Portfolio Task 1: English Essay

The Matrix and Chapter 28 of the Restaurant at the End of the Universe are two examples of conflicting texts that demonstrate opposing ways of viewing the world around us. The Matrix follows the views of an empiricist, set in a mental prison where people rely on their senses to an extent where they are completely oblivious to what is real. Chapter 28 of the Restaurant at the End of the Universe however focuses on a rationalist view through the character the Ruler of the Universe emphasising his day-to-day lifestyle and how he responds to what he conceives to be real. Although these texts present conflicting views upon the world, they are similar in the way they represent their ideas, and it is through these similarities that rationalism and empiricism maintain a conflicting existence.

In the Matrix the director intentionally depicts Neo as being the embodiment of empiricism. The directors use of imagery through sombre lighting and choice of plain character costumes, lacking in brightness, colour and their ability to stand out portrays the world Neo is living in and by extension how he views it. This is also present in Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ at the beginning of chapter one where Alice feels bored and drowsy whilst sitting at the river-bank with her elder sister. In one scene Morpheus directly references Carroll by offering Neo the chance to discover what is real. “… You take the blue pill the story ends, you wake up in your bed and you believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.” The ‘bullet time’ effect, one of the Matrix’s most memorable cinematic effects gives the audience a visual thrill of omniscience; to be able to stop time and see an event from several points of view at once. This supports the empiricist perspective by placing the audience in a position to be able to see an object from more than one perspective. Empiricists believe everything in the world around them is real through experience derived from senses. The ‘bullet time’ effect is a perfect example as it mimics this belief by not just showing the traditional first person angle shot of a bullet by going a step further through showing the audience multiple angles focused around the bullet including the motion in which it is traveling.

Chapter 28 of the Restaurant at the End of the Universe strongly demonstrates the opposing views of rationalism through the occupational lifestyle of the Ruler of the Universe; who has no desire to rule the universe and tries not to whenever possible. Author Douglas Adams places his Rationalist views in his characters. The Author cleverly uses Solipsism, the philosophical idea that only one’s own mind is sure to exist and that anything outside their own mind is unsure which supports rationalists’ way of thinking. Unlike Empiricists the Ruler of the Universe is uncertain of anything and everything he senses. A perfect example that supports this way of thinking is the Ruler of the Universe’s uncertainty towards the six black ships. “I’ve never seen a big white one, just the six black ones. And the six green ones. Perhaps six small black ones can look like one big white one at certain times.” The Authors use of Symbolism is demonstrated in the Ruler of the Universes cat the Lord. As the Ruler of the Universe is isolated at the edge of the universe with the Lord as his companion. Despite this however he is uncertain of his cats existence, believing him to be only a figment of his imagination and as a result of his isolation. “How do you know he exists? How do you know he knows you to be kind, or enjoys what he thinks of as your kindness?” “I don’t,” said the man with a smile, “I have no idea. It merely pleases me to behave in a certain way to what appears to be a cat.”

Chapter 28 of the Restaurant at the End of the Universe and The Matrix are similar and different in various ways. Both the Author and Director try to put their audiences in a position to interpret the world from both an empiricist and rationalist view. In the Matrix the director deliberately uses Neo as an embodiment of empiricism as does the author in Chapter 28 of the Restaurant at the End of the Universe use his character as an example of rationalist views. “Unfortunately no one can see the Matrix you have to see it for yourself.” This quote links the two texts together as both the director and author are trying to achieve the same goal through the use of characters to encourage the audiences to comprehend the world with a different mindset. Both the Author and Director cleverly use the surroundings and environments to influence a sense of simplicity, as each character has only what they need. “On a small obscure world somewhere in the middle of nowhere in particular - nowhere, that is, that could ever be found”. This quote spoken at the very beginning of Chapter 28 immediately depicts the author’s intention to influence the reader with hints of rationalistic thinking. The strongest example of this is seen throughout the secluded lifestyle of the Ruler of the Universe. What truly unites these texts is the question that is posed, ‘what can we believe in and how can we know?’ “Pussy not eat his fish, pussy get thin and waste away, I think, I imagine this is what will happen, but how can I tell?” “What is real? How do you define real? If you’re talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, what you can taste and see, then ‘real’ is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain.” These two quotes represent the conflict between rationalism and empiricism; this forces us to ask ourselves ‘what is real and what is not?’ Ultimately, the two texts the matrix and Chapter 28 of the Restaurant at the end of the Universe both pose many philosophical questions. Each of the two examples both explores and compares rationalism and empiricism by conveying the idea of an alternate universe in which the protagonist chooses to either believe his senses or to question the very existence of the world around him.