Response to Leon's Blog: Quotation 3

I thought you did a great job summing up the events of the middle/end of the novel, and explaining how this quote was relevant. It helped me better understand the book (since I haven't read it yet), and what happened in it. Everything was well written and had a nice flow to it. Your connections (text/text, text/self, text/world) were very good, and they had clear connections to the quote from the novel. You supported the connections well, and they were creative and well though out, and the research was a good added brownie point. 

However, I found that in the second paragraph (talking about children disobeying their parents and stealing cookies from the cookie jar), you repeated yourself a couple times. For example:

Despite this, when you’re not be watched after (when the forces of civilization, law, and rules are not there), you might do something you’re not supposed to do, like climbing up a chair to reach the cookie jar, or reaching to grab some candy. We realize that it’s the wrong thing to do, but when the forces of rules and law are not there, anyone would act the way we did.

 In this paragraph, you stated that "the forces of civilization, law and rules aren't there" twice; almost the same phrasing both times. This paragraph would have had the same flow, and have made more sense if this had only been used once; preferably the first time. Also, the first sentence here is a little run-on, and in desperate need of a period somewhere in the middle. Also, your last paragraph contained more than one thought (underage drinking and Dumbledore), and that would have been more correct if it had been split into two paragraphs into one (yes, yes, I know that assignment said two paragraphs, but four small ones with defined statements is always better than two big jumbled ones).

Otherwise, I really liked your connections and your writing was well-written and easily understood. You explained what the quote referred to, and how it was significant to the story. Your quote seemed to well reflect the themes of the story, and highlight the events of the novel.

Link to blog post: 
http://lordofthefliesclassic.blogspot.ca/2013/04/quotation-3.html

Response to Susan's Blog: Sam's Journal

First of all, your writing was very good, and I can really see that you got into Sam's role while writing this. The thoughts really seemed to come out of Sam's head and on the paper. You jumped right into their lives, and waste much time explaining what certain terms meant, and who was who. 

However, your second and last paragraph seems to be quite jumbled and cut up. I know that is the way some books are written, and that journal entries from that book should also be this way, but then the whole entry should be like that. You could easily combine some sentences (for example: It is eerily quiet at night. I wonder whats is happening everywhere else on the island. Would have been better if it had been turned into It is eerily quite at night, and I can't help but wonder about what is happening everywhere else on the island). Also, you seemed to repeat what you just said (especially in the second paragraph). For example, ...not real but I am not really sure. The 'littluns' really think so and I am beginning to wonder so myself was really just one idea: The littluns think the monster is real, but I am not so sure. Reading everything thoroughly will easily clear these mistakes.

Your response to the entry was good, but it just needed more detail. Why was this exact time critical to the story line, and why was this character vital to the story. What kind of part does he play on the island? How did you come up with the predictions for the story?

All in all, you did a good job; you wrote a very good journal entry and you responded quite well to it.

Link to page:
http://dystopiannovellordoftheflies.blogspot.ca/2013/04/sams-journal.html

Response to Adam's Blog: Blog Post 4 Part 1

Wow, Adam, you're first journal entry actually made me terrified of this girl. I really saw how mentally unstable this girl was, and how hard it would be to survive with her. Even through her craziness, I understood what was going on with her, and I almost felt sorry (almost). I could really see a girl like her writing this (you even managed to do it without *that much* profanity), and I could really feel the confidence she exerts. Your response to her journal was good, and explained what she was like, and what she did what she did. However, I think you could have explained a little more about how she was vital to the story.

The second entry really felt emotionless (I was confused at first as to why you did this, but as I later found it out; it was intentional) and almost... forced (on his part). It seems like something Kazuo Kiriyama would write, and feel no emotional impact from doing so much harm to his classmates. Your response was good, but I think you should have put the first few sentences together. For example, "This is probably the hardest person to do a journal for. Kazuo Kiriyama has no emotions. He would not feel sadness if his parents died. He would not feel joy if he won the lottery. He had apparently had a partial lobotomy of his brain while in his mother. It was a result of a car crash that killed both his parents." Could've been turned into something like: "This was probably the hardest journal to write, as Kazuo Kiriyama has no emotions. He would not feel sadness if his parents died, nor joy if he won the lottery. This is because his parents were in a car crash (before or after he was born, I didn't understand), and gave him a partial lobotomy". It would have added a better flow to the paragraph, and made it less chopped up. Otherwise, I think you did a fine job bringing out the thoughts of this sociopathic ninth grader.

Shinji Mimura's journal was good; it seemed laid-back yet with a 'let's do this!' kind of attitude. He really seems to want to win this thing, and get back at the government for all the harm they've caused. Your response was good, but in the second paragraph, you didn't expand on why you thought it was hard (but easy) to write Shinji's entry. I liked the drama paradox with Shinji's mysogenia, yet still having a crush on that girl. I found it quite entertaining, and I'd love to know what happens later (oh, wait, he was killed... never mind).

