Essay 2

The second essay should be 5-7 pages (double-spaced), and should address some question pertaining to William Gibson's Neuromancer or the film The Matrix. A simple comparison / contrast between the novel and the film will not work; if you want to compare and contrast, you must focus on some specific issue.

Some possible topics are listed below (you are not limited to these topics, but I would like to know what other topics you are considering):

The concept of "the self" in Neuromancer. You might choose to focus specifically on two or three characters (Case, Armitage/Corto, Dixie Flatline, Wintermute/Neuromancer).

The concept of "the self" in The Matrix. If none of Neo's memories are real, if none of his experiences actually happened but were all part of a simulation, what of him is him?

An analysis of the AI (Wintermute/Neuromancer): To what extent are its motives understandable? What is Wintermute doing, and why?

Why are AIs regulated in Neuromancer? (The Turing Police consider AIs to be "demonic." What do they mean by this?)

What does The Matrix suggest about the nature of reality?

What does The matrix suggest about human nature?

An analysis of the beach scene (chapters 21-22) in Neuromancer. What does Neuromancer mean when he tells Case that "to live here is to live" (p258)?

No matter what topic you choose, you will need to develop a thesis, not merely compare or state a fact. You will need to support this thesis with examples from the text (or the film). Outside sources are not required for this essay, but if they are used they must be cited using MLA style.