Robert Struk
Mr Keating was not to blame for the Death of Neil Perry. Discuss
Mr Keating was not to blame for Neil’s death, however he may have contributed a little to the events that lead to Neil’s suicide. Mr Keating taught the students to think for themselves and open their minds to very different thoughts and ideas. He opened up Neil’s mind and passion for acting, which was strictly against his father’s wishes. However, the main factor that lead to Neil’s suicide was his father. His unwillingness to see things through Neil’s perspective caused Neil to feel like he had no other option but to kill himself. Suicide was his way of trying to gain control and stand up to his father. These little factors contributed to his death, but no one else is responsible but Neil because he was responsible for his own actions.
Mr Keating had many different teaching methods. He encouraged the boys to think for themselves and to seize the day. Mr Keating told them to live everyday to the fullest because it may be their last. Not only did he teach them that they shouldn't act like anyone else, he also taught them that they should live their own lives. Keating taught them the great lesson of living your life for yourself, and not for anyone else. Neil was inspired by Mr Keating and was driven by Romanticism to be an actor, which in turn lead to the reality of his world, which would be impossible due to his reluctant father. Neil had a passion for acting that his father disapproved of. His father had his whole life planned out for him, and the way he wanted Neil’s life to be. It didn't matter to him what Neill wanted, he was forcing him to live his dream, instead of his own. Neil couldn't deal with the idea that to give up acting was to quit playing the roles that he lived everyday, and so he killed himself because he “realized that he had not lived”. The only reason why Mr Keating was blamed for Neil’s death is because the school needed a scapegoat. Keating sacrificed what he had for his students but he taught the boys some of life's most important lessons. Some of life's most valuable lessons are taught in places where we would least expect it. Keating taught the boys so much more then poetry. He wasn't only a teacher, but he was a friend to them, and he touched each and every one of them.