Recalling Our Matrix

Recalling Our Matrix June 26, 2014

Paul Regnier made a bingo game to help students spot parallels between Jesus and Neo in The Matrix. I’ve included the bingo card at the end of the post below.

Lots of studies have been done which indicate both the recycling of story motifs across literature and film, and also the tendency of historical figures to be conformed to type over time. Although a close analysis of literature needs to go deeper than the mere spotting of parallels, students absolutely must be able to see such parallels as well, as well as the differences that are highlighted as a result of spotting them.

What struck me most about his post was something that resonated with my own experience: The Matrix is something of a modern classic, but it is ancient history to most of today’s students. That means that they are about as likely to have seen the movie as they are to have read something by Aristotle.

Have you found this in your experience? Do you force yourself to stop referring to movies like The Matrix to illustrate points, because the reference is no longer clear and current? Do you substitute new ones?

I wonder what the name of this blog sounds like to people who’ve never seen The Matrix and thus don’t get the double entendre


Browse Our Archives