I really liked Nariko Nakagawa's haikus, and I can imagine that it took quite a long time to get the syllables in the right place. It was different, indeed, than what you wrote before, but it added a good bit of colour to your set of entries.  Your poetry was good, but it didn't have a good flow, like haikus usually have (yes, yes, I know you're a 13 year-old boy writing poetry, but still! Make it flow better!). However, a high five for the effort!
The love she had for Shuya was quite obvious, but a nice change from Shinji's entry. Your response was good, but once again, you didn't add include why you thought the character was vital to the story.

All in all, I think you did a great job-- your entries had a good flow to them (mostly) and they were very well written, while your responses really told a lot about the characters and who they were.

Samuel's (Grandfather's) Journal

Journal,

My days are limited, and I know that no one will read the words I write today, but my thoughts are jumbled, and I need to talk to someone, even if that someone is me. It has been a long few days, what with preparing for my final banquet and all. I have chosen a light green for my Final Plain clothes; because that is the color my wife was dressed in… I don’t believe that I will ever see her again in some kind of afterlife, but it seems almost poetic to wear the same thing she did.

The other day, I caught Cassia hungrily eyeing my pie, and I’ve chosen that to be my Final Meal. Speaking of Cassia, she came to see me yesterday with some strange news. She said that she was still matched with Xander (which I think is absolutely marvelous, and saves them the trouble of getting to know each other), but that she saw another boy’s face on the screen. She says that she saw Ky Markham’s face; the boy who was adopted by Patrick and Aida. I found this curious, indeed, but it somehow didn’t strike me as a mistake. The Society doesn’t make mistakes; everything is so well planned and thought out. Therefore, how could something like this slip through their radar?

When she told me this boy was an Aberration, I was shocked. How could my granddaughter be matched with an Aberration, of all people! This has to have been planned; a cruel joke of some kind! However, the Aberration title seems unfitting to this ‘Ky’. That poor boy, he’s been marked through with no fault of his own. He even works at the Nutrition Disposal Center; it’s hard, unfulfilling work.

The dead can’t talk, so Cassia was allowed to tell me all of this. She also told me about her new summer leisure activity; hiking. We talked about the Hill, and how wonderful it would be to hike there. I really hope they take the kids there; it would be a great experience for Cassia to get a taste of the real wilderness. I also told her to bring the compact I gave her to my Final Banquet. There is something I have to see one last time, and something that I really want to show her. I know she won’t think it’s safe to keep it, and the paranoia might lead her to destroy it; I know that’s what I would do if someone gave me something as precious as that. However, I know she has to see the beautiful old writing that my grandmother did such a good job of concealing.

As my Final Banquet is tomorrow, they have to take a sample of the inside of my cheek to preserve my body, so that in the future, they might be able to bring me back. I’ve given this a lot of thought, and I really don’t want to be brought back into an alien land. My wife didn’t have a chance at that, and neither will I. I have decided to give my sample to Abran, and tell him to destroy it before he hands it over to the Officials. I trust him with my life, including my death, but I really want to die on my own terms, and not have even my death controlled by the Society.

Wait, there’s a knock at the door: it must be Agnes bringing my evening meal. I have to conceal this journal so they don’t take it from he, and don’t find out what I’m writing.

Forever,

Samuel Reyes

This character is the one that Cassia trusts the most, and will tell anything; her grandfather. He is in the nursing home for elders, and it is almost his last day on the Earth. The day after this journal is set in, is his Final Banquet and his eightieth birthday. This is the day that Cassia comes to visit him to tell him about her Match (and mismatch) and when the true rebel starts to show in Samuel. First, he shows Cassia the stolen poems from the compact that he gave her, then tells his son to destroy his tissue sample. As readers, we get to see how wise he really is, and how much he defies the Society (in his own ways). 

Grandfather is vital to the story because he encourages Cassia to fight for herself, and to write her own words. She doesn't understand the power of her own words, her own creativity, and how vital it is for her personal growth, and he encourages her to be herself. Predictions weren't very hard to make for this journal, because Cassia only sees Grandfather twice in the novel, and the second time is the last time anyone will ever see him. This journal was set after Cassia visited him for the first time, and the 'predictions' are what happens in the second visit. However, something that wasn't included in the novel, but that I included is how Grandfather thinks that Cassia's matching with Ky isn't a mistake. I added this because I think he's been around for a long time, and knows well how the Society functions, and knows their kinks and mistakes. He is smart and logical enough to know what truly is a mistake and what isn't (after all, this wasn't a mistake, but a cruel experiment set up by the Society).

