.........

Until the second coming or the destruction of the "matrix," we seem to be stuck with this illusion whether or not we believe an essential truth exists behind the mask. As Norman O. Brown so beautifully put it, "The Fall is into language." The question is whether we accept these artificial constructions, change them, or try to escape. Some clearly need to be changed; some clearly can’t be. But no such change is truly liberating. Most are little more than a change of cage. To trade Capitalism for Marxism would simply be to substitute a chaotic market brainwashing for a centrally-controlled brainwashing. Personally, I’d rather be brainwashed by the random forces that are responsible for the evolution of the species and the nation-state and the internet than by the elitist experts who imagine they can construct something better. Indeed, if we make the matrix too comfortable, we may lose all desire to break free, forget that we are in a cage, and, in effect, return to slavery in Egypt. Perhaps, like Huck, we need to resist the comforts of civilization and light out for the territory.

If you can understand this debate and apply it to the text, whether the author invites you to or not, whether the assignment specifically calls for it, you should do well on any college paper.