Racial Stereotypes In Dead Poets Society

Films have been a major part of the fabric of American society for many decades now. Americans are constantly bombarded with adverts about the newest number one movie. That said, Americans are continuously judging and critiquing films in the form of movie reviews. Such evaluations result in multiple interpretations of films. Nevertheless, over the course of a lifetime, people are taught many lessons from films. For example, the audiences that watch The Dead Poet’s Society, learn that people who use unconventional methods are often out casted and deemed inferior to those who oblige to social norms. Furthermore, viewers of the classic film To Kill a Mocking Bird witness the unjust trial of a black man for the rape of a white woman; thus, providing

Though most people do not realize it, everyone is prejudice. A film review by SDG Reviews says that “the dialogue…leaps too often to racial stereotypes without sufficient warrant.” Essentially, SDG is saying that the use of racial stereotypes is in excess and takes away from the message of the film. But, is that not the whole point? The movie is supposed to make people realize the prejudices that live within us. Haggis brings to light many prejudices at a rather fast pace in order to introduce them to the viewer as early as possible; thus, giving the viewer ample time to process what is happening and have an “aha” moment! A reviewer by the name of Sheri McMurray said in her Christian Spotlight on Entertainment review of Crash that “the film takes on the task with such realism and intuitiveness that I came away very impressed. If all audience members could come away with the same inspiration to love his fellow man, or at least give him a break next time he decides to assume he’s a lesser being than himself, Haggis has done his job more than well.” McMurray states that Haggis’ job was to get people to realize their unnoticed prejudices. She uses the term realism, which sums up every aspect of the movie. Though Haggis accelerates how people react to each other, the situations themselves are so realistic and relatable. That is how Haggis is able to get his viewer to see themselves in the movie as though it was a mirror. For example, the altercation between the Matt Dillon character and the Thandie Newton character, where he felt her up on the side of the road and took advantage of her in front of her husband, knowing that the husband could neither say nor do anything about it because he was a black man. Had he been a white man he could have said something to make it stop, if it would have happened in the first place. That said, this film thrives off of the use of prejudice to