Have you ever thought of the motives behind writing the greatest Sci-Fi stories in history? Behind those who wrote the stories of “The Matrix” and the “Harrison Bergeron”. They are stories written which were inspired by the predictions of what will it be like with speculative thinking; typically, dealing with imaginative concepts such as futuristic science, futuristic technology, parallel universes and extra-terrestrial life. The two stories have many different ways of presenting themes that can relate to Joseph Campbell’s theory; which is the “Hero’s Journey”. Choice, Control and Freedom are some of the main debatable topics when it comes to Sci-Fi stories in General. Moreover, this is due to the owing fact that it makes the audience to think otherwise if they have different interpretations of the three themes.
In the two Sci-Fi stories; we see choice as the call to adventure. In “The Matrix” we witness ‘Neo’ where he receives a message to ‘follow the white rabbit’ on his computer and meets trinity in a nightclub and tells him she knows the answer to the question “What is the matrix”. It was ‘Neo’ who made the decision to ‘follow the white rabbit’. On
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Similarly, control is viewed as the main obstacle which both characters need to face. This can be related back to the “Heroes Journey”, which the pattern falls under Tests, Allies and Enemies. In contrast, the matrix views control as something you need to achieve, and to do so you need to free your mind. This will allow you to manipulate “The Matrix” however you are pleased. Morpheus even goes on to state “I came to realise the obviousness of the truth, what is the matrix? Control.” On the other hand, in “Harrison Bergeron”, Control is viewed as a threat which you need to defeat to overrun the government. Reason-being is because the citizens need to be able to use the intellect and strength which is ‘controlled’ and restricted by the
Let me briefly explain a simplified plot of The Matrix. The story centers around a computer-generated world that has been created to hide the truth from humans. In this world people are kept in slavery without their knowledge. This world is designed to simulate the peak of human civilization which had been destroyed by nuclear war. The majority of the world's population is oblivious to the fact that their world is digital rather than real, and they continue living out their daily lives without questioning their reality. The main character, Neo, is a matrix-bound human who knows that something is not right with the world he lives in, and is eager to learn the truth. He is offered the truth from a character named Morpheus, who proclaims that Neo is “the One” (chosen one) who will eventually destroy the Matrix, thereby setting the humans “free.” For this to happen, Neo must first overcome the Sentient Program agents who can jump into anyone's digital body. They are the Gate Keepers and hold the keys to The Matrix.
Harrison Bergeron is a short story that creates many images and feelings while using symbols and themes to critique aspects of our lives. In the story, the future US government implements a mandatory handicap for any citizens who is over their standards of normal. The goal of the program is to make everyone equal in physical capabilities, mental aptitude and even outward appearance. The story is focused around a husband and wife whose son, Harrison, was taken by the government because he is very strong and smart, and therefore too above normal not to be locked up. But, Harrison’s will is too great. He ends up breaking out of prison, and into a TV studio where he appears on TV. There, he removes the government’s equipment off of himself, and a dancer, before beginning to dance beautifully until they are both killed by the authorities. The author uses this story to satire
Literature and film have always held a strange relationship with the idea of technological progress. On one hand, with the advent of the printing press and the refinements of motion picture technology that are continuing to this day, both literature and film owe a great deal of their success to the technological advancements that bring them to widespread audiences. Yet certain films and works of literature have also never shied away from portraying the dangers that a lust for such progress can bring with it. The modern output of science-fiction novels and films found its genesis in speculative ponderings on the effect such progress could hold for the every day population, and just as often as not those speculations were damning. Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein and Fritz Lang's silent film Metropolis are two such works that hold great importance in the overall canon of science-fiction in that they are both seen as the first of their kind. It is often said that Mary Shelley, with her authorship of Frankenstein, gave birth to the science-fiction novel, breathing it into life as Frankenstein does his monster, and Lang's Metropolis is certainly a candidate for the first genuine science-fiction film (though a case can be made for Georges Méliès' 1902 film Le Voyage Dans la Lune, his film was barely fifteen minutes long whereas Lang's film, with its near three-hour original length and its blending of both ideas and stunning visuals, is much closer to what we now consider a modern science-fiction film). Yet though both works are separated by the medium with which they're presented, not to mention a period of over two-hundred years between their respective releases, they present a shared warning about the dangers that man's need fo...
This student of Philosophy now sees the movie The Matrix in a whole new way after gaining an understanding of some of the underlying philosophical concepts that the writers of the movie used to develop an intriguing and well thought out plot. Some of the philosophical concepts were clear, while others were only hinted at and most likely overlooked by those unfamiliar with those concepts, as was this student when the movie first came out in theaters all those many years ago. In this part of the essay we will take a look at the obvious and not so obvious concepts of: what exactly is the Matrix and how does it related to both Descartes and Plato, can we trust our own senses once we understand what the Matrix is, and how Neo taking the Red Pill is symbolic of the beginning of the journey out of Pl...