Ky's Journal... Open If You Dare

Journal,

It was a very long day at work. My hands burned very much, and they turned bright red, even though I wore the thick protection gloves given to us by the Officials. Come to think of it, really, the gloves aren't very thick. I remember when Joey blew into my hand one day, and I could feel his warm breath on the back of my hand. They look thick, but really, they are just filled with a soft spongy material that does nothing to soothe from the heat of the water. I truly hate working at this place; I remember that my grandfather told me that in a time before ours, people got to choose what they wanted to do. It didn’t matter that they weren't good at the job; they could eventually switch work placements. I crave for such freedom, which we don’t have very much here.

Anyway, I shouldn't complain. I have a good like here with my ‘parents’ Patrick and Aida. They treat me well, as if I was their child. However, sometimes I see a flicker in Patrick’s eyes that tells me he hasn't quite gotten over the death of his child, and would swap me with him if he ever had the chance.

Yesterday, Cassia told me the most amazing thing: her grandfather had left her an amazing poem, not part of the hundred we are restricted to nowadays. She told me a line of it, and I can’t get it out of my head: Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage, against the dying of the light. I do not completely understand what it means, but I know I can decode when she gives me the rest of the poem. In exchange, I showed her how to write C in cursive. It is old writing; something my grandfather taught me when I was a young boy. It is beautiful, elegant writing, and a shame that it didn’t last longer than it did. I know I’m not supposed to know it, and that I shouldn’t ever be using it, but it’s just so beautiful, that I cannot resist.

Cassia caught me scribbling in the mud that day, and I just had to teach her. There is something about her that I find so irresistible. I can’t believe the Officials would do something as cruel as match me with her, and get my hopes up for a future with her. I know that is impossible, and not worth dwelling on. I really do like her, but I don’t know how she feels towards me. I know she is matched to Xander, and that the two have been friends for a long time, and it wouldn’t be fair to either of them if I came between their love. But there is a sparkle I see in her eyes every time I catch her looking at me. I’m trying to avoid her best I can so she sees and knows that I am not for her, and that we aren’t supposed to be together, but something keeps pulling me towards her. She is the perfect girl, and I would do anything to be with her; even if that means enduring days upon days working at the FD.

I feel so empty seeing her leave every day after hiking, and I have to do something to show her that I like her too, that the feeling is mutual. I’ve decided to draw her a picture; something that will tell her my story with as little words as possible. I’m still not sure how I’m going to do it, but I know that somehow I must.

I must get to sleep; I have a long day at the FD, and I mustn’t be late again.

Until next time,

Ky

Ky plays a crucial part in the Matched trilogy. He plays the boy that Cassia is 'accidentally' matched with, but who also has a mysterious past, and a great story to tell. I decided to write his journal entry after the second hiking trip Cassia had with him, because that is where I think she first fell in love with him. He astonished her with his old writing, and she mystified him with her illegal poem. I think this was also where Ky started to truly trust Cassia and want to know more about her.

Without Ky, there would be no story; Cassia would live a long and happy life with Xander, die at the age of 80, have two lovely kids, and a great work placement. She would never question the Society's motives and long of a different life. She would never know that there was anything better out there. Ky remains a pretty mysterious character throughout the trilogy, and we only get to discover a little bit of him every few chapters. I imagine that he is thinking about Cassia even when he's not with her, because that is what Cassia does, and when he gives her his compass (by 'accident'), you can tell that he was planning to do so, and that it was well though out. You can tell that he trusts her; he taught her how to write, and gave her bits of his story in creative and thoughtful ways. I also imagined him being jealous of Xander, but now wanting to ruin his and Cassia's current relationship; they are both his friends, and it wouldn't be fair to either of them if he got in between that. 

Quotes 3

“In the absence of real thunder, he's making his own.” 

This quote refers to Cassia's brother, Bram, who, while waiting for a storm to come, is jumping on the metal train platform, making his own thunder. He makes his own fun and entertainment and even runs in public! Rules don't apply to him; he is a young boy with way too much energy that he must spend somewhere, even if that means stomping on the platform making noise. This quote also refers to the line from the Dylan Thomas poem that Cassia read the previous day:

Because their words had forked no lightning they  

Do not go gentle into that good night.

However, I also think this quote can refer to Ky; in a world with no uniqueness, and with no difference between its citizens, he is the creative spark. The fact that writing is not allowed, and no one knows how to write cursive, he does. He draws and write as he pleases. In the absence of originality, he is original and creative. This represents the end of the beginning of the book because that is what Cassia is finally realizing: that Ky is actually very different from the other boys from the Society. He is creative, able to write, and even though he is an Aberration, that doesn't stop him from doing what he loves.

