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The Matrix : From Plato and Descartes, to Eastern Philosophy">The Philosophy of The Matrix : From Plato and Descartes, to Eastern Philosophy

in Film , Philosophy | March 31st, 2017 3 Comments

Do you take the red pill or the blue pill? The ques­tion, which at its heart has to do with either accept­ing or reject­ing the illu­sions that con­sti­tute some or all of life as you know it, became part of the cul­ture almost imme­di­ate­ly after Mor­pheus, Lawrence Fish­burne’s char­ac­ter in  The Matrix , put it to Keanu Reeves’ pro­tag­o­nist Neo. That film, a career-mak­ing suc­cess for its direc­tors the Wachows­ki sis­ters (then the Wachows­ki broth­ers), had its own elab­o­rate vision of a false real­i­ty entrap­ping human­i­ty as the actu­al one sur­rounds it, a vision made real­iz­able by the finest late-1990s com­put­er-gen­er­at­ed spe­cial effects. But the ideas behind it, as this Film Radar video essay shows, go back a long way indeed.

The first and by far the most respect­ed of the tril­o­gy, The Matrix  “large­ly inter­prets Pla­to’s Alle­go­ry of the Cave. Imag­ine a cave. Inside are peo­ple who were born and have spent their entire lives there, chained into a fixed posi­tion, only able to see the wall in front of them. As far as they know, this is the entire world.” The Wachowskis ask the same ques­tion Pla­to does: “How do we know what our real­i­ty real­ly is?”

When they have Mor­pheus bring Neo out of his “cave” of every­day late-20th-cen­tu­ry exis­tence, they do it in a man­ner anal­o­gous to Pla­to’s Anal­o­gy of the Sun, in which “the sun is a metaphor for the nature of real­i­ty and knowl­edge con­cern­ing it,” and the eyes of the fear­ful few forced out of their cave need some time to adjust to it.

But when one “unplugs” from the illu­sion-gen­er­at­ing Matrix of the title — a con­cept now in con­sid­er­a­tion again thanks to the pop­u­lar­i­ty of the “sim­u­la­tion argu­ment” — a longer jour­ney toward that real­ly-real real­i­ty still awaits. The sec­ond and third install­ments of the tril­o­gy involve a dive into “reli­gious phi­los­o­phy from the East,” espe­cial­ly the idea of escape from the eter­nal soul’s rein­car­na­tion “into oth­er phys­i­cal forms in an infi­nite cycle where the soul is left to wan­der and suf­fer” by means of a spir­i­tu­al quest for “enlight­en­ment, by unit­ing body and mind with spir­it.” This leads, inevitably, to self-sac­ri­fice: by final­ly “allow­ing him­self to die,” Neo “is reunit­ed with spir­it” and “becomes the true sav­ior of human­i­ty” — a nar­ra­tive ele­ment not unknown in reli­gious texts even out­side the East.

These count as only “a few of the philo­soph­i­cal ideas the Wachowskis explore in the Matrix tril­o­gy,” the oth­ers includ­ing Robert Noz­ick­’s “Expe­ri­ence Machine,”  Descartes’ “Great Deceiv­er,”  and oth­er con­cepts from Kant and Hume “ques­tion­ing real­i­ty, causal­i­ty, and free will, not to men­tion the obvi­ous com­men­tary on tech­nol­o­gy or a sub­mis­sive soci­ety.” Of course, philo­soph­i­cal explo­ration in  The Matrix involve count­less fly­ing — and grav­i­ty-defy­ing — fists and bul­lets, much of it per­formed by char­ac­ters clad in reflec­tive sun­glass­es and black leather. Per­haps that dat­ed­ness has prompt­ed the recent announce­ment of a  Matrix reboot : though the styles may change, if it hap­pens, the ideas would no doubt remain rec­og­niz­able to Pla­to him­self.

Relat­ed Con­tent:

Are We Liv­ing Inside a Com­put­er Sim­u­la­tion?: An Intro­duc­tion to the Mind-Bog­gling “Sim­u­la­tion Argu­ment”

Philip K. Dick The­o­rizes The Matrix in 1977, Declares That We Live in “A Com­put­er-Pro­grammed Real­i­ty”

Daniel Den­nett and Cor­nel West Decode the Phi­los­o­phy of The Matrix

The Matrix : What Went Into The Mix

Free Online Phi­los­o­phy Cours­es

Based in Seoul,  Col­in Mar­shall  writes and broad­casts on cities a nd cul­ture. He’s at work on a book about Los Ange­les,  A Los Ange­les Primer , the video series  The City in Cin­e­ma ,   the crowd­fund­ed jour­nal­ism project  Where Is the City of the Future? , and the  Los Ange­les Review of Books’  Korea Blog .   Fol­low him on Twit­ter at  @colinmarshall  or on  Face­boo k .

by Colin Marshall | Permalink | Comments (3) |

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The ‘Matrix’ film was of a pop­u­la­tion as ‘pris­on­er’s because they were all liv­ing with­in a real­i­ty and a ‘body’ both of which weren’t real. In oth­er words, you are essen­tial­ly a pris­on­er specif­i­cal­ly because your body and your real­i­ty are FAKE. You are then in effect noth­ing more than a ‘shad­ow’ on the wall of a fake real­i­ty.

As the entire basis of the ‘Matrix’ arti­fi­cial real­i­ty type rests on the premise that your cur­rent body is fake then you’d imag­ine that a search for:

‘Pla­to’s cave two bod­ies inter­faced togeth­er Matrix real­i­ty’

… would return more than a hand­ful of pages.

I’ve also nev­er seen men­tioned in any Pla­to’s cave matrix arti­fi­cial real­i­ty com­par­i­son dis­cus­sions and par­tic­u­lar­ly on phi­los­o­phy ori­en­tat­ed web sites that a fake real­i­ty would have both the MOTIVE as well as the oppor­tu­ni­ty to direct­ly manip­u­late it’s res­i­dents and would per­haps par­tic­u­lar­ly do this when the res­i­dents of a fake real­i­ty are dis­cussing the pos­si­bil­i­ty of whether they are liv­ing with­in a fake real­i­ty or not!!!

Some reasoned/rational ‘Matrix’ real­i­ty spec­u­la­tion pages can be found on clivehetherington.com

The cave and the Matrix both have the Motive to con­trol its res­i­dents if they ate liv­ing in a fake real­i­ty or a liv­ing