The Andromeda Strain, by Michael Crichton, is a science fiction novel about the struggle of mankind’s intelligence, and the dangers it may pose. The author has an extensive background in medicine and the sciences, which are incorporated into his writing and film production. This novel is noted for the use of literary devices, theme, and writing style, which will be covered in this paper.
As individuals overcome the inevitable process of change, they begin to realize their full potential. In the set text, the 1999 Wachowski Brother’s film, The Matrix, the concept of change is significantly explored. In the related texts “Plato’s Allegory of the cave” and “The Door” clearly represents and reinforces this concept of change; that it is inevitable and experiences from this process leads to wisdom. In each text, the individual composers explore certain themes such as “the illusion of reality”, “choices and the endless outcomes of change” and “the fear and danger of knowing”. All the texts mentioned visible represents that “It is the process of transformation that ultimately allows potential to be realized”.
Let us begin with the comparison of The Matrix with Plato’s Excerpt The Allegory of the Cave and Descartes Excerpt Meditation I. All of these readings seem to have characters that are in a world made of illusions and dreams. Deception is also very prominent in these stories; the characters are being deceived by what they see and by the world around them. In these stories, it is essential for the characters to uncover the truth about what is the true reality. In The Matrix Neo was told that the world he thought was real was actually nothing more than a virtual world made up by a computer program. He was not aware of the real world until he took a red pill, this awoken Neo from his dream state and allowed him to see beyond what he thought was true. Neo experienced different emotions after taking the pill. He experiences denial, confusion, and fear but finally ...
In his novel Brave New World, Aldous Huxley illustrates ways in which government and advanced science control society. Through actual visualization of this Utopian society, the reader is able to see how this state affects Huxley’s characters. Throughout the book, the author deals with many different aspects of control. Whether it is of his subjects’ feelings and emotions or of the society’s restraint of population growth, Huxley depicts government’s and science’s role in the brave new world of tomorrow.
“Harrison Bergeron” a short story by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., takes place in a totalitarian society where everyone is equal. A man who tries to play the savior, but ultimately fails in his endeavors to change the world. Vonnegut short story showed political views on communism, which is that total equality is not good (and that equity might be better).
Philosophers have developed many different theories to explain the existence and behavior of “free will.” This classical debate has created two main family trees of theories, with multiple layers and overlapping. It all begins with Determinist and Indeterminist theories. Simply put, determinists believe that our choices are determined by circumstance, and that the freedom to make our own decisions does not exist. Indeterminists, for example Libertarians, believe that we are free to make our own choices; these choices are not determined by other factors, like prior events. In class, we began the discussion of free will, and the competing arguments of Determinists and Indeterminists, with the works of Roderick Chisholm, a libertarian who made
There are some very startling similarities in the clash of matrices portrayed by the movie The Matrix and Dawn. On the surface the two works might seem to be addressing different topics, but the books have a common theme, and when the two works are analyzed in-depth, the parallels become readily apparent. The Matrix is about the clash between machines and humanity, while Dawn is about an alien race that decides to trade the survival of humanity for the genetic traits they can use from the human species. But at the heart of both struggles, there is a main character set between two startlingly different Matrices, or patterns of existing, and it is up to them to make the critical decision between which reality will continue.
Trinity tells Neo, “The Matrix can not tell you who you are”. Neo is brave enough to walk away and take the red pill, just like the freed prisoner, Neo , and human kind itself, are making the first step towards personal independence.
The critical analysis of “Frankenstein” in Baldick’s article allowed a similar examination of “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas.” In the end I think it is safe to say that science fiction writing contains some of the authors own experiences whether directly or indirectly. Alternatively, science fiction stories can say something about the reader and that LeGuin wants the reader to look into their own fears of abandonment.
In conclusion both stories are similar in their ideas. The stories are about people searching for the truth so they can be free. At the end of Neos phone call is something that could have been said to the "puppeteers" in "The Cave." That he's going to show the people what they don't want them to see, A world without rules or control, a world without borders or boundaries and most importantly a world without them. There were many key points that I was able to relate and analyze in this story. I still have no doubt that this movie was based off Greek Philosophy and a great piece to choose. In the end both "The Allegory of the Cave" and The Matrix were both great stories or truth and freedom and what a person will do to find the truth and be free.
Sci-Fi novels have been around for almost a century. Sci-Fi has the most potential of any genre to capture and explore the imagination of the world we know , or don’t know. Like any other genre Sci-Fi has tried to teach us lessons , or warn us of our arrogant choices as a whole civilization. But like all things, it changes with time. Sci-Fi writers adjust their styles accordingly based on current economic, political, or environmental problems around the world. The language in the writings change as well in an ongoing effort to keep up with the trends of popular culture.