This quote reminds me of my brother; he will always make his own fun, whether that involves a rubber band, soccer ball, or a pen. He always has something to keep him entertained, making the most possible noise. This quote also reminds me of quote that states: Don't wait for the universe to find great things for you, seek them yourself. This is very similar to this quote because it has the same meaning: instead of waiting for things to happen, go make them happen yourself. In the world today, we often struggle to find the magic in our everyday lives. We are always waiting for 'miracles to happen' and other people to do nice things to us. However, in reality, we should be the ones changing the world, instead of waiting for it to change us. We have to go out and be the change we wish to see in the world.

Quotes 4

“Now that I've found the way to fly, 

which direction should I go into the night?”

This quote is from the very beginning of the book, when Cassia is having a dream about flying. Cassia abruptly wakes up, and shakes the thought out of her head. It was foolish to think such thoughts; people can't fly! The absurdity of the though amuses her; especially when her green silk wings bend into a shape of her own inventions and the night sky doesn't frighten her. The green silk represents something beautiful she had, but was taken away from her; her Matching ceremony dress. It is something she can never have again, and it is already a thing of the past; something else people of the Society shouldn't dwell on.

This represents the beginning of the book, because it shows how citizens in the Society can't even think of something impossible without being stomped down on by the Officials. Well, not literally, but everyone is raised thinking that imagination is wrong, and dreaming absurd things is a sin. In the beginning of the book, she is naive, and wouldn't dare think that something as impossible as a human flying. This is also foreshadowing because eventually Cassia will be free from the firm grasp of the Society, and she will be free to fly in whichever direction she chooses. She says that the blackness of the night doesn't frighten her; and this represents leaving the Society and being her own person. It is uncertain what she will find, and these things may be quite shocking, but it is nothing to fear.

This quote reminds me of life and our everyday choices. Once we are given the opportunity to choose and do something for ourselves, we often don't know where to go, and what to do with this newfound freedom. We know that we are free to do as we wish, but we don't truly know what direction we want to take to become our own person. This quote also reminds me of a book I read called The Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot. This book is about a girl who knows what she wants with life, but doesn't know how to get there. She wants to be a dress designer, but as soon as she's out of university, she has no idea how she is going to achieve her dream. This quote also reminds me of my free time (when I'm done a large project, for example, wink, wink, nudge, nudge) and how I spend it. There are a million things I want to do, but I don't know where to start, and where I want to go. However, I never know how I'm going to do what I want I do, even though I have the time to do whatever I want.

Xander's Journal - PRIVATE

Journal,

It’s extraordinary being matched to Cassia! I’ve always loved her (but not in that way), but I never thought that we could possibly be together! Well, now that I think of it, we are perfect for each other; our thoughts seem to always be in sync, and we know everything there is to know about each other. We have been best friends for a very long time (our whole lives, to be exact), but we couldn’t possibly dare even think of the possibility that we may be matched!

It is wonderful actually knowing your Match; when the other boys are chattering about how beautiful their Matches are, and what they hope their girl will be like, I don’t have to waste time imagining. I could just turn around and hold hands with Cassia, and this has never made me happier. However, I do sometimes wish that I had a chance to guess, and imagine how my first outing would be like with my Match... But this is an unacceptable thought, which is unfair to me, Cassia and the Society. They did a perfect job matching us together and it doesn’t do one good to question their actions, or think about what might have been.

I know Cassia thinks about what it would be like to have been Matched with someone else; I can see it in her eyes every time Em mentions her Match. She seems to stare into the distance, and forget about the conversation, and when I rub her shoulders or hold her hand, she jumps back into reality. I must say that this hurts me a little; aren’t I good enough for her? Why can’t she just be happy with what she has and stop imagining an impossible future? I know this is harsh to say, and I regret saying it. I’m like that too, and I bet she can notice it too.

However, I don’t think this is the only thing that’s bothering her at the moment. One day, when we were in the games room, she slipped away from me (she seems to think that I didn’t notice—and I pretended not to) and came back a few minutes later looking pale as a cloud. I didn’t bring it up at all, because whatever she had done must have frightened her. I know better than to dig into other’s lives; my mother always tells me to ‘mind my own business!’ which I often find hard to do.

Also, a few days ago I found Cassia mumbling to herself in school. She said something about rage and a gentle night... It seemed to be the talk of an Anomaly, but I figured that the death of her grandfather was really bothering her. I questioned her about this, but she shrugged it off as one of the Hundred Poems (which, I can assure you, contain nothing about a raging gentle night!). I don’t know why she lied to me, but for the rest of the day, she just looked... lost.

I’m afraid something has changed in the Cassia that I know and love, but I hope it does nothing to change our relationship in any way. I have to get to Training, but I promise I will write again soon.

