.

The Dead Poet’s Society fits well in his character. From the beginning of the story towards the end, highlighting the capacity of Todd Anderson which was further defined through his repetitive efforts of improving himself was a common theme. His romantic being [which shows how emotionally attached he is with his past, his current reputation and what the future holds for him] made it harder for him to embrace reality. He then decided to create a separate reality for himself; one that he thinks fits his being well and one that does not say he has to move further because he can do better. His realistic view of himself is one that makes a determinable course of distinctively separating what he can and cannot do and embracing the idea that he will never go farther from what has been expected of him. Rather than pushing or what he can do and discovering what else he can offer, he has put a stop to such thought and settled for less.

Todd Anderson’s personal transformation keeps on reminding the audience on how a person’s struggle for meaning and voice could change the way he sees matters. While he may be originally weak in form [based on the way he sees himself], he has gained consideration on how he may still be able to make changes on himself and on the perception he has regarding life and its values. Noticeably, Anderson’s personal transformation does create a well-defined insistence on how one person could actually change matters through starting out with the changes that he can make upon himself. Developing a better sense of what is assumed as a good distinction of what is personally up building and what is personally degrading and making a difference on how these matters affect a person is what is being shown in the story as Anderson struggles between his romantic and realist’s views.

References

Todd Anderson. http://www.antiromantic.com/todd-anderson/. (Retrieved on March 5, 2015).