When it comes to language, like Neo, we really should take the red pill

The green code symbols cascading down a black screen like digital rain – the three-dimensional type that clicks over as it tumbles – is not just one of many images in The Matrix movies. It represents what holds this entire world together, what it’s run on, on screen.

If you’re familiar with it, it’s a great and very memorable title sequence. The mesmerising effect resembles the older-generation green-screen monochrome computer monitor displays. Over the years, some have speculated that the code represents lines from the film’s script, or strings of complex multiplication, or excerpts from the great philosophers, or a sequence of random numbers.

Whatever its sources (yes, there are multiple), production designer Simon Whiteley, who designed it: “Without that code, there is no Matrix” (cited in Kelly). How does ‘seeing the code’ help Neo? As there is too much information in the Matrix for the spacecraft’s deck computer to decode in real-time, the crew watch it in code form. The imagery is largely symbolic of Neo gaining a unique, intuitive perspective on the Matrix. This allows him to do super-human things – to defeat Agents, fly, and so on. He can see, de-bug and rewrite the flow of information that represents the virtual world around him in real-time.

Outside The Matrix films, the digital rain can represent our language abilities and cognition, as well as what awaits when we take the red pill and then do the daily work to bring distinction to our use of language, taking our English to CEFR level C2 – advanced/proficient – particularly by means of vocabulary, sentence structure, paragraphing, and knowledge about styles (especially the classic style and the plain style) and tone.

Without going all neurolinguistic on you, in this cognitively transformative process, the structure of English becomes transparent to us, allowing for extraordinary access into both abstract thought and reality. It brings us closer to the ideal of professional writing: 100% communication, the first time (Combrink).

With such control, writing becomes joyous and fulfilling. And, thanks to the times we live in, we have amazing resources at our fingertips. We have the two Steves – Stephen King’s On writing: A memoir of the craft and Steven Pinker’s The sense of style: The thinking person’s guide to writing in the 21st century. We also have the Online Writing Lab (The OWL) at Purdue University. And much, much more.

Unlike Neo, we won’t be able to stop or dodge bullets, but we can attain near-complete control. We can learn to convey information swiftly and effectively, (re)write the scripts of our lives and efforts, enchant readers and listeners, improve our career prospects, and recognise when language is being weaponised against ourselves or others.