Sincerely,

Xander

I chose to write a journal entry for Xander because he is Cassia’s best friend and Match. He is the smart, calm, collected one that Cassia loves. This is the time in his life, even though he doesn’t know it, when he is losing his best friend and Match to another boy. He may sense that she is changing, but he doesn’t know what. He never suspects that it may be another boy, much less Ky Markham, who is making Cassia act so differently.

Xander is vital because he is what brings Cassia back into reality. She knows that she loves him, that he loves her, and that she could never leave him (even though, in the end, she does). He is everything that she knows about the world, and leaving him would be leaving the world she grew up in.

In the book, Cassia is whisked away by a female Official while Xander is playing a game. She seems to think that Xander didn’t notice her disappearance, but as Xander is described as someone who knows many things and can tell a lot about a person just by looking at them. I think that he must’ve noticed his Match leave, and then come back looking confused, and lost. He must’ve known that something was wrong about his best friend, a girl he’s known all his life, and know that she is jealous of the other girls who don’t know their Matches. Therefore, I had Xander stew over Cassia’s new behaviour, and think of ideas that might be the reason for the change.

Cassia's Journal - PRIVATE DO NOT OPEN

Dear Diary,

Yesterday was an exciting day for me. I learned that I was Matched with my lifelong friend Xander. I really love him, and I love spending time with him, so our Match will be very successful. Not to mention that we already know each other, and do not have to spend our 'first meetings' getting to know more about each other. However, I do hate that our meetings must be supervised by an Official (I hope it isn't the one from the games room, I didn't like her very much), which I find pointless. What is there to supervise between two people who already know each other?! Anyway, at least I'll be spending a little 'alone' time with Xander; I haven't had a chance to talk to really talk to him since the Matching.

However, I can’t stop thinking about the other boy I saw, Ky. I remember when Xander and I first met Ky at the pool. Xander had lost his tablet container, only a few days after he first got it. I remember Ky had offered to help and he had almost drowned trying. His face had an almost-healed scar on it, something not common in a place so safe. He had said that he belonged here, in Oria. I don’t ever remember seeing him here, but I believed him. When I told Mother and Father about the new boy at the pool that day, they already knew about him. They told me how he was Patrick and Aida’s new son. I was happy to have a new boy to play with, and for the first few weeks, everybody seemed to know him, and want to talk to him. However, after that first month or so he seemed to disappear into the crowd of the First School. Ky joined our group of friends in Second School, but was soon whisked away to his work placement. Grandfather says that’s hard and unfulfilling work, working for the Food Disposal.

Last week, when I found out that he was an Aberration, it seemed to make sense. Sure, it was a terrible fate, and I could never imagine that someone I know could be one, but it made sense. He got his work placement early (and a bad one, at that), doesn't get much free time (even though he was only seventeen) and couldn't possibly be my Match. I feel sorry for him; why should he be punished for something he didn't do? But I guess that is how the Society must punish their criminals. People are much less likely to do bad things if their children will pay the price.

Anyway, I must not dwell on what could’ve been (even though Ky seems like such a nice boy, I love Xander, and I have a promising life with him to look forward to), and forget to live my life in the present. I promise to write tomorrow on how my outing with Xander went.

As always,

Cassia Reyes

I chose to write a journal entry for Cassia because she is the main protagonist in the trilogy, and nearly everything revolves around her. This time in her life is were everything started; where the 'mistake' of her Match happened, when she got the poem from her Grandfather (that made her see everything through different eyes), when Grandfather passed away, and when she saw Ky as more than Patrick and Aida's son. She is vital to the story (obviously) because she is the main character, and she also is the one taking part in the unveiling of the true evils of the Society.

The novel tells the story of when and how Cassia and Xander first met Ky at the pool, and I included a recollection of the days events. She talks about how after the pool, she found out that Ky had just moved in with the Markhams and would now be going to her school. In the actual novel, she includes many of her thoughts on life, the Society and Ky/Xander, so there wasn't much guess-work needed to write the entry. However, she never says that she didn't like the Official that told her about Ky's status; I just figured that she wouldn't want to see her again after she had given Cassia such shocking news. Also, I don't think Cassia ever suspected Ky of being an Aberration, but I think that by the end of the book, if she looked back to how this all began, she would have sneaking suspicions it.

Glossary

In a dystopian society such as the one in Matched, it is not uncommon for the author to make up new words/new meanings for words. Here, I have decoded some words that were used in Matched.

Aberration: Someone who has committed a crime (or is a relative of someone who has). They live among the normal people, but don't have the same rights. They cannot be Matched, and cannot carry their own tablets.

          ex. "This is confidential information, by Ky Markham could never be your Match. He    will never be anyone's Match... Ky Markham is an Aberration"

Anomaly: Someone who has committed a major crime and has been deemed dangerous. They are exiled from Society, and no one knows where they live.
          ex. "An Anomaly should never have been unidentified, let alone roam the streets, to sneak into the government offices where Patrick worked and where his son was visiting him that day." (Patrick's son was killed by the Anomaly that day)

Artifacts: Precious historical remains of ancestors that are given to teens for their Matching ceremony. One per person limit, and must be recorded with the Officials.
          ex. "... a few treasures from the past float around among us. Though citizens of the Society are allowed to carry one artifact each, they are hard to come by. Unless you had ancestors who took care to pass things along through the years."

