When someone’s creative work is interpreted by readers or audiences, it can sometimes be excessively reproduced. This often happens in the realm of philosophy. Although new and progressive research may emerge based on the findings of previous philosophers, there are countless individuals who spend their entire lives studying these past philosophers.
The film “The Matrix” (1999), which came out just before the new millennium, falls into such a category of creative work. In fact, a book titled “The Matrix and Philosophy” written by philosophy professors was published. Does it become philosophy just because it borrows a name from the Bible and derives narrative motifs from ancient philosophical texts and the Bible?
Regardless, the film can be considered interesting simply for its science fiction story about a virtual world created by computers and its new action scenes that recreate Eastern action with Hollywood technology.
The following is the final dialogue by the protagonist, Neo (Keanu Reeves), speaking to the computer from a payphone:
Neo: I know you’re out there. I can feel you now. I know that you’re afraid… you’re afraid of us. You’re afraid of change. I don’t know the future. I didn’t come here to tell you how this is going to end. I came here to tell you how it’s going to begin. I’m going to hang up this phone, and then I’m going to show these people what you don’t want them to see. I’m going to show them a world without you. A world without rules and controls, without borders or boundaries. A world where anything is possible. Where we go from there is a choice I leave to you.
In The Matrix, when a character says, “I came here to tell you how it’s going to begin,” it means he’s there to share important information about something that’s about to start. The part “to tell” shows his main reason for being there. This way of expressing reason and location (“here” for location and “to tell” for reason) is a common structure in English. Generally, in English sentences, we often structure information by first stating who is doing something or what is happening, followed by where it’s taking place, and then why, how, or when something is occurring. This can be summarized by the formula:
S+V + (who+what) + [where+why+how+when]
Like ‘where,’ ‘why’ is located in the adverbial zone. Therefore, to express this, one can directly use an adverb like ‘where?’ or create an adverbial phrase using a preposition. Additionally, a special way to answer the curiosity of “But why?” is to use an infinitive.
- Expression of ‘why?’ using the infinitive ‘to’
The ‘to’ infinitive form of a verb can function as a noun, adjective, or adverb in English. When used as an adverb, it often explains the cause, reason, purpose, or result of an action. This concept is a way to understand how English uses infinitives, rather than a strict rule on how they must be used. It’s helpful to see infinitives as answering the question “But why?” according to our understanding of sentence structure.
For example, in The Matrix, Neo says, “I didn’t come here to tell you how this is going to end. I came here to tell you how it’s going to begin.” This statement uses infinitives to explain the purpose of his visit.
Similarly, a character like Superman might be described as coming to fight in a heroic and distinctly patriotic manner, using an infinitive (“to fight”) to describe his action’s purpose or reason.
SUPERMAN: I’m here to fight for truth, justice, and the American way. <SUPERMAN, 1978>
Meanwhile, some come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass.
NADA: I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass, and I’m all out of bubble gum. <THEY LIVE, 1988>
Not all of us came into this world to be a draft pick, as the following line from a children’s baseball team coach suggests.
Coach Morris Buttermaker: You didn’t come into this life just to sit around on a dugout bench, did you? <The Bad News Bears>
Phrases such as “so as to” and “in order to” are particularly used to highlight the purpose of an action indicated by the infinitive form of a verb (the “to” form). For those learning English as a second language, these phrases can clarify why something is done.
Morpheus: What is the Matrix? Control. The Matrix is a computer-generated dream world built to keep us under control in order to change a human being into this. <The Matrix>
- Expression of ‘why?’ using prepositions
As with expressing location, important prepositions for expressing ‘why?’ include ‘for’ and ‘of.’ ‘For’ can be interpreted in several ways such as “for the sake of,” “towards,” “about,” “during,” and “because of,” but it’s the most appropriate preposition to satisfy our curiosity ‘why.’
Ezra Kramer: My number one rule is hope for the best, plan for the worst. <The Bourne Ultimatum, 2007>
Gracchus: I don’t pretend to be a man of the people. But I do try to be a man for the people. <Gladiator>
To make the purpose even clearer, one can create an adverbial phrase like ‘for the purpose of.’
- Expression of ‘why’ using adverbial phrases
From the perspective of someone for whom English is not a native language, using adverbial phrases like ‘due to’ and ‘because of’ is the most definitive way to specify a concrete reason or purpose.
Forrest Gump: Do you have a cough due to cold? <Forrest Gump>
Jackie: And she’ll be a better person because of me and because of you. I have their past, and you can have their future. <Stepmom>
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