Offer a detailed critical reflection on the ways in which The Matrix (Wachowski Bros., 1999) can be seen as enacting Plato's 'allegory of the cave'.
Guidance
For general guidance about what is expected in your essays for this module, see the general criteria.
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What Key Features Do I Look For?
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Please remember to avoid footnotes and to include an alphabetical list of 'References' which have been cited in the text (not a Bibliography of anything you have read for the essay). This list should include author's names, date, book titles (in italics), place of publication and publisher. Within the text always cite author's surname, date and page number. Double-space your text and number your pages. For more detailed notes on writing essays in this department, click here.
Advice for this particular assignment: Think at least twice before embarking on this demanding assignment. Film students may feel they are at advantage here but beware! Do not attempt this question simply because you are a fan of The Matrix. You will need to read extensively in the serious academic literature on the relevant philosophical issues in the film. When this assignment was last offered as an option it was by far the most commonly selected one. However, when this happens the competition becomes very fierce and you may be less likely to achieve a high grade or more likely to underachieve if you don't regard the task as requiring deep analysis and effective, well-informed and well-illustrated argument. With such a big class and such a popular topic any obviously relevant local resources are likely to have been acquired by other students early on. You are strongly advised to buy the most relevant books well in advance; if you haven't got access to them it would be wiser to choose another option. Bear in mind a little psychology: with so many essays on the same theme to read, a marker can get easily bored so it's up to you to ensure that you grab the reader's attention from the outset and impress them with the quality of your work.
To undertake this assignment you need to be very familiar with both the film and with Plato's allegory of the cave. Note that you are not required to refer to all of the Matrix films -- only to The Matrix (Wachowski Bros., 1999). However, you may refer to the other films where relevant. As for Plato, it is, of course, essential to read the relevant extract from The Republic and to include a brief summary of your understanding of Plato's allegory (of which there are many different interpretations). Focus in particular on the issue of reality and appearance and, where possible, relate this to examples from visual perception which have been explored in lectures (e.g. refer to a telling example of how appearances may deceive us or of how we may conform with dominant interpretations of what is real). The best essays are likely to find clever ways of demonstrating the relevance of some of these concepts to the task in hand. You must demonstrate convincingly that you are aware of the relevance and applicability to this assignment of key concepts covered in lectures. You should have learned, for instance, that we don't all see the same 'reality': we have discussed many of the reasons for this. On the other hand, we have not discussed the film at all and if you are the kind of student who needs assignments closely-related to specific lecture topics then don't choose this one! Remember that stances on what is real range from realism (objectivism) to idealism (subjectivism) - the two 'epistemological' extremes (with 'constructivism' lying somewhere between them). How do you know that you saw the film? What does your view of it have in common with those of other people (the more divergence, the more the viewers must have constructed the film). You may make brief reference to other films which have focused on the question of what is 'real' (you should consult several books on the philosophy of film in relation to this issue). Although some suggested reading is listed below, the best students will show their resourcefulness in locating other highly relevant sources for themselves. Although many online sources are very useful, a list in which few academic printed sources appear will be likely to lose marks. Once again, use a little psychology: a list of purely online sources might just suggest laziness! You are unlikely to gain high marks for this assignment unless you have read extensively. Do not confine your reading to online sources and when you use web sources be very wary of crackpot ideas! Do not get sidetracked into Christian symbolism or 'new age' mysticism.
Stick very closely to the topic of the question. If you are a fan, hold this in check and do not be tempted to treat this as an excuse to indulge in praising the film. At the heart of the essay should be any direct parallels between Plato's allegory and the film. Bearing in mind that almost all of the other students will have noticed most of them you need to make your points of comparison as clearly and effectively as possible. Consider also significant points of divergence. Is there any clear evidence that the film-makers were consciously alluding to Plato's allegory? It is a waste of space and time and potential marks to discuss issues such as religious imagery in the film or allusions to Lewis Carroll's Alice stories. It may be relevant to refer to the fact that the experience of cinema-going has often been referred to as foreshadowed in Plato's cave. Do cinema-goers in some sense 'mistake' the screen for the real? Surely viewers of The Matrix could not do so? Viewers of dramatic narrative are commonly described as engaging in a 'willing suspension of disbelief' but if you do refer to this issue, do not fall into the popular tendency to caricature some viewers (never oneself, of course!) as mindless dupes who mistake stories and characters onscreen for real-world events and people. It is, however, useful to know - at least in relation to television (and films broadcast on TV) - that 'cultivation theory' suggests that there may be a tendency for 'heavy viewers' to judge the everyday world in certain respects by the world represented on the screen.
Your essay is no less a production than a film - have some regard for production values! Most of the other students will be trying to impress by their effective use of relevant images (properly labelled as Figures and captioned appropriately). This is an assignment for which the inclusion of relevant stills (or even a shot-by-shot as an Appendix) is likely to be an advantage. If you find any appropriate screenshots online which help to make a point include them in your essay. Don't just use them decoratively though - use images which you then comment on directly - images which help you to make a point. What specific examples of the film's iconography most clearly echo Plato's allegory? Incorporate illustrations electronically into your text (e.g. by scanning or downloading from the Internet) rather than literally cutting and pasting. To incorporate images such as those on this page into your essay, save the images within your browser (e.g. within Internet Explorer, 'Save picture as...') and then 'insert picture' within Word. For guidance on capturing stills, click here.
Refer to the screenplay (available online as well as in print) when you include quotations, and cite page references. Note that when you are referring to films, you should always italicise the title (e.g. The Matrix). If you are referring to the role of the matrix in the story you should not use italics. Plato's book title, like any other book title, should be in italics thus: The Republic. References to the allegory of the cave should not be in italics since this was just part of the book. Finally, remember to set out your References in the specified manner!
Some suggested reading
Note: Treat with extreme caution sources labelled with this symbol!
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