Final Banquet: When a person reaches their 80th year in the Society, they get their Final Banquet. They can order what they want to eat (for their guests, as well), and you get to pick the colour of you plainclothes. Before midnight on the day of their final banquet, they pass away and are cremated.
          ex. "... eightieth birthday, so he will die tonight.... the best age to die is 80... 

Match Banquet: An evening where seventeen year-old men and women learn who their future companions will be. A magnificent feast for Matchees and their parents (and older siblings, if they happen to have any).
          ex. "I've waiting so long for this: for my Match Banquet. Where  I'll see, for the first time, the face of the boy who will be my Match."

Officials: The leaders of the Society, they decide who you are Matched with, where you work, where you live, what you do... They monitor your every movement.
         ex. Officials oversee Cassia and Xander's "first meeting", and informs Cassia that there is nothing wrong with her current Match with Xander, and that Ky's picture on the port was nothing more than a mistake, or sick joke.

The Society: The totalitarian government and group in which most people live. They set the rules and mould the world.
          ex. They decide the rules, how people live, how they are matched, and the fundamentals of life.

Tablets: Each citizen carries a container in which red, blue and green tablets are kept. These are given to you at staggered moments in your life, when you are finally deemed 'mature enough' to carry them yourself. 
         ex. "Three emergency tablets everyone carries... only the blue one, the one with enough nutrients to keep us going for several days if we have water, too... Carrying our own tablets is an important step toward our own independence..."

Map of the Society

This is a map of the Society that Matched takes place in. It shows the many different provinces under the control of the Society. Cassia's province, Oria, in the blue central province encompassing the Centra. Cassia's mother is from the Farmlands and Arboretum section just outside of Oria. Ky is from the Outer Provinces (depicted by the large pink province in the south). This map helps me understand how far away Ky spent most of his childhood, and how far he had to travel to live with his aunt and uncle in Oria. 

This helps me better visualize the novel's contents, because I get a better idea of where everything takes place, the climate of the area, and the landscape. I know that there are cotton fields in Oria, and this fits in with modern-day central America. Also, this map shows me just how powerful the Society is; they are controlling nearly the entirety of North America. Also, it shows how similar everyone's lives are; that location doesn't change the fact that everyone is Matched to someone they don't know (most of the time), and is under the power of the Society.

I created this map based on information from the Matched trilogy, including text as well as a map from Crossed. Also, Aimmy Arrowshigh's map helped me create my own. Despite Sonoma Province looking like a dinosaur and Grandia like a trident (and Quebec having a face), I think I did a pretty good job of representing the Society.

In the book, it says that The Outer Provinces and River Sisyphus (the largest river in North America; the Columbia) were meant to be West of Oria; that Central was IN Oria Province; Acadia had to be "many miles" East of Oria and full of "rock and forest"; Tana had to border Camas.

What I did differently from Aimmy Arrowshigh is that I made the Outer Provinces actually border the Society in the south. I found it logical that if they were 'outer' they must be on the outside protecting the important provinces in the middle. Also, I made Centra in the current geographical center (even though this would probably change in a cataclysmic shift) of North America, as opposed to just the center on the US. I figured that after such a fall in the government, then a rise of a new one, there'd be no separation between Canada and the United States (and Mexico), and it would be one  large country split into many different provinces. I also decided to separate Oria from the Farmlands, because in the book, it says that Cassia's mother and father were from different provinces, and both came to live in Oria.

Picture 2

     The cover I created features something standing out in a sea of sameness. In a world were perfect man-woman marriages are the norm, and no choices are the be made, a girl is trapped between two boys. Used to others making the decisions for her, Cassia now must choose between two amazing boys. But, yet, somehow the love triangle seems to blend in as much as it stands out; sure, it is something different, but not something the Society can control (or so they think).

          The male/female symbols are generic, and in a world where no one is different in any way, this is a perfect representation of 'normalcy'. The font I used looks cold, and hard; much like the  writing used on ports by the Society and society members. This is the writing everyone knows; not the loopy, swirly, natural cursive writing of today. Blue is used to represent the blue pill; the one that will keep you alive if you have water. It shows that citizens are only given what they think is enough, what they think they need. They have other people make important decisions for them; something that, in reality, is important to do yourself. The green is kept to link with the original title, but also to show that everything is calm, and controlled within the Society; that this 'love triangle' can be easily controlled by the Society.

