The Animatrix

Determining the constituents of reality is arguable the genesis of a prevailing acquiescence within society, and this manifests largely as either blind conformity or wistful ignorance. J.M Barrie and The Wachowski Brothers, authors of Peter Pan and The Matrix, respectively, consider how the obvious dichotomy between reality and fantasy in the two texts acts as a metaphor for society and their ability to choose preferential ignorance in times of strife. This idea is extended to incorporate the distinction between one’s enemy and one’s self and how the line between each identity is permeable. Both Barrie and the Wachowski brothers employ extended metaphors to elucidate human behaviours in certain situations. In Peter Pan, Barrie considers Neverland as a representation of a form of afterlife with the protagonist, Peter, acting as a pychopomp: historically an entity that escorts souls into the afterlife. This is supported in the thought made by Mrs. Darling in Chapter One where, “she just remembered a Peter Pan who was said to live with the fairies…when children died he went part of the way with them, so that they should not be frightened.” In this way, Neverland acts as a platform between life and death in which sick children make the journey to the magical realm of Neverland. If they stay-death-, they remain eternally young, representing the idea of limbus puerorum; where children die before they can accept the responsibilities of adulthood. However, if they choose to return…

By definition, dystopia describes an imaginary society that is as dehumanizing and as unpleasant as possible. It is believed that the Matrix is a dystopian society because the world inside the computer fabricates what you hear, smell, see, taste and even touch. Due to the computers isolating and incapacitating each human, the computers control all independent thoughts, freedom, or true individuality, all characteristics of a dystopian society. Wilful deception means allowing oneself to be…

The Matrix, on the other hand, is more than just a thought experiment. It is a narrative that is judged aesthetically, and as such its success requires that its creators produce something that will captivate and engage an audience. Carroll has asserted that, narratives, far from being complete, have gaps which need to be filled by the audience. That is, creators of narratives do not spell-out every detail of the narrative, instead, narratives rely on the elicitation of moral emotions from an…

The premises of the 1999 Wachowski film “The Matrix” offers very explicit similarities to Plato’s Allegory of the Cave of what is real. The film touches on the truth and its structure of Plato’s Allegory; however, the storyline is far from Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. Where “The Matrix” has a much more intricate story thats more adapted to the modern sci-fi fan base. Neo, played by Keanu Reeves as the main character, was trapped within the falsified reality of the Matrix program that was…

The Matrix’s use of technology and philosophy was groundbreaking to the film industry. Although the film brought a new fascinating science fiction plot never seen before, it is clear the film follows the hero’s journey. The Matrix uses biblical references and perception to bring new ideas, resulting in the evolution of the hero’s journey into a more modern version. To understand Neo’s journey in The Matrix one must understand how the biblical references strengthen the hero’s journey. For most…

Dystopian texts are an engagine medium for conveying political ideas to contemporary vieweres. ONe of the most prevalent aspects of the typical Dystopia is advanced technology, a characteristics which is becoming increaseingly true for our world. Composers of Dystopian texts aim to bring attention to the political exploitation of individuals, and it is the similarity between Dystopian worlds and our own which allows for the conveyance of this idea so effectively. Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel Never Let…

The Allegory of The Matrix Famous astronomer Galileo Galilei once said that “All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them”. He is a renowned intellectual as well as an astronomer, he believed in always finding the truth. He believed that it is the most important aspect of life. This is very similar to the views of Plato and the Wachowskis’, they believe that even if the truth is hidden from us, we must strive to find it. In Plato's "Allegory of the…

Existence of mankind and the extent of human knowledge in terms of reality has been a debatable issue from the time of Greek philosophers till present. The Matrix is a science fiction movie which illustrates the human existence being deceived in a dream world which is far off from the real world. The matrix as in the name of the movie is defined as the dream world, where humans are deceived by the Artificial Intelligence (AI). Throughout the movie, the main character Neo has always questioned…

To find the answer to the metaphysical question ‘What is real?” has been a philosopher’s intention for years. The Matrix, directed by Andy Wachowski and the written text, Plato’s Allegory of the Cave revolves around the concept of replying to this question. These two mediums share more similarities than differences. The Matrix as well as the Allegory of the Cave shares the concept of acceptance and broadening ones senses, the desire to learn, and having the knowledge to realize when one is in…

Both Plato and the Wachowski Brothers call into question the tension between appearance and reality and attest that education and questioning all that one knows are the only ways to achieve true knowledge. Reality can be reached only through an education coming from either persuasion or coercion. Education comes with inherent political tension which will exist until one objective version of reality is agreed upon by everyone. Since this will never happen, the concept of reality and appearance…