G. Christopher Williams Analysis

The Matrix depicts a late twentieth century version of Earth where machines have taken over and are using humans as a power source, while having them experience life via a virtual simulation called the Matrix. The protagonist of the story Neo, or the One, has been recently awakened from the Matrix and is destined to free humanity. Following its 1999 release, a multitude of articles have been written about the film, each analyzing the meaning and implications of it in different ways. In one of these articles, “Mastering the Real: Trinity as the ‘Real’ Hero of The Matrix,” author G. Christopher Williams explores the idea that it is Trinity, not Neo, who is the true hero of the film. While Williams effectively utilizes primary and secondary evidence
According to Real Texts: Reading and Writing Across the Disciplines, secondary evidence is defined as “the research that was conducted by other writers,” while primary evidence in the humanities is defined as “the literary or cultural artifact being examined, such as a novel, painting of movie” (Ward and Vander Lei 12). Williams uses both primary and secondary evidence when referring to the philosophies of Jean Baudrillard, as his research is alluded to throughout the film. Williams notes one of these allusions, writing, “Neo [draws] a copy of Simulacra and Simulation from a shelf in an early scene and [allows] the audience to see its title clearly” (Williams 6). By referring to the scene in the film where Baudrillard's book is presented, Williams is making the connection between Jean Baudrillard and The Matrix clear. By noting that the title was made clear to the audience of the film, Williams is showing that the book and the teachings within it correspond with the plot of the film and are therefore a credible form of secondary evidence. [Are you talking about secondary or primary evidence in these sentences? It’s a little
According to An Insider’s Guide to Academic Writing: A Brief Rhetoric, thesis statements are typical in the humanities and academic writing, and can be defined as a, “central claim often (but not always) presented near the beginning of a piece so that it can tie elements of the argument together” (Miller-Cochran, Stamper and Cochran 39). Instead of clearly presenting his argument with a thesis statement early on, Williams chooses to spend the first five pages of his fifteen-page article introducing how The Matrix compares to other films on the topic of simulation. While it is interesting to see how The Matrix fits in with the larger conversation of simulation of the time, it is irrelevant in terms of furthering Williams’ argument.[Repetitive] In this time Williams begins writing about Jean Baudrillard, without any context as to who Baudrillard is and why he is relevant to Williams’ argument[Repetitive]. Despite the definition for thesis statements stating that they are not always presented near the beginning of the article, including a thesis statement too far from the beginning makes the argument both unknown and difficult to follow. After finally introducing his thesis statement a third of the way through his article, Williams offers some relief to the confusion he created earlier, regarding what point he was