Picture 1

The cover art of 'Matched' is quite interesting, and tells a lot of the book. It shows a girl (presumably Cassia) trapped in a bubble, lightly pushing on the sides. She is wearing a green dress (the one she wore to her Matching ceremony); a beautiful dress that is borrowed and must be returned after the ceremony. It is poofy, and over the top; not something she would wear every day. It is almost ironic; making one feel like a princess, when even though her life seems perfect, there are dark truths hidden from them. She is trapped in the bubble of the Society, and will never do anything with her life but lightly push on the sides of her cage. Although the bubble symbolizes Cassia's imprisonment, it isn't a violent imprisonment - it's just that she is living in a bubble, unaware of the dark truths that are hidden all around her.

Green symbolizes nature (where Cassia first met Ky after the Matching and also Cassia/Ky's summer activity; hiking), growth (of her knowledge as the book goes on), hope (for a happy Match and life), youth, money (which is ironic, as there is no money, or anything to trade in the Society) and envy (of a better time, where people were allowed to marry whoever they want). Green is also the colour of the green tablet from the book. This is a tablet that is used to calm and pacify. It seems to convey such a message that no great action will happen in the book; out of all the books in the trilogy, this is the one with the least violence, and most knowledge-attaining. Also, Cassia's pose doesn't show that she is concerned about her imprisonment. She's not panicked; not fighting... yet. The cover art perfectly conveys Cassia's world at the start of Matched: its a false fairy tale. She's calm, unaware of the fact that her princess life is even a little bit problematic.

Source: Condie, Ally. Cover Page. Matched. New York: Dutton, 2010. N. pag. Print.

Quotes 2

“I am trapped in glass and I want to break out and breathe deeply but I'm too afraid that it will hurt.”

This quote is about wanting to be yourself, and express your emotions, but not being able to because you are afraid of what others will think, or what will happen to you. This quote represents the beginning of the end of the book because that is what Cassia is trying to do. She is trying to break free of the perfect mould of the Society, but is too afraid of the consequences. This quote is thought (by Cassia) when she realizes how truly unfair the Aberration title is. Ky can never be Matched, and he will never be happy. She realizes that he will be alone his whole life and will never know what it would be like to have chosen something different. She knows that they both want to be together, but that would be violating the Society's rules, and putting them both in danger of exile.

          This reminds me of our society; where we are constantly judged for being ourselves, and not fitting in. We are all bullied by someone who thinks we're different and strange. We are constantly trying to fit in, and not stand out in a crowd. We all want to express ourselves, and  do what we want to do (opposed to what others want us to do), but we are afraid of hurting ourselves when we break through that cage. Will people accept us for who we are, or will they take out their sticks and stones and try to break our bones? 
         In our society, the people who are judged the most are homosexuals. They want to be themselves, and express their feelings, but there are constantly people who are against them, and will do anything to make them 'normal'. This is not something that can be cured with a certain herbal tea; these are a person's feelings, and beliefs. They are people who want to break out of their shells, and express themselves, but are too afraid of getting cut, or hurting.
         A book that reminds me of this quote is Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan. In this book, there are two Will Greysons (as the name suggests), one of which is gay, and doesn't know how to show it, or act it. He has a girlfriend, and when his best friend (a girl) starts texting him (pretending to be a boy), he is in love. He knows that he truly is homosexual, and wants to express it to this new boy he met online. He is afraid of what others will think of him (his mother, as well as his girlfriend and best friend,  and his classmates). The book is about his journey to become his own person, and not to care about being judged by society.

Quotes 1

"It is one thing to make a choice, 

and it is another thing to never have 

the chance."

I chose this quote because it speaks the truth: when making a choice, you can weigh the options, see what you think is best for you, and select it. Sure, only you can be blamed for making the wrong decision, but you are also the one to be credited for making the correct decision. However, when someone else makes decisions for you, you cannot know if there is ever anything better, that could have been yours.

I think this quote represents this section (the middle of the middle), because that is what it is all about. Choices make us who we are, and without even the option to do so, we aren't unique. This reminds me of being a child. When you are young, your parents make all the decisions for you; what you eat, what you wear, how you spend you day... However, this is only because as toddlers, humans are incapable of knowing what they should do, and need constant nurturing so they would eventually make decisions for themselves. This inability to make you own decisions also relates to the current political situation in North Korea. This is a country that has a totalitarian government whose citizens have one of the lowest-ranking human rights records of any country. Political expression is tightly controlled in North Korea. Anyone who deviates government decisions is sent to labor camps, set aside for that purpose. A book that is similar to Matched is the Giver (by Lois Lowry). Here, everything is gray and colorless. There is no creativity, amusement or free thinking. People are given their work placements based on past research done by members of the higher class. People are given no choice as to who they marry or where they work.

