Exodus v. Matrix Essay
(750-1000 words)
last update: 17 September 2006

Read Exodus 1–15 and view the film, The Matrix. Then compare and contrast the film with the Biblical story of the Exodus. What similarities and differences do you find between the two stories?
  1. A central feature of the plots of these two stories is certain characters’ desire for change—and others’ lack of that desire or even active resistance to it. What kind(s) of change(s) do(es) the protagonists want? Who initiates the process of change? Who fosters the process? Who obstructs it? Where do the characters get the energy and motivation either to encourage or prevent change?
  2. Who is in control of events in each story?
  3. How are the characters portrayed in each story?
  4. Are there any Gods in this story? If so, what are they like (characteristics, actions, etc.)? If not, who or what substitutes for (a) God?
  5. Without hope, people die; with hope, even in difficult circumstances, people can survive. Who is hopeful in these stories? What or who is the object of this hope? How does this hope “work”? I.e., how does it energize the characters who exhibit it? How can it be realized? What or who stands in the way of that realization?

Give specific examples to support your views. Remember: This essay will be graded both on content and on the basis of quality and clarity of expression—including proper format, spelling, punctuation, etc.