We live in two spaces, the feel­ing space cen­tered in our organs, and the think­ing space cen­tered in our brain. The first one works in quan­tum time, the sec­ond in lin­ear time. Child amne­sia is when the sec­ond takes the lead because our soci­ety favored it. The fab­ric of our life is made of feel­ings and we only have that. A feel­ing or affect has a tridi­men­sion­al struc­ture: body ten­sion, body acti­va­tion and pro­to-rep­re­sen­ta­tion of bel­ly malaise or bel­ly well-being which will give “it’s bad” or “it’s good” and the cono­ta­tion of all the con­cepts ( on side of the def­i­n­i­tion of the dic­tio­nary). the rea­son is for sur­vival: at any time we need to know if our sit­u­a­tion is good or bad, to cope with the sit­u­a­tion and have our body ready to fight or flee or freeze. The feel­ing space is an on-going mon­i­tor­ing process which com­pute all the stim­uli from the out­side and inter­nal in no time, and resume them in a feel­ing. Remem­ber the last time you jump back while you want­ed to cross the street but did­nt see the motorcycle…your on-going mon­i­tor­ing process is here for you to thank. The gut feel­ing that saved it all but nev­er rec­og­nized for what it is. The free will that fleet­ing moment where you will have the pre­cip­i­tate of a feel­ing as good or bad. Most of us, bor­der­line, have cut the bridge between the two spaces because we did­n’t receive our count of uncon­di­tion­al love as infant, and the big mon­ster anger inside us was so fright­en­ing as all pow­er baby who could destroy the world and kill the care­givers. That the eter­nal inter­nal con­flict most of us drag on, until you rec­og­nize that low­er­ing the anger allows you to get self-con­fi­dence. then, you become more dif­fi­cult to manip­u­late and to keep in the matrix. It hap­pens that medi­a­tion is a way to renew the bridge: put the ten­sion as low as pos­si­ble, don’t move, let you think­ing stop. no words because there is none in the feel­ing space. With your true self aside of your feel­ings: have anger, no more angry, You don’t blur with your feel­ings no more, as you don’t blur with the words.I could devel­op more, but I only want to add, we are safe from the AI as long as they don’t have feel­ings (not imi­ta­tion). Truth is, I don’t know what a quan­tum com­put­er is capa­ble of. The cri­sis we are going on with the mil­i­taro-indus­tri­al com­plex and deep­state and CB, is cen­tered around quan­tum com­put­ers, but far from our eyes. Last time they orga­nized the death camps with IBM machines, no they hope the all plan­et with become a death camp where they can decide who lives and who dies. I hope you are awak­en, it is fright­en­ing but also excit­ing time to be alive. Cheers!

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Home — Essay Samples — Entertainment — The Matrix — “The Matrix” Movie: Summary and Analysis

"The Matrix" Movie: Analysis and Reflection

• Categories: Film Analysis Movie Review The Matrix

About this sample

Words: 1910 |

10 min read

Published: Mar 3, 2020

Words: 1910 | Pages: 4 | 10 min read

The essay explores the movie "The Matrix" and its use of cinematic techniques, such as lighting, special effects, and camera angles, to convey its cautionary message about technological reliance and the consequences of advanced technology. "The Matrix" presents a thought-provoking story where technology becomes so advanced that it controls and enslaves humanity. The essay delves into how these cinematic elements are employed to enhance the storytelling.

Lighting is discussed as a tool to depict the stark contrast between the protagonist Neo's two lives, one in a mundane office and the other in a mysterious hacker world. Special effects are highlighted for their role in creating a sense of intimidation and seriousness during crucial moments in the film. The use of camera angles is also examined, such as the close-up on Morpheus' sunglasses when offering Neo a choice between the red and blue pills, which symbolizes the stark options presented to the protagonist.

The essay also touches on various critical interpretations of the movie, including comparisons to Plato's allegory of the cave, concerns about technological reliance, and critiques of originality in the film's concept. The author personally agrees with many of these interpretations and appreciates the film's exploration of reality and human capabilities in the face of advanced technology.

Table of contents

Introduction, analysis of cinematic techniques, critical analysis.

Revolutionary movie,dangers of technology, production of The Matrix help,camera angles,hopeful ending message,current educational systems,office building,Neo,movie,dominant notion of education,human element,real world

Works Cited

• Boje, D. M. (2000). Stories of the storytelling organization: A postmodern analysis of Disney as” Tamara-Land”. Academy of Management Journal, 43(4), 794-811.
• Cook-Sather, A. (2003). Movements of mind: The matrix, metaphors, and reimagining education. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 35(1), 3-23.
• Maslin, J. (1999, March 31). FILM REVIEW; His Life Suddenly Unplugged From the Net. The New York Times.
• Miriam Webster. (n.d.). Reality. In Miriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved from [insert URL here]
• O’Sullivan, D. (1999). Virtual reality, cyberspace, and the politics of transformation. Studies in Political Economy, 59(1), 35-65.
• Rothstein, E. (2003). Whatever you want to think it is, it isn’t: The matrix and reading classical film theory. Wide Angle, 21(2), 52-72.
• Sandoval, C. (2004). New media in everyday life. In C. Sandoval (Ed.), The Matrix Reader: Examining the Dynamics of Oppression and Privilege (pp. 75-99). McGraw-Hill Education.
• Schneider, S. M. (2003). Contradiction in the matrix: Matrix as feminist project? Wide Angle, 21(2), 19-36.
• Tasker, Y. (1999). The matrix: Gender and computer-generated imagery. Screen, 40(2), 171-187.
• Wachowski, L., & Wachowski, A. (Writers & Directors). (1999). The Matrix [Motion picture]. Warner Bros. Pictures.

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Beginning to Believe: A Reflection on The Matrix

Eliza Ruiz on cinema as self-actualizing thesis, experienced through the Wachowski sisters’ iconic sci-fi game-changer, The Matrix .

Content note : this essay contains mention of suicidal ideation, murder statistics, discussion of dysphoria, face, identity, feelings, hormones, anatomical markers such as body hair and breasts, detransitioning, healthcare affordability, workplace issues, family rejection, Elon Musk, and Ivanka Trump.

Statistically, most people look at themselves in the mirror around eight times a day; I prefer to go full weeks without seeing myself even once.

Mirrors have never been kind to me. Since first developing the pubescent consciousness that awakens an eternal comparison of the shapes of my body to others, reflective surfaces have spat at me with a kind of acidity that clings to and corrodes the skin. Nothing ever seems to be in the right place; my eyebrows are too thick, my forearms too skinny, my legs too hairy, my jawline far too pronounced… it goes on. On most days, I prefer wearing long-sleeved shirts and jeans that cover as much skin as possible—the less I have to be reminded of what I do not see, the better.

I was brought into this world with an ‘M’ on my birth certificate, given a biblical name that translates to ‘God with us’. Growing up in a traditional, evangelical household, it was a meaning I would be reminded of throughout my life. Often, though, The Lord felt just as absent as any father figure I would go on to have. If there was a God, a being of overwhelming power and warmth, how could such an entity be so cruel as to curse myself and millions of others into living the majority of our lives in bodies and names and expectations we were not meant to have?

I was sure of the feelings I had, but struggled to describe them exactly. Every reflective surface—windows, mirrors, polished car doors—showed me a face I didn’t recognize, a shape I didn’t want. Nothing was where it was supposed to be; I was like a puzzle assembled with pieces from several different boxes— technically complete, but dilapidated, unsightly. Leg hair felt to me like several thousand tendrils rising from my pores, and the faster I shaved them the faster they grew back; the more my body would punish me for getting rid of them too hastily, sprouting pale red volcanoes across my thighs and calves no matter how carefully I shaved or how thoroughly I moisturized. I wanted to get out of my body, the subcutaneous cell that bound me. If ripping the skin off would spell at least a temporary relief from the loathing, I would’ve torn at it without hesitation.

The Matrix 1999

Directed by Lilly Wachowski , Lana Wachowski

Answers wouldn’t come, but the Wachowski sisters gave me a blueprint with which to make my own. Watching The Matrix for the first time, I was finally gifted with the words to verbalize my dysphoria.

Rarely do I come across a fictional character that even slightly parallels my own anxieties and shortcomings: disillusion in relation to self and the structures that depend on a sanitized performance of it, sheltered skepticism, a daily dissatisfaction with social dynamics, a preference for screens over faces (a roundabout way of saying that I don’t often go outside, because it requires a voluntary desire for others to perceive me).

The Wachowskis’ conceptualization of Neo held a mirror to my life and forced my face into it; I didn’t want to hear what they had to say, but I may not be alive if they hadn’t compelled me to listen.

However, before I gravitated to Neo (Keanu Reeves), there was Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne):

“Let me tell you why you’re here. You’re here because you know something. What you know you can’t explain—but you feel it. You’ve felt it your entire life. You don’t know what it is, but it’s there. It’s this feeling that has brought you to me. Do you know what I’m talking about?”

Not unlike the mechanized abstractions Neo confronts in the film, the concept of gender and its mostly unchallenged definition is so nebulous that questioning it can feel like a blasphemous act. To contend with traditional interpretations of masculinity, femininity, and the mannerisms by which one should abide if they hope to adequately “pass”—or to exist between and beyond these two ends of the spectrum—is to disrupt the basis of reality itself.

To prod that centuries-old foundation, to me, is not unlike Morpheus’ first conversation with Neo in The Construct:

“What is real? How do you define ‘real’?”

Change the word ‘real’ to ‘gender’ and it all begins to unravel.

Coming out as a trans woman was, ironically, the least climactic of my revelatory experiences concerning identity. When I came to the epiphany that I was bisexual, I was on a walk listening to Frank Ocean’s Chanel ; I fell to my knees in tears, as sixteen years of repressed homosexuality began to come undone.

I fought it at first, as a naïve, scared kid who had been forced to watch pastors feverishly condemn homosexuality to the raucous applause of hundreds every other Sunday. Over the next three years, ‘I think I like men, too’ would become ‘I think I’m not so sure anymore’, to ‘I don’t think I care; most people are really attractive’. Then, a couple more: ‘I don’t think I like being a man, I would prefer using non-gendered pronouns for now’, which would eventually become ‘I want to live as a woman for the rest of my life’.

Notice how resolute that last one was.

I am sufficiently privileged in having access to a robust and compassionate support system. I had already been living away from my family, so the hypothetical threat of rejection and/or ostracization wasn’t as immediate as it would’ve been if I was still under their roof. Instead, my coming out was met with immediate congratulations from friends inside and outside the screen, and when I told my girlfriend of my glorious epiphany, I received a knowingly nonchalant “Okay, cool!”.

As it turns out, she knew before I did.

So much of those first couple months were defined by a kind of euphoria I had never felt. For the first time in my life, I was afforded the space to experiment with feminine clothing! I shaved just about every part of my body that was capable of growing hair, and the full-body chills I would have at all hours of the day inspired an intense warmth. I “borrowed” my girlfriend’s novelty earrings and wore them to work; it became such a frequent occurrence that if I didn’t show up with a pair of flamboyantly bedazzled fruits/​hearts/​hoops hanging from my ears, coworkers knew something was wrong. I ditched the Adidas running shoes I had worn since my sophomore year in high school and switched them out for boots that added another two inches to my already lanky 74-inch frame.

Nothing about me had physically changed, but I would become happier than I’d ever been. I’m sure that had a lot to do with the only thing that did change: my name, Eliza.

A completely random choice, plucked from a list of the most feminine namesakes I could find that retained my first initial. I felt drawn to it immediately; it epitomized the strong and simultaneously delicate air I hoped to emulate in my transition. Ironically, I still wouldn’t escape biblical allusion, as this name would have potent roots in spirituality as well. It originates from Hebrew, with a collection of translations that roughly mean “pledged to God”, which is about as loaded as definitions get.

Eliza is open to many interpretations, but what struck me first is that it seemed to encapsulate my entire life to that point: I had never been my own, the body I found myself in pledged to indoctrinations I had never permitted. I thought of how the name unified my past and future, the years stolen from me when immovable influences robbed me of a voice, and the years I would spend on restoring it.

Naturally, I thought of Neo, and how his chosen name literalizes renewal , that the journey he undergoes in the Matrix films is one of recalibration and reclamation in relation to the self. He is a character with whom I feel irreversibly intertwined, and I knew that in the early months of my transition that I would subconsciously and continually reference The Matrix as a blueprint by which to grow in my new life.

In the months since coming out though, a discouraging side of the film previously unknown to me began to rear itself. Not only does the film highlight the catharsis that comes with self-actualization, it examines how harrowing that journey can be.

In coming out as trans, I am meant to step into the shoes of some of the most unapologetic, uncompromising people to walk the Earth.

Happy Birthday, Marsha! 2018

Directed by Sasha Wortzel , Tourmaline

Marsha “Pay It No Mind” Johnson, co-founder of the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) and the catalyzing force behind 1969’s Stonewall Riots ( Tourmaline’s short doc that recounts the event is a must). Artists like Arca, and the late SOPHIE, whose intrepid experimentations within the boundaries of pop have manipulated and shattered them. Filmmakers like Lana and Lilly Wachowski, trailblazing directors who so breathlessly conflate their filmic influences to create works of supreme sincerity, stylizing action sequences with a kind of kinesthetic eccentricity generally exclusive to Eastern cinema.

In his own journey, Neo is promised salvation through unchained self-expression, and he finds it, but not before risking life and limb on the way. Just as Neo was meant to manage the gaudy expectations associated with being prophesied as The One, trans people are meant to drastically recalibrate the self after having their worldview uprooted.

On many days, the shoes I intend to fill feel too big for my feet. Each day brings a new saga of self-imposed isolation, indecision and dysphoria, with the lows often outnumbering the highs. Imposter syndrome is something I regularly struggle with; the pessimistic segments of my brain—the ones that aren’t me, but sound like me—can be especially vicious, working to delegitimize any progress I make and calling into question the validity of my identity.

On my worst days, the words of The Matrix ’s Cypher (Joe Pantaliano) verbalize these feelings best: “Why, oh why didn’t I take the blue pill?”  Statistically, my life expectancy was halved as soon as I committed to transitioning. I am endangered every time I step outside wearing feminine clothing. So, the question is, why would I and millions more pursue a path that—statistically—almost certainly dead-ends at a premature demise? Well, for me, compared to the closeted life I was leading before, death is preferable.

While the validity of The Matrix as an allegory for the trans experience is hotly contested in certain corners of the internet, it was immediately apparent to me. It’s no accident that the last thing Neo does before first leaving the Matrix is manipulate the boundaries of a mirror just before it attempts to consume him.

Concerning liberation, the goals of the LGBTQ+ community seem diametrically opposed with the intrinsic objective of authoritarianism: to uphold the status quo. “No cops at pride” is a recurring motif within the dialogue orbiting Pride Month, and that’s no coincidence; one need only a superficial knowledge of the Stonewall Riots to understand that police and all associative figures of authority are a microcosm for the greater societal structures that so gleefully oppress queer people of all variations, those who aim to disrupt archaic ‘normalcies’.

For most of us, breathing is in itself a form of rebellion, and the Wachowski sisters incisively articulate this conflict in pitting Morpheus and company—self-liberated deviants—against the Agents—representatives of authority operating in service to machines .

It’s rare that trans people get to tell our own stories. If they’re told at all, our influence is abbreviated or shut out entirely, our lives and legacies canonized through a cisgender lens. So often, these perspectives define our existence as one rampant with turmoil and suffering. While it’s not entirely untrue that turbulence is somewhat inherent to the trans experience, the simultaneous joy we feel is often omitted from these stories.