Can I Take a Message?

Every book is written because the author wants to convey some sort of message. He/She wants the readers to believe something, or see something in a different way. 

In Matched, Ally Condie wants to tell readers that free thinking and imagination is what makes us truly unique, and that taking that away is taking away our identity. In making everyone look the same, and do the same things, controlling everything people do, and bombarding everyone with propaganda, the Society is slowly stripping away everyone's creativity. Without it, we are all just mindless machines that follow routine and blindly follow unjust rules.

We don't know just how lucky we are to live in a such a society in which we are allowed to do what we want, eat where/when/what we want, and marry who we love. We are free to make mistakes and live our lives how we want to. Because "It’s better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing, than a long life spent in a miserable way" -Allan Watts.

To sum it up into one phrase, Condie's message in Matched is "knowledge versus ignorance". 

I believe Ally Condie conveyed this message well and thoroughly, as it was easy to understand, and made sense. Today, we take many things for granted, and imagination is one of them. Condie gave a message that was clear and related to the real world, and made readers really think about what the world would be without everything we have today. 

Condie's message is repeated several times, and that is one of the things Cassia wants. The novel shows the ignorant side of society (which is practically everyone), and how a girl is becoming less and less so; she is gaining knowledge. 

New Book Cover

This is the book cover that I created for Matched. It represents the uniformity of the Matching Ceremony, and the sameness of the matches. However, in the bottom right corner, you can see a 'mistake'... two boys and one girl; the love triangle between Cassia, Xander and Ky.

Matched in Today's World

Ally Condie has written about many social justice issues that citizens in the Society face in Matched. Many of them are real issues that are faced today.

The most obvious and prominent social justice issue in today's society is eliminating the individual. As we are all struggling to become 'normal' and to fit in with the crowd, we are getting rid of the creativity inside us, and soon enough, that is all we'll ever be: the same. In Matched, Condie stresses the point that without the power of free will, we have nothing. We live nothing lives doing nothing jobs and eating nothing food. We live to procreate and keep the human race from dying out. In the Society, where no one is free to think the way they want to, there is nothing to live for.

These days, when everyone is striving to wear the same clothes, have the same hair, and live the same life, we are becoming more and more what the Society wants us to be. We are becoming monkeys that will follow every command without a blink of hesitation. They want us to be the same, so that we can all be easily controlled.

We live in a time where we are free to be ourselves; even encouraged to do so. In a few hundred years, we may not even have that.

Something good that Ally Condie is showing us about The Society that is different from our world is discrimination (or lack of it). She is showing us how much better we function as humans without judging others by their skin colour, and looking past their stereotypes to see what they're really like. In the Society, where skin colour isn't mentioned, or looked down upon (we as readers don't even know whether there is more than one 'normal' skin colour), everyone is treated as well/badly as the next person. They are not given jobs based on their race (because there is none), or gender, but rather on their skill sets. Everything functions more smoothly when there is nothing to judge others by, or discriminate them in any way.

The Seven Basic Plots

Christopher Booker's The Seven Basic Plots is a book (extremely long and repetitive, I hear) that states that there are only seven basic plots that a story can have. Matched falls into several of those plot categories perfectly and follows the mould Booker set out.

Overcoming the Monster

• Cassia finds that the 'great evil' of the society is the lack of knowledge, creativity and free will they give their citizens. With the help of Ky, Cassia is determined to learn what the Society has kept from her for years.

Rags to Riches

• Surrounded by dark forces that try to suppress her, Cassia slowly blossoms into a mature figure, that understands more about the Society than anyone else. Ultimately, Cassia will become a hero to her people, and will allow everyone the freedom to be themselves.

The Quest

• Cassia and Ky go on a quest to learn why such a 'mistake' as their matching was made, and how this effects them as a community

Comedy 

• Cassia and Ky are destined to be together (as they learn more about each other, and grow to love one another), but the Society (and Ky's status) is keeping them apart. Eventually, the Society will have to give in (in the second and third books in the Matched trilogy) and Cassia and Ky will be free to be together. This is/will be a cascade of events that will lead to everyone knowing how cruel the Society really is and will allow for more people to be together because they love each other, not because they are forced to marry.

The remaining three plots that I didn't find applied to Matched are as follows:

Voyage and Return

• Protagonist heads off to a faraway land with crazy rules, ultimately triumphs over the madness and returns home far more mature than he/she set out.

Tragedy

• The flip side of the Overcoming the Monster plot; the protagonist is the Villain. We get to watch him/her slowly spiral into darkness before he/she's finally defeated, freeing the land from his/her evil influence.

Rebirth

• As with the Tragedy plot, but the protagonist manages to realize the errors in his/her ways and manages to fix them before it's too late, and manages to dodge a bullet in inevitable defeat.