Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,

Because their words had forked no lightning they

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright

Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,

And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight

Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on that sad height,

Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light. 

-- Dylan Thomas

          This poem was featured as the one that Cassia's grandfather gave to her in the hidden compartment of her compact. It was smuggled by Cassia's great-grandmother during the time they were deciding on the 100 Poems. This one wasn't chosen because it tells you to fight. It says that no matter what kind of life you had, that you must fight death. It implies that no one should die without fighting for life. 
         The Society didn't like this poem because in such a uniform society, what would happen if people didn't want to die? What if they went against the Society's wishes for a death at age 80, then where would everyone be? How could the Society control everyone that refused to be controlled? However, Cassia couldn't stop thinking about this poem, and it sparked her curiosity for another world, where everyone can do whatever they liked.

Social (In)Justice

There are many social injustices in the novel Matched, but among all the bad, there is some good as well.

Social Justices

• Discrimination
• In this future world, there seems to be no discrimination. Everyone is equal (or so it seems) and no one is treated differently because of their skin colour (even though there is no 'race'), gender, religion (there is none), clothing (as everyone wears the same thing), or sexual orientation (there is none other than the 'normal')
• Distribution of Wealth
• Even though the leaders of the Society obviously have the most power, that is where the 'unequal distribution of wealth' ends. In this society, there is no money; nothing to trade. You work, but you don't get paid directly. You and your family get food, clothing, schools and recreational activities. Everyone has the same things as everyone else, and there is no 'higher class' in the society.

However, every perfect society has its imperfections.

Social Injustices

• Distribution of Power
• When there is no money to be earned, knowledge is the most powerful thing. To quote the book, "Knowledge doesn't fail us."
• The more you know, the more you are likely to see that what the Society is doing is wrong, and the more you will want to rebel. So, instead of telling people the truth; that free will is something everyone should have, and it should never be traded for a long life.
• The Society worked for years and years to build a perfect place to live in where everyone is equal, yet have no control over their lives.
• Inhumane treatment of criminals
• The fact that one can be banished into the 'Outer Provinces' for a crime they didn't commit is a large issue in the book. However, being banished is not the only thing that happens to you when you commit a crime. The Society takes you to the Outer Provinces before you are killed off, forgotten by your peers.
• Jobs
• As 'perfect' as the jobs are, they are still given out according to 'status'. If you are an Aberration, you get the toughest jobs not meant for other members of the Society. For example, Ky is put to work (earlier than all his friends) at the food disposal factory, where, even though gloves are worn, the hot water burns his skin.
• Eliminating the Individual
• Without the power to think, do or act as one wishes, one doesn't have any individuality.
• You are not free to be your own person, but must do everything according to plan and careful predictions of other people.
• No freedom of speech, expression or will

Dystopia? You bet.

Dystopia: A futuristic, imagined universe in which oppressive societal control and
the illusion of a perfect society are maintained through corporate, bureaucratic,
technological, moral, or totalitarian control. Dystopias, through an exaggerated
worst-case scenario, make a criticism about a current trend, societal norm, or
political system.

If it wasn't already obvious that Matched is a dystopia, here are a few things that are sure to convince you:

Elements of Dystopia in Matched

• The illusion of utopia
• The Society picks out the best thing for everyone, and makes the citizens think that a perfect match/job is a perfect life
• Citizens are tricked into thinking that the Society is perfect, and that this perfection will make their lives perfect, too
• Uniformity> Individuality
• Everyone has to wear the same clothing; brown pants and a brown shirt
• Workers are to wear blue (all the time)
• Even girls that are being Matched only have a certain amount of choices for dress. The illusion of freedom of choice is shown here, when actually, everything is so well predicted, that there is practically no choice at all
• Constant surveillance
• Citizens are constantly monitored by the Society. You cannot tell a friend a secret without an Official knowing exactly what you said. Also, nothing can happen in your house without it being heard by the 'port'.
• Even garbage disposals are monitored to detect unusual substances sent down them
• Propaganda
• Free thinking is bad; look at the great life we've given you, why do you need to think about it yourself?
• The Society decides what movies teens will watch during their free time; of course, they use this time to remind them how bad the past was (filled with pictures of war and fighting), and when the Society is mentioned, happy faces and smiles fill the screen
• Forbiddance of ideas and information
• There are only a certain amount of books, songs and poems that the citizens can enjoy, the rest are burned and forgotten forever.
• Also, the Society almost never tells the citizens the complete truth.
• In the event of an emergency, citizens are forced to take a red pill that will make them forget everything the Society doesn't want them to remember.
• People live in a dehumanized state
• The Society doesn't treat its criminals in a humane way.
• The government has the right to declare a person an 'Aberration' for a crime they didn't commit. They can banish people to wherever they like without any evidence of what they did 'wrong'.
• Also, the Society dehumanizes its citizens by making all the important decisions for them (where they work, who they marry, what they eat, how they die)

Our World vs. The Society

The Society seems like the perfect place to live; three square meals a day, a perfect job, a perfect mate and a long life. However, everything is not as it seems.

