"Put honor in one eye and death in the other, and I will look upon them both with indifference." This quote from Brutus captures the essence of Whelton Academy. He states that the parents' and school's view of honor is fatal. Because of all the stress parents place on Whelton students, they have no choice but to conform to what their parents want them to be. Conforming to fit your parents' definition of honor. For the Whelton boys, this means adopting banal realist philosophy. To do this, students are forced to enroll in specific classes, pursue certain hobbies, get into an Ivy League college, and, essentially, live the life their parents want them to live. Neal Perry was one of those who realized what such a terrible fate it really was. Todd Anderson was another, and nearly all the kids at Whelton shared this epiphany once Mr. Keating came in to teach. His teachings were based on romantic beliefs, beliefs that you could do whatever you wanted. Opening up the idea of ​​Romanticism to a school that had always been realist had started a battle. A battle between Romanticism and realistic beliefs. This ongoing philosophical tug-of-war was demonstrated in the film Dead Poets Society. Hence, the progression of romance is perfectly shown through skepticism, peculiarity and self-confidence. These attributes counteract three of the school's four original character pillars; honor, tradition and discipline. Excellence, however, is what they both have in common, where Romanticism opens up a frightening new way to get there. Skepticism led the way in the battle against realistic beliefs. In a school where everything remains static, the massacre has never been within the reach of students and teachers. Once Mr. Keating spreads romance... in the center of the card... the four pillars of the school's character. There is the skepticism that illustrates the diversity of Keating's teachings, the uniqueness that marks some of the students' defining qualities, and the self-confidence that allows students to speak for themselves. Combining these three pillars presents a different way of achieving the fourth pillar, excellence. The main difference between the two is that one gives happiness by achieving excellence, and the other is the way without control over one's life to do so. Should happiness be how you define excellence, or should “playing the dutiful son” define excellence? Nine out of seventeen, excluding those expelled, chose happiness, the other eight did not. Although these eight did not understand the true meaning of “Carpe diem”, the others and in turn, “seize the day”.