The Film Dead Poets Society and a Photograph Tank Man: Authority and the Individual

“Wherever there is a man who exercises authority, there is a man who resists authority”. – Oscar Wilde

The oppressive nature within certain authoritative figures possesses the capability in instigating acts of defiance due to conflicting viewpoints within disenfranchised individuals. Furthermore, this resistance contributes as a catalyst in disrupting the interconnection between the authority and the individual, thus creating a volatile and dysfunctional relationship. This notion of rebellion against conformity is explored in Dead Poets Society, a film directed by Peter Weir in 1989 and Tank Man, a photograph taken by Jeff Widener in 1989.

Restrictive conventions imposed by hegemonic entities may suppress one’s individuality, thus provoking a deviation from conservatism. Peter Weir’s 1989 Dead Poets Society (DPS) illustrates how individuals can retaliate against those in overbearing authority through the experiences of 1950s schoolboys as they are subjected to a variety of forms of authoritative figures. Institutional rulings inhibiting a sense of freedom may be infringed in order for self-discovery, as exhibited through a representation of secrecy utilizing tinted-blue lighting accompanied with mystifying non-diegetic music as the boys flee into the forest to reconvene the Dead Poets Society, connoting a contravention of the school’s regulations in order to attain one’s inclination for self-expression. Moreover, when Mr Perry discovers that Neil had deceived him against his demands and enacted in the play, his domineering patriarchal control over his son is highlighted through stern facial expressions captured through a mid-shot, and high modality language in “you go to them and you tell them that you’re quitting”, while an extreme close up of Neil displaying his defeated and constrained self outlines his insignificance compared to his father’s callous and unyielding nature. This conveys the detrimental repercussions of despotic authority, as through their own personal beliefs being inflicted upon an individual denies any opportunity for identity and individualism. In the final scene of DPS, when the headmaster Mr Nolan’s lesson is disrupted as the students commence to stand on their desks in an attempt to exculpate Mr Keating, Nolan’s repeating dialogue of “Sit down!” gradually quietens, elucidating his impotence while the triumphant non-diegetic background music progressively becomes louder and more distinct, depicting a subversion of authority. Low angle shots are utilized on the boys portraying their amalgamated dominance as they stand above the undermined Mr Nolan. This uprising against an authoritarian body represents an aggregation of individuals advocating for their personal judgements, regardless of whether it contradicts to traditional ideologies. As a result, one may rebel against suppressive authoritative figures and challenge customary conventions prompted by the desire of seeking fulfilment of their own values and develop a sense of individualism.

Certain actions or directives implemented by authority may be confronted due to contradicting perceptions from the individual, and thus induce a need to be challenged in order to reinstate justice. Jeff Widener’s iconic photograph “Tank Man” encapsulates the resistance of an individual against authoritative rule, the image consisting of a line of tanks obstructed by an unknown stationary man. This photo was taken during the 1989 student-led protests against government at Tiananmen Square, China - in which the Chinese military used force to repress these demonstrations. This image encompasses a similar concept to DPS, both incorporating the notion of retaliation from the individual precipitated from clashing ideologies with authority. The significant imbalance between the jurisdiction that an authoritarian body possesses juxtaposed to one of an individual is outlined through the stark contrast between the presence of the war vehicles and the unarmed man simply carrying shopping bags, underscoring how the seemingly insurmountable power within authority can be hindered through the capability of only one ordinary individual with a desire for a modification of current conventions. 

Conversely, the often-underestimated hardship of having to confront such intimidating figures is reflected in the stance and body language of the man as he appears irresolute and apprehensive, and considering the image was photographed more from his perspective than the tanks, it allows viewers to understand the difficulty of having to resist something, suggesting the fear that authority may give off associated to its badness. Furthermore, the indoctrinated values fabricated by entities of authority which are imposed onto the individual is inferred through visual irony within the photograph formulating the tanks to appear to epitomize nature through its camouflagic composition, which however contradicts to its true soulless and inhuman disposition, demonstrating despotism within an authoritative body promulgating misleadingly at the disadvantage of the individuals on account of benefiting the authorities, only to invoke an uprising. Hence, the unjust values embedded by authoritarians will collide with the ideals of the individuals within a society, and thus catalyse a resistance.