• there is a strict curfew that MUST be followed
• all citizens must wear regulation clothing (be it blue for workers or grey for everyone else) only clothing for special occasions may be a different colour
• assigned jobs that best match one's skill set
• food is delivered daily to each person according to specific nutritional needs
• exercise is monitored, and one is not allowed to exceed the daily exercising quota
• citizens are Matched with their lifelong partners in the year of their seventeenth birthday (unless they choose to be a 'Single')

They claim that because in a time before theirs (our time) everyone had 'too much' technology, and the results were disastrous. Now, with only the technology they need, the information intake is more specific. For example, nutrition specialists don’t need to know how to program air trains, and sorters don’t need to know how to research diseases. Such specialization keeps citizens from becoming overwhelmed. They don’t need to understand everything. Because of this overwhelming amount of... well, everything, so the Society has limited everything into the "100 Best". This includes 100 best works of art, poems, books and lessons. All other works, especially those that promote free-thinking and rebellion, have been destroyed. 

As well as controlling how people live, the Society also controls how and when people die. As cancer and deadly diseases have been cured/ceased to exist, and dangerous people (anomalies) are controlled, death is expected. One doesn't wake up afraid that this day will be the last; they know that they will die on their eightieth birthday. It is an orderly procedure;  you are given your last meal, visited by your family and friends, then sent to a lab where Officials put you to sleep, then cremate your body. Citizens are even given a chance at immortality: before your death, a swab is taken from your cheek and preserved for the future. The Society promises that once they have technology advanced enough, they will bring people back from the dead.

In our world, we have much leeway over what we want to do, and who we want to be. For example, we are get to wear what we like (but we do have guidelines for what is considered 'appropriate' or not) and do what job we want to do (even if it may not be the 'perfect' one for you). We are free to choose who we want to spend our lives with, but we can also change our minds about that person. We have the right to read what we want (though some books may be banned for many reasons), and think how we like.

In a world where creativity and free thinking is encouraged, how can we truly know the power of our minds until we have our imagination stripped away from us?

Book Review

Matched: Review
By Tunja Domic for Major Newspaper

Matched by Ally Condie used a worn-out, chewed up, and overused love triangle theme to create a multi-dimensional world where everything is so screwed up, that it is a great setting for a dystopia. It is perfectly paced; the flaws of the Society are revealed in perfect time to the character development, and so little is known about the main character (physically) that she is quite easy to relate to.

Matched fits perfectly into its 'young adult' dystopian novel category with the totalitarian government, just-enough romance and conflict - tons of it. Even with a typical plot-line, Condie manages to captivate readers everywhere with her easy readability and other-world Society. 

However, I found this basically a repeat of The Hunger Games and The Giver, but there were many original items to the mix, as well. What Hunger Games' 'Panem' had that the Society doesn't is the power to create. As the Society has taken the 'hundred best' of everything (books, songs, poems...), and nobody knows how to write - they only take words from the hundred best. Over the course of the book, Cassia learns to appreciate writing and creativity. As this book was intended for 'young adults', it gives a perfect view on how important freedom and creativity really are.

Something else I enjoyed is how the book managed to turn the love triangle plot-line into more than just a story about “I want this, and this, but I can only have one”—Ally Condie instead created a world where the love triangle led Cassia not only to desire freedom of choice, but the ability to express herself and share thought and feeling with others through words.

Author Ally Condie slowly sets the stage for her young adult series about a dystopian society where, in exchange for a long, disease-free and peaceful life, citizens follow rigid guidelines that keep them in a state of ignorance. Unfortunately, Condie keeps the reader in this state as well, withholding significant details until the story's end.

Final Verdict: 

Pass, great for young adult readers who enjoyed the Hunger Games and Divergent, and want a new dystopian  society to jump into.

Characters

Cassia Reyes (Main Antagonist): a seventeen year old girl who lives in Oria Province, and is as normal as normal can be. She is a talented 'sorter', and enjoys going to Showings. She enjoys hiking, as well as words (poems, especially), and is best friends with Xander Carrow.

Xander Carrow: Cassia's best friend since First School (lives on the same street as she does), and is now her Match. He likes swimming and games (especially Check).

Ky Markham: A boy in Cassia's neighborhood who used to live in the Outer Provinces, nephew and adopted son of the Markhams. He works at the nutrition disposal office and is in Cassia's hiking class. Also, he is an Aberation, and will never receive a Match.

Grandfather: Cassia's grandfather, and one of her closest friends, even though he is almost eighty. Was a Sorter in his younