In modern day society, technology is a staple commodity. It helps us accomplish a myriad of tasks efficiently and within a time frame that we most likely would not be able to achieve without it. It helps us travel across continents in mere hours and even venture out of our atmosphere. Even more recently, as social media and communication is becoming a greater part of our culture than ever before, it enables us to connect absolutely."Knowledge is power" is a phrase often used in society, widely accepted as truth, and has most definitely earned its merit, as it's those who possess knowledge who more often than not prosper in society. Yet, even while fully aware of its value, knowledge is still something feared greatly by many individuals.With
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"[Irene Westcott] was struck at once with the physical ugliness of the large gumwood cabinet"(Cheever 251). While its size is immediately referred to upon the very first description of the radio, the emphasized quality of the radio is not its size, but its aesthetic dissonance. "Irene was proud of her living room...[but] the new radio stood among her intimate possessions like an aggressive intruder"(Cheever 251). The constant remarks in regard to the radio's physical appeal serve as more than mere initial speculation, and rather as a forewarning. As Jim and Irene Westcott soon discover, what they are in possession of is no ordinary radio. The radio has the ability to tune into the conversations of their neighbors, unveiling matters that their neighbors preferred to keep private. In this story, the radio symbolizes the red pill, which opens the door to becoming aware of the previously unknown reality. Choosing to utilize the radio in order to tune into the normally hidden matters of people's lives is equivalent to having taken the red pill over its blue counterpart. Having discovered the radio's abilities, the Westcotts reveled in their newfound access to that which is normally unattainable. What started off as an …show more content…
Having acquired knowledge meant to be kept secret, however, Irene was exposed to the world in its entirety, while being completely unprepared to face the detriments that come along with unlimited knowledge. Knowing such things about her neighbors completely shifted her view of those all around her, making it difficult for her to believe that there was even a bit of good left in humanity. Having been abruptly exposed to the negative affected her so greatly that she began to doubt the goodness in her life, equating happiness with ignorance, seeing as the bulk of what she discovered through the radio was negative." Life is too terrible, too sordid and awful. But we've never been like that, have we, darling? I mean, we've always been good and decent and loving to one another, haven't we?"(Cheever 256). When Irene discovered the radio's abilities, she was aware of what she was gaining, but ignorant of the fact that with absolute knowledge, comes absolute reality, which includes both the good and the bad a person is unaware of. In Irene's case, this proved to be too great of a tax on her conscience. Exposed to the full extent of what she had gained through the radio, Irene was by no means prepared to take on the knowledge she had been given. However, were an individual to consume the red pill while being unaware of the truth that was to be exposed to them, the outcome could be quite
"[Irene Westcott] was struck at once with the physical ugliness of the large gumwood cabinet"(Cheever 251). While its size is immediately referred to upon the very first description of the radio, the emphasized quality of the radio is not its size, but its aesthetic dissonance. "Irene was proud of her living room...[but] the new radio stood among her intimate possessions like an aggressive intruder"(Cheever 251). The constant remarks in regard to the radio's physical appeal serve as more than mere initial speculation, and rather as a forewarning. As Jim and Irene Westcott soon discover, what they are in possession of is no ordinary radio. The radio has the ability to tune into the conversations of their neighbors, unveiling matters that their neighbors preferred to keep private. In this story, the radio symbolizes the red pill, which opens the door to becoming aware of the previously unknown reality. Choosing to utilize the radio in order to tune into the normally hidden matters of people's lives is equivalent to having taken the red pill over its blue counterpart. Having discovered the radio's abilities, the Westcotts reveled in their newfound access to that which is normally unattainable. What started off as an …show more content…
Having acquired knowledge meant to be kept secret, however, Irene was exposed to the world in its entirety, while being completely unprepared to face the detriments that come along with unlimited knowledge. Knowing such things about her neighbors completely shifted her view of those all around her, making it difficult for her to believe that there was even a bit of good left in humanity. Having been abruptly exposed to the negative affected her so greatly that she began to doubt the goodness in her life, equating happiness with ignorance, seeing as the bulk of what she discovered through the radio was negative." Life is too terrible, too sordid and awful. But we've never been like that, have we, darling? I mean, we've always been good and decent and loving to one another, haven't we?"(Cheever 256). When Irene discovered the radio's abilities, she was aware of what she was gaining, but ignorant of the fact that with absolute knowledge, comes absolute reality, which includes both the good and the bad a person is unaware of. In Irene's case, this proved to be too great of a tax on her conscience. Exposed to the full extent of what she had gained through the radio, Irene was by no means prepared to take on the knowledge she had been given. However, were an individual to consume the red pill while being unaware of the truth that was to be exposed to them, the outcome could be quite