The Matrix Rhetorical Analysis

January 26th

     In the movie "The Matrix," two worlds exist: the virtual world controlled by the matrix and the mechanistic reality.  The human world that the protagonist Neo is familiar with is an illusion.  While the matrix portrays a world of normal human activity, the reality is that society is in fact controlled by machines who breed humans for energy.  Throughout the movie, various types of modes are utilized to distinguish the two different worlds. For example, in the matrix world, the sky is blue, the cities have tall skyscrapers, and there are many people walking the streets to complete mundane tasks.  Cars honk, lights flash, conversations are heard.  The people are dressed in clothes and not covered with plugs and other devices.  In the mechanistic reality, there is no sky.  There are no cities filled with people strolling the streets.  Instead, the world is covered in darkness while people are produced in a gelatin pod. Machines that spin and fly and kill have taken over. Only sounds of metal clanking and machines operating are heard.  In this world, there are no daily commonplaces and tasks for humans to execute.  The movie producers utilize opposing visual and auditory modes to emphasize the difference between reality and the matrix illusion.    

     As viewers progress through the movie, the question of what is real and what isn't is brought to attention multiple times.  When Neo is brought to a reality that is novel to him, he cannot at first comprehend the truth. For years, he lived in a world that was programmed by a system.  A system that is programmed to falsely portray a normal human life.  Then all of a sudden, he is brought to a world that contradicts everything he knows and understands.  When Neo is introduced to the matrix, he realizes the enormity of the situation. The visual images that he witnesses are disturbing.  He sees humans trapped in their gelatin pods.  He sees the killer machines. He sees the extinction of cities and the takeover of technology.  Everything around him is dependent upon technology. For instance, neon code against a black screen seems to always be present.  The main characters depend on installations of software programs to learn martial arts or how to fly a helicopter.  The transportation from the matrix to reality is through phone calls.  The agents are the gatekeepers of the matrix, protecting against human "viruses" that are set out to free others. 

     Although the matrix world is a lie, it is much more appealing than reality.  In the matrix world, humans appear to be free.  Many humans are dependent on the matrix system and ignorance.  As I was watching this movie, I compared the matrix society to our modern society.  While machines do not have ultimate control over us, they play a vital role in our lives.  We rely on technology for everything: work, school, communication, etc.  Soon, we'll probably have robots washing our clothes, driving us to work, cooking our food.  I believe that one of the messages of this movie is to not allow technology to change us.  In one of the ending scenes, Trinity even states "The Matrix cannot tell you who you are."

     This particular quote got me thinking about the "The Design of Web 2.0" article we read for class.  In the article, the writer informs us of these templates that allow you to build your own website and homepages and whatnot.  However, instead of enabling you to create a personalized homepage, the templates have many design limitations.  Often times, the templates have physical layouts already prepared for the users.  Although this prearrangement may be helpful, it restricts the user to reveal who they are through design media.  Similar to the matrix, these templates control our ability to make our own decisions.