I find Xavier Dolan’s rendering of Laurence Anyways ’ titular trans woman to be especially venomous in its refusal to characterize her beyond the archetypal, her transition utilized as little more than a narrative device to undergird the starring couple’s relational discord. Considering the many, many occasions in which her name is spat back at her, I almost feel uncomfortable engaging with the name Laurence at all; oftentimes, it felt as if Dolan were cycling through a discrimination checklist, narratively prioritizing everything that could possibly go wrong, and treating depth and insight as secondary.

We are not tools for mediocre writers to exploit to manufacture nuance (if Anyways was conceptualized as a standard cisgendered romance, there’d be nothing to distinguish it from the other million-or-so doomed-love dramas). While it’s undeniable that trans people indeed experience suffering, our lives must not be exclusively defined by it, but must also be complemented by our refraction and ascension above it, the euphoria and change we’ve catalyzed on an Earth that has sought to destroy us at every turn.

Therein lies the solitary magic of The Matrix and the permanent residence it has claimed within our culture. Not only is it rare for trans narratives to be autobiographical, it’s exceedingly rare for them to achieve mainstream immortalization.

What allowed for the film’s cultural embrace at the time, however, was the fact that it was told from a closeted perspective, meticulously imparted with its now-eternal subtext. As much as I would love for an unabashedly radical trans protagonist to spearhead a multi-billion-dollar franchise, Warner Bros—and by extension, the world—wasn’t ready for us to represent the forefront of a blockbuster like that in 1999. For better or worse, the film’s subtextual ambiguity would go on to define it.

For over two decades now, the film and the people who seek to reclaim it as an essential queer text have battled a flawed, heteronormative canonization. Even after its directors have both since come out as trans women, talks of red-pill simulacra still persist in the internet’s more undesirable corners. Corporate entities and people who perpetuate the very same institutions and systems the film aims to lambast identify with the text, blatantly naïve (or perhaps, willfully ignorant) to the broader queer context in which it more sturdily operates.

Fuck both of you — Lilly Wachowski (@lilly_wachowski) May 17, 2020

Evidenced by 2020’s infamous Twitter exchange between Elon Musk and Ivanka Trump (an exchange so lovingly moderated by Lilly Wachowski shortly thereafter ), the iconic red pill has become almost synonymous with avenues of conservative thought, positioning their regressive rhetoric as an eternal ‘truth’ that must be pursued at all costs. They perceive the film as a revelatory rumination on the importance of self-expression and inevitability of rebellion.

That, it is , but not for the reasons they believe.

More than any other emotion in the months following my coming out, that time was defined by an anger I had never known before. It often coexisted with euphoria, too, but I struggled with a new, special kind of resentment. Customer-service employees would often mistake my name for ‘Elijah’; as much as I tried to regard it as an honest mistake instead of a malicious affront, it only served to confirm my fear that—barring drastic alterations to my appearance—strangers would always, always project masculinity onto me because I don’t appear traditionally feminine. I tried self-coaching to feminize my voice, but it seemed that no matter how hard I worked at it, people I talked to over the phone still defaulted to “sir”. When I attempted to debut the higher pitch around friends and coworkers, I was met with stilted laughter.

At work, they would selectively employ my pronouns; I try to forgive the occasional slip, but because success in sales positions is predicated on upholding a personality that customers project onto you, they were not willing to disrupt their comfort on my behalf (and I was broke, so neither was I). It got so bad that I gave up on correcting them. I quit the vocal coaching, too.

Try as they might, going to my cis friends for consolation often yielded none. Some of them operate from a position of sincere understanding—not of my plight, but of the fact that they had never experienced dysphoria. Sharing in my sorrow from an objective, well-meaning, yet ultimately impersonal perspective was the best they could offer. Many of them engaged in meaningless generality, attempting to alleviate emotions unknowable to them by emptily promising better days were ahead. Eventually, I stopped venting altogether.

Just as I had renewed a connection to my mother unknown to me since middle school, coming out to her catalyzed a devastating rescind, resetting all progress I worked hard to make when I told her I didn’t want to be her son anymore.

I’d never felt so alone.

Blasphemous as it may sound, I often pondered whether or not the isolation and incidental desecration of my treasured relationships was worth it. I thought myself selfish for it—willfully destroying everything around me just to have a chance at sincerely liking myself. Then, again, as if through divine intervention, another rewatch of The Matrix yielded what, at first, seemed an absentminded exchange between Morpheus and Neo:

“I can’t go back, can I?” “No, but if you could, would you really want to?”

On the subject of gender, I usually shy away from generality based on nuances inherent to every transition. However, I believe that one of the most essential steps in transitioning is forgiving yourself for not having that epiphany sooner. To come out at twenty or 36 or 59 is not to say that I have wasted my first nineteen or 35 or 58 years of life (though sometimes it was difficult to feel like I hadn’t).

Just because I am now Eliza doesn’t mean Emanuel never existed—though it pains me to be reminded of it, that was the me I understood myself to be at the time. This is the me I want to be now, and for the rest of my days.

Not unlike Neo’s climactic struggle with Agent Smith in the subway, it wasn’t until I verbally claimed my name—my life—that I became invincible.

I knew from the first time my girlfriend called me by that name that I loved it, that I wanted to hear people call me by that name for the rest of my life. But it wasn’t a name I could immediately step into. She had to be welcomed. I now know that she likes white ruffled socks, and multicolored knee-highs that display anything from hearts to capitalized bold text that reads “ MY CAT IS COOL AS FUCK ”. Her listening habits vacillate between Kanye West and Charli XCX, Playboi Carti and FKA twigs.

Certain Women 2016

Directed by Kelly Reichardt

She adores the sensitivity of Kelly Reichardt’s Certain Women and also thinks Transformers are fucking awesome. She loves V6 engines, curses her own four-cylinder each time she’s meant to merge with interstate traffic, and thinks Michelle Rodriguez’s Letty from the Fast and Furious saga is one of the most quietly groundbreaking characters to grace the screen. I learned that these interests aren’t mutually exclusive, and discovered their seemingly landlocked association with gender to be just another internalized hurdle I was meant to clear in morphing the aforementioned ‘she’ to ‘me’.

I have been on estrogen for nearly four months now. If not for a follow-up appointment in September that I couldn’t afford to pay out-of-pocket for—interrupting my dosages for nearly 50 days—it would have been five. In that time, as my breasts got smaller and the sensitivity in them receded, my production renewed (I am above oversharing in some respects!), it was a deeply affirming period for me in spite of the suicidal ideation that paralleled it.

After three months of being plagued by indecision, wondering whether I had actually done the right thing, the regression only confirmed that I want this more than anything else in life.

With every six months that elapse, I find myself irrevocably divorced from the woman I was six months ago. I used to believe my transition—and by extension, the self—was a concept with a presupposed finish line. I regarded identity as something that needed to be ‘finalized’, and only recently have I realized that doing so is fruitless. I am a woman, a woman , with inimitable fluidity; to deny myself the right to unending change is to deny myself the right to a fuller life.

There are a great many films that have positively influenced me, shaped me into the woman I am today, and there will be more to come. But I can ardently say that no film has or will again transform me quite like The Matrix .

The Matrix Resurrections 2021

Directed by Lana Wachowski

Though The Matrix Resurrections , the upcoming fourth installment, has yet to debut, I already find myself conceptually partial to it, as I expect Lana’s decade-plus experience as an out trans woman will have recontextualized the world of The Matrix and that of Neo’s story in a far more triumphant light. To have finally seen her name attached as director in the promotional material for the film brought me to tears! No doubt I will be a sobbing mess by the time I’ve made it through my first viewing.

I’ve yet to make a full year since coming out as a woman, but it has already been the most rewarding period of my life. I feel an instant camaraderie with every trans person I meet. Most of my days are spent feeling as if no one can understand the pain I experience—the isolation, the disillusion, the indecision—but when I see and meet trans family, I feel immediate comfort, and in those moments, I know I am not alone.

The tragedy in that connection, however, is understanding that some of us may not live to see the euphoria promised by transitioning. Recently, 2021 became the deadliest year on record for trans and non-binary people ; 45 murders, outpacing the previous high of 44 set just last year—already high numbers that are likely underrepresented due to potential misreports.

To be trans is to commit to something far bigger than myself. It is to declare belonging among the millions of courageous trailblazers present and past who dared to exist in a world that aches for our annihilation. It is to live with a nuanced joy that few will ever experience, and with reverence for the angels that were taken from us before getting the chance to have it. I live for them, and I know they live in me.

Mirrors are a lot kinder to me now—I finally feel like I can smile back at the reflection I see.

This essay was commissioned as part of Letterboxd’s call for submissions during Pride Month 2021. Follow Eliza on Letterboxd and Twitter . ‘ The Matrix Resurrections ’ is scheduled for theatrical release on 22 December, 2021, and will stream digitally on HBO Max for a month from that date.

Support lines

• The Trevor Project ’s 24/7/365 Lifeline at 866-4-U-TREVOR (866-488-7386) or  TrevorChat , their online instant-messaging option, or  TrevorText , a text-based support option. If you are looking for peer support, you can visit  TrevorSpace  from anywhere in the world.
• The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline  at 800-273-TALK (8255)
• Trans Lifeline  at 877-565-8860
• For readers outside the US, see  The Trevor Project's list of international resources

Further Reading

• J L’s Transgender Film Week 2021 selection
• Leonora’s list of films by transgender writers and directors
• TRANS : Alma’s list of films about trans characters and experiences
• Saige’s list of trans women of color in film
• keanu reeves
• wachowski sisters
• women directors
• reassessing the classics

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The Matrix Themes

By the wachowskis.

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Man vs Machine

The Matrix is a movie based on how machines have taken over and the resistance is fighting them. What is interesting is how the movie portrays humans and their machine-like tendencies. Not only do we see machine like actions in the humans, but there is also an abundance of human like qualities in the machines. In several scenes, we see how the actors are consistent in their actions in a nearly robot like manner.

Free will dilemma

In the movie, there is a discussion on whether humans actually want free will. This film shows this in how people are given a choice to pick the red or blue pill - each symbolizing free will or living a life that is comfortable but fake. They have the choice of a comfortable world or a free one that is real with all of its unpleasantries.

The mind and the senses

One final significant theme involves the issues of trusting your senses and objective truths. The objective truth is that everyone is trapped in the matrix, showing that everyone subjective view might be compromised. Neo learns in the movie that his senses might betray him and things are not always as they seem, making him more critical of his own and other people's views.

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The Matrix Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Matrix is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

What is outside the Matrix?

The "new " reality which is actual reality is a dystopian world rule by Artificial Intelligence. Humans are enslaved in cocoons for their raw energy. Waking up puts you in a strange post-apocalyptic world of metal and robots.

Elements of the film

What kind of elements are you referring to? Narrative, CGI, cinematography?

Computers or AI (artificial intelligence) control reality hence they control the world.

Study Guide for The Matrix

The Matrix study guide contains a biography of The Wachowskis, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About The Matrix
• The Matrix Summary
• Character List
• Director's Influence

Essays for The Matrix

The Matrix essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Matrix by The Wachowskis.

• Jean Baudrillard’s Concepts of Simulacrum and Hyper-Reality Across Media: Strange Days, The Matrix, and White Noise
• Philosophy in Film - The Matrix

The Palgrave Handbook of Popular Culture as Philosophy pp 1–19 Cite as

The Matrix as Philosophy: Understanding Knowledge, Belief, Choice, and Reality

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The Matrix trilogy’s narrative asks if what we claim to know affects our beliefs, if what we believe affects what we claim to know, and how these competing issues ultimately affect our choices and how they shape our reality. Do we choose what we know? Can we choose what to believe? And if so, does our reality, rooted in knowledge or belief, also become a choice? Given the rise of skepticism seen in the first two decades of the twenty-first century – where entire movements of people choose to reject knowledge, facts, truth, learning, experts, science, and reality – these questions do not just characterize the narrative of The Matrix . They also illustrate the precarious nature of our contemporary world. Thus, understanding how The Matrix and its sequels grapple with the relationship between knowledge, belief, choice, and reality, can help us understand why these issues continue to remain important to the realities we experience. The Matrix trilogy’s significance resides in its ending, which represents the idea of choosing and creating a new reality. Ultimately, choice matters – choosing what to believe and what to know – because choice allows for the possibility that creation and change are imaginable and achievable within a world that is otherwise predetermined. Thus, we aren’t just choosing beliefs, knowledge, and realities, we’re also giving meaning to the beliefs, knowledge, and realities we claim. From this, our lives have meaning, too.

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Pérez, E. (2021). The Matrix as Philosophy: Understanding Knowledge, Belief, Choice, and Reality. In: The Palgrave Handbook of Popular Culture as Philosophy. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97134-6_69-1

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Sanchez, Tani Dianca. "Race and the Matrix Movie Trilogy." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/215411.

Rainbow, Marc E. "Effects of systemic flunixin meglumine, topical oxytetracycline, and topical prednisolone acetate on tear film proteinases innormal horses." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/9896.

Estrada, Cárdenas Alba Sovietina. "Ciencia ficción y representación del mundo posmoderno en la Trilogía de Matrix." Montpellier 3, 2008. http://www.theses.fr/2008MON30031.

Sechogela, Thulaganyo P. "Vanadium dioxide nanocomposite thin film embedded in zinc oxide matrix as tunable transparent conductive oxide." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/4529.

Baril-Gosselin, Simon. "Investigation of the Resin Film Infusion Process for Multi-scale Composites Based on the Study of Resin Flow, Void Formation and Carbon Nanotube Distribution." Thesis, Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/37212.

Nagesh, Mahesh. "Rotordynamic Design Analysis of a Squeeze Film Damper Test Rig." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin14915608677634.

Lu, Kuan. "Optimization Of Sublimation Conditions for Surface Layer Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry Imaging (SL-MALDI- Tof MSI) of Polymer Surfaces." University of Akron / OhioLINK, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1524846943404769.

Ouellet, Josiane. "Spectre des intramondes à l'ère du numérique : la réalité postmoderne dans des films mettant en scène le motif de la réalité virtuelle, notamment la trilogie «The Matrix, eXistenZ et Abre los Ojos». Suivi de: L'Empire des sortilèges (scénario)." Doctoral thesis, Université Laval, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11794/25973.

Tang, Andrew John. "Design and fabrication of polycrystalline material thin-film transistors for active matrix liquid-crystal display and static random access memory applications." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/36035.

Li, Han. "Analysis and Applications of Novel Optical Single - and Multi - Layer Structures." University of Dayton / OhioLINK, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1450393885.

Kroely, Laurent. "Process and material challenges in the high rate deposition of microcrystalline silicon thin films and solar cells by Matrix Distributed Electron Cyclotron Resonance plasma." Phd thesis, Ecole Polytechnique X, 2010. http://pastel.archives-ouvertes.fr/pastel-00550241.

Russo, Florence. "Matériaux multicaloriques : Application à de nouveaux systèmes de refroidissement." Thesis, Lyon, INSA, 2015. http://www.theses.fr/2015ISAL0097/document.

Helán, Radek. "Modelování a optimalizace komplexních vláknových difrakčních struktur." Doctoral thesis, Vysoké učení technické v Brně. Fakulta elektrotechniky a komunikačních technologií, 2009. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-233450.

Popel, Aleksej. "The effect of radiation damage by fission fragments on the structural stability and dissolution of the UO2 fuel matrix." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2017. https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/265103.

Yang, Jing. "Phosphonium ionic liquids : Versatile nanostructuration and interfacial agents for poly(vinylidene fluoride-chlorotrifluoroethylene)." Thesis, Lyon, 2016. http://www.theses.fr/2016LYSEI072/document.

Baronnier, Justine. "Encapsulation de nanocristaux II-VI dans une matrice semiconductrice de pérovskite hybride d’halogénure de plomb en vue de la création d’un dispositif de contrôle du clignotement." Thesis, Lyon, 2019. http://www.theses.fr/2019LYSE1297.

El-Zein, Ahmad A. "Sparse matrix computations using the intelligent file store." Thesis, University of Essex, 1992. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.305948.

Canguçu, Cristiano. "A construção narrativa e plástica do filme Matrix." reponame:Repositório Institucional da UFBA, 2011. http://www.repositorio.ufba.br/ri/handle/ri/1162.

Escorihuela, Roca Sara. "Novel gas-separation membranes for intensified catalytic reactors." Doctoral thesis, Universitat Politècnica de València, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/121139.

Sroan, Baninder Singh. "Mechanism of gas cell stability in bread making." Diss., Manhattan, Kan. : Kansas State University, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/2097/338.

MONTÓRIO, JÚNIOR Italo Alves. "Alteração da composição da Matriz Elétrica a fim de mitigar a emissão de gases de efeito estufa." Universidade do Oeste Paulista, 2018. http://bdtd.unoeste.br:8080/jspui/handle/jspui/1111.

Alwardt, Cory M. "Effects of Age and Immune Dysfunction on the Cardiac Extracellular Matrix and Diastolic Function." Diss., Tucson, Arizona : University of Arizona, 2005. http://etd.library.arizona.edu/etd/GetFileServlet?file=file:///data1/pdf/etd/azu%5Fetd%5F1128%5F1%5Fm.pdf&type=application/pdf.

Hays, Allison Marie. "Arsenic Exposure: Effects on Oxidative Stress, Gene Regulation and the Extracellular Matrix in the Lung." Diss., Tucson, Arizona : University of Arizona, 2005. http://etd.library.arizona.edu/etd/GetFileServlet?file=file:///data1/pdf/etd/azu%5Fetd%5F1403%5F1%5Fm.pdf&type=application/pdf.

Söderhäll, Marie. "Nygnosticism i Matrixtrilogin : en studie av vårt gnostiska arv i dagens mediala berättande." Thesis, University of Gävle, Ämnesavdelningen för religionsvetenskap, 2004. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hig:diva-4379.

Uppsatsen består framför allt av en jämförelse mellan de nygnostiska inslagen i filmerna Matrix, Matrix Reloaded, Matrix Revolutions samt Animatrix och den antika versionen av gnosticism. Jag har speciellt använt mig av Valentinus kosmogoni hämtad ur H. Jonas bok ”The Gnosic Religion”, för denna jämförelse. Hela arbetet sträcker sig dock över flera områden och ämnen som historia, genus, sociala och politiska förändringar, våra media och existentiella spörsmål i västvärlden idag mm.

Eftersom gnosticismen delvis uppstod och formades i nära förhållande till kristendomen, samt levde vidare under ytan av det etablerade fram till nyligen, finns det flera paralleller mellan dåtid och nutid. Idag är ett tydligt tecken på detta New Age, det samlingsbegrepp som rymmer så mycket men som likt gnosticismen delar på många föreställningar. T.ex. människans vilja till förmåga bortanför och utöver materien/kroppen, hennes eget inre gudomliggörande och behovet av en transcendent messias mm. Profana likheter kan vara pessimism, nihilism, känslan av en konstgjord och overklig verklighet, verklighetsflykt mm.

På ett annat plan handlar uppsatsen om människans mytologiserade/andliga psykologi, dels om Jungs arketypiska psykologi och dels om nyandlig mystik. Hur de kliver in och tar över tomrummet i den traditionellt vetenskapliga och rationella värld vi ”mytlösa” lever i. Den religiösa mystiken var en allmän realitet förr i tiden, men blev s.a.s. bortrationaliserad i upplysningens och senare protestantismens era. Människans belägenhet i den tekniskt avancerade världen har förändrat mycket, också hennes psyke. Bröderna Wachowskis filmverk visar också tydligt på den gnostiska versionen av uppdelningen mellan omedvetna, medvetna och upplysta. Att ”felet” med människan är hennes okunskap om den yttre verkligheten, och att räddningen ligger i ett introvert sökande efter sanningen. Uppsatsens helhet rör sig alltså både i det yttre och det inre, likt Matrixtrilogin och ny/gnosticismen, över tid och rum samt mellan olika tekniska mediala medel.

Alshali, Ruwaida. "Characterization of bulk-fill and conventional light-cured resin-composites in terms of composition and polymer matrix properties." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2016. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/characterization-of-bulkfill-and-conventional-lightcured-resincomposites-in-terms-of-composition-and-polymer-matrix-properties(d85d7616-35e5-4a04-a5b3-20458de1e11d).html.

Castiglioni, Andrea <1984&gt. "Effetti della viscoelasticità sulla misura dell’energia di adesione tra film di polietilene." Doctoral thesis, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, 2015. http://amsdottorato.unibo.it/6766/.

Morales-Vidal, Marta. "High performance thin film organic lasers for sensing applications." Doctoral thesis, Universidad de Alicante, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10045/63751.

Yousef, Yaser. "Routage pour la gestion de l'énergie dans les réseaux de capteurs sans fil." Phd thesis, Université de Haute Alsace - Mulhouse, 2010. http://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00590407.

Cheng, Lu. "Concentric layout, a new scientific data layout for matrix data set in Hadoop file system." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2010. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/4545.

Lavoie, Jean-Michel. "Mammalian cell culture on poly (dimethyl siloxane) functionalized for covalent immobilization of extracellular matrix-derived proteins." Thesis, McGill University, 2008. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=116017.

Del, Campo Menoyo Javier. "Compatibilisation of polyimide-silica ceramers and interfacial interactions with carbon fibres in high-temperature matrix composites." Thesis, Loughborough University, 1997. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/27080.

Moroz, Pavel. "A Novel Approach for the Fabrication of All-Inorganic Nanocrystal Solids: Semiconductor Matrix Encapsulated Nanocrystal Arrays." Bowling Green State University / OhioLINK, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1435324105.

Perani, Martina <1987&gt. "Nanocrystalline Silicon Based Films for Renewable Energy Applications." Doctoral thesis, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, 2015. http://amsdottorato.unibo.it/6770/.

Levichkova, Marieta. "Influence of the Matrix Environment on the Optical Properties of Incorporated Dye Molecules." Doctoral thesis, Saechsische Landesbibliothek- Staats- und Universitaetsbibliothek Dresden, 2008. http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:14-ds-1205766500301-30732.

Meier, Matthias. "Die Rolle der Global Reporting Initiative bei der Selektion nachhaltiger Kapitalanlagen am Beispiel der Bank Sarasin Sustainability Matrix." St. Gallen, 2008. http://www.biblio.unisg.ch/org/biblio/edoc.nsf/wwwDisplayIdentifier/01652403003/$FILE/01652403003.pdf.

Perrier, Amélie. "Influence du vieillissement hydrique suer le comportement mécanique de l'interface fil/matrice dans les composites chanvre/époxy." Thesis, Chasseneuil-du-Poitou, Ecole nationale supérieure de mécanique et d'aérotechnique, 2016. http://www.theses.fr/2016ESMA0019/document.

SPAGNOLI, SYLVIE. "Polydiacetylenes cristallins : de la chaine isolee 1d en matrice monomere au film mince de polymere." Paris 7, 1995. http://www.theses.fr/1995PA077086.

Homoro, Omayma. "Influence de la pré-imprégnation sur le comportement mécanique des composites verre-matrice ettringitique : étude expérimentale et numérique." Thesis, Lyon, 2019. http://www.theses.fr/2019LYSE1239/document.

Scidà, Alessandra <1985&gt. "Ion implantation of organic thin films and electronic devices." Doctoral thesis, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, 2013. http://amsdottorato.unibo.it/5205/.

Albuquerque, Jose Eduardo de. "Estudo por espectroscopia fotoacústica de processos fotoquímicos em uma matriz polimérica." Universidade de São Paulo, 1992. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/54/54132/tde-01092014-150503/.

Carvalho, Flávio Luiz Silva de. "Efeito da matriz no comportamento fotocrômico de ormosils de fosfotungstato." Universidade de São Paulo, 2008. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/75/75131/tde-25082009-081226/.

Levichkova, Marieta. "Influence of the Matrix Environment on the Optical Properties of Incorporated Dye Molecules." Doctoral thesis, Technische Universität Dresden, 2007. https://tud.qucosa.de/id/qucosa%3A24056.

Sampaio, Cardoso Leonardo. "Orthogonal Precoder for Dynamic Spectrum Access in Wireless Networks." Thesis, Supélec, 2011. http://www.theses.fr/2011SUPL0018/document.

Chauvin, Serge. "L'écran de la conscience : le film, modèle et matrice de la fiction chez Pynchon, Coover, DeLillo." Paris 4, 1996. http://www.theses.fr/1996PA040275.

Adhikari, Dipendra. "Optical and Microstructural Properties of Sputtered Thin Films for Photovoltaic Applications." University of Toledo / OhioLINK, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1573118517150321.

Liebenberg, J. G. (Johannes Gideon). "'n Ondersoek na die verbetering van matriksbestuur in GERATEC." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/52364.

Darby, Rene. "The development of a decision-making matrix to address the South African power crisis." Thesis, Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/4921.

Hoydis, Jakob. "Random matrix theory for advanced communication systems." Phd thesis, Supélec, 2012. http://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00765458.

Chang, Ku-Wei, and 張谷維. "Controlled release of narcotics using matrix and matrix-film coating systems." Thesis, 2006. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/41465770946902294706.

Hung, Li-jen, and 洪立仁. "Digital Philosophy exhibited in Film: The Matrix Trilogy." Thesis, 2013. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/53091892581330636100.

58 The Matrix Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best the matrix topic ideas & essay examples, 📌 good essay topics on the matrix, 🔎 most interesting the matrix topics to write about.

• “The Matrix” Trilogy and Greek Mythology: Comparison One of the exceptions of the previous statements is the Matrix trilogy directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski.”The Matrix”, The Matrix: Reloaded”, and “The Matrix: Revolution”, all of which gained a cult status among fans, […]
• Demystifying the Fiction Movie “The Matrix” The second world is a generic world created by the machines in order to pacify the human being as the machines siphon energy from people by plugging the human beings into an artificial intelligence system […] We will write a custom essay specifically for you by our professional experts 808 writers online Learn More
• Cartesian Skepticism in “The Matrix” Film The purpose of this paper is to explore the philosophical foundation of that theory and see how it is tied to the basis behind The Matrix.
• Descartes’ Epistemology in “The Matrix” The present paper analyzes Descartes’ epistemology in the light of the tripartite theory of knowledge and uses a science fiction film The Matrix to understand Descartes’ influence on the human understanding of reality.
• Film Studies: “The Matrix” by Larry and Andy Wachowski The Matrix tries to bring out the truth, and the reality of issues that affect the world. The Agents have the freedom to control the making of the film and are responsible for all the […]
• “The Matrix” by The Wachowskis Review Interestingly, the script and plot develop in significant accordance with Descartes and Berkeley’s ideas, and answers to the philosophical questions that the film raises can be found in the works of these thinkers.
• Holden Caulfield and Morpheus in “The Matrix” But the fact is that, the feature, that the main characters – Holden Caulfield and Morpheus are searching for truth, and try to obtain it by every effort possible.
• “X-Files: Film” and “The Matrix”: Comparative Analysis One of the significant differences between the X-Files and The Matrix, is that X-Files emphasize the potential of alien control in the end while The Matrix is more optimistic as it shows how one man […]
• Comparison of Approaches of “Fight Club” & “The Matrix” Cultural issues on sexuality have now been changed because media has made the issue open for everyone so that it is now fun to have the feelings and desires of the “other” brought to the […]
• The Philosophical Concepts Behind “The Matrix” The informational development and the widespread of the information is the puppets shown to the people in the cave, that can become their matrix.
• Popular Culture and Contemporary Life. The Matrix The movie The Matrix represents a new reality or a new philosophy of the 21st century. The Matrix may be a new mode of transmedia storytelling, as Jenkins argues, but the value of the movie […]
• Descartes’ Philosophy of Mind in “The Matrix” Film The world of The Matrix is one of the examples of the precarity of that, which may be called the real world as perceived by the beholder.
• “The Matrix” Film by the Wachowskis Analysis This assumption is validated by the fact that in several scenes he is introduced to the concept of agents, programs designed to ensure the stability of the virtual world, and is given the choice of […]
• Narration in “All About My Mother” and “The Matrix” Such structure suggests the presence of three essential parts: in the first one the problem is introduced, in the second one the characters work on the problem, and in the third one the problem is […]
• Neo in “The Matrix” – Film by the Wachowskis The title closely reflects the central conflict as the matrix is the name of the machine that harbors the imprisoned humans and alters their reality.
• “The Matrix“ by Andy and Larry Wachowski: Philosophical Picture of the Post-apocalyptic World Therefore, the Matrix, the system created by computers, could be considered as a dystopian world in which humans are controlled by machines, deprived of the truth about the real world.
• “The Matrix“ by Andy and Larry Wachowski: Themes and Summary Because Morpheus is mythologically attached to sleep it is intriguing that the Morpheus that is feature prominently in the film is in touch with reality.
• Comparing and Contrasting the Followership and Mentorship in “Wall Street” and “The Matrix” He teaches Fox to use the loopholes of business to his advantage. Neo uses the skills that Morpheus has taught him to save his mentor.
• The Film “The Matrix” and Its Effect on Society
• How “The Matrix” Displays Mythic Heroism Through Heroism vs. The Machine
• Parallelism Between “The Matrix” and Christianity
• The Religious Amalgamation Dubbed “The Matrix”
• Marxist and Semiotic Analysis of “The Matrix”
• Religious Themes Within the Film “The Matrix”
• Describing Neo and His Identity in the Movie “The Matrix”
• A Screening of the Deception Hypothesis in “The Matrix”
• The Dark Knight and “The Matrix” Neo-Noir Characteristics
• The Artificial Intelligence Rule as Portrayed in “The Matrix”
• “The Matrix”: Technology Fears of a Dystopian World
• Descartes Doubt and “The Matrix” in Our Society
• The Postmodern Theory in the Ideas of Michael Foucault and the Movie “The Matrix”
• Similarities and Differences Between “The Matrix” and Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave”
• Religious Archetypes of “The Matrix”
• The Comparison Between the Movies “The Matrix” and “Fight Club”
• Unearthing the Meaning Behind “The Matrix”
• Ideas Form Plato’s Ontology in “The Matrix”
• Interpreting “The Matrix” Through Descartes’s Philosophy
• Social Psychology in the Movie “The Matrix”
• Breaking the Laws of Space and Time to an Illusion in “The Matrix”
• Confusion Between Reality and Virtual Reality in “The Matrix”
• Morpheus, Trinity, and Neo’s Journey to Success in “The Matrix”
• Describing “The Matrix” Film Editing Techniques
• Defining the Elements of a Classic Plot Chart in “The Matrix”
• Implicating “The Matrix” in Youth Violence
• Understanding “The Matrix” and Its Relationship With Religion
• Symbols, Allegory, and Motifs in “The Matrix”
• Relief From “The Matrix”: Arguing Against Skepticism
• The Philosophy of “The Matrix”: From Plato and Descartes to Eastern Philosophy
• The Idea of Skepticism in the Movie “The Matrix”
• The Reality, Media, and the Role of Human Nature in “The Matrix”
• Comparing the Story “Harrison Bergeron” With the Film “The Matrix”
• The Postmodern Age in “The Matrix” Simulation
• Representations of Buddhism in the Modern World in “The Matrix”
• Cartesian and Platonic Philosophical Themes in “The Matrix”
• The Connection Between Senses and Reality in “The Matrix”
• Linking Between “The Matrix” and Descartes’s Theory of Immaterialism
• How the Film “The Matrix” Presents Two Different Versions of Reality
• Similarities Between “The Matrix” and “Charlie’s Angels” Films
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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Using a Matrix to Write Your Research Proposal

Is there a way to simplify the preparation of your research or thesis proposal without leaving out the important items to include in its preparation? This article provides four steps that will guide you on how to write your research proposal. Try the matrix approach described and explained in this easy to understand article and reap the benefits.

You may find yourself getting into the trouble of writing and rewriting your thesis proposal because you tend to miss important details pertinent to what you intend to investigate and how you will go about it. Research or thesis proposal preparation is very time-consuming and can cause undue worry, especially if you have set a fixed time frame to finish your thesis. If you desire to have your research proposal approved soonest so you can start gathering the data you need, this is for you.

A systematic way of ensuring that everything is well addressed or covered fully in your research paper is possible using a matrix. This technique is most appropriate when you want to ensure that you have adequate preparation, especially the proper methods to answer the research questions.

What is a matrix?

My students would mull at me every time I tell them about using a matrix to do their research work in a more ordered, straightforward, or effective manner. Matrix is a not-so-common technical term to most of them. (Maybe it means just the title of a movie to them?) Although they usually wouldn’t ask, I follow-up with an explanation of what a matrix means.

I would then scrounge for a clean sheet of paper or anything that can serve the purpose to illustrate how a matrix can be used to set one’s mind into focus. A matrix is a table with rows and columns.

Four Steps on How to Write Your Research Proposal

It always pays to be systematic when you do something—in this case, being organized when you write your research proposal. A simple guide always works.

The matrix technique on how to write your research proposal will work great for you, just like the numerous students I mentored in two decades. I enumerate the four steps that you can easily follow.

1. Prepare a table with the following headings for each column:

• research question,
• methodology, and
• statistical analysis.

You may fold the sheet of paper into three equal-sized columns or draw a line downwards to separate each column.

2. List the research questions

Under the heading “Research Question,” write the series of research questions that you intend to pursue in their logical order. Logical order means that you arrange research questions chronologically. It is ordered so that answering the first question will facilitate the resolution of the next question.

3. Supply the required methods to answer the research questions

Under the heading “Methods,” look at the left column and think about how you would go about answering the research question. Methods refer to the specific things you will do to collect data.

List all the things you will do to provide the information required to answer the first question, the second one, the third, and so on. As you finish writing the methods portion, place a line beneath to separate the questions and the corresponding research instrument to gather the data.

4. Select the appropriate statistical tool

Under the third column with the heading “Statistical Analysis,” recall your statistics lessons or consult a statistician about the correct  statistical tool  to analyze the facts gathered in the study. Does the research question need simple descriptive statistics such as mean, median, mode, or percentages? Or do you need to apply a correlation analysis, a test of the difference between means, or a multivariate analysis? You can also add the corresponding graphs or tables under this column that you will need for a better discussion of the findings.

Now, guided by your matrix, you will be able to answer your research questions with confidence. You make sure that everything is covered by setting a one-to-one correspondence in the research proposal’s crucial elements, i.e., the research questions, the methodology, and the corresponding statistical analysis.

An example is given below to show the matrix on how to write your research proposal. The research topic is about  illegal fishing , a practice rampant in many places where effective policy is needed to regulate or minimize unlawful activities.

That wraps it up. Try it and be more systematic in preparing your research proposal.

But before you go, please read the final note in the next section.

Check Correspondence of the Matrix with the Study’s Conceptual Framework

The next step is to check whether the variables that you included in your research proposal are compatible with your research’s conceptual framework. If not, you must revise your research proposal based on what you mean with the conceptual framework as your guide.

Click the “S” icon if you need help along this concern.

© 2013 December 4 P. A. Regoniel Updated: 18 November 2020

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About the author, patrick regoniel.

Dr. Regoniel, a faculty member of the graduate school, served as consultant to various environmental research and development projects covering issues and concerns on climate change, coral reef resources and management, economic valuation of environmental and natural resources, mining, and waste management and pollution. He has extensive experience on applied statistics, systems modelling and analysis, an avid practitioner of LaTeX, and a multidisciplinary web developer. He leverages pioneering AI-powered content creation tools to produce unique and comprehensive articles in this website.

How to make a research matrix..and when it related to?

Thanks. It would be better to put the research title for the example to compare with the questions in the table. Second, I understand that methodology is the descriptive method or experimental method that is the nature of the research while the questionnaires and observations are tools.

Dear Ibrahim, thank you for pointing that out. I just returned to this article and saw your comment. I made the appropriate changes. I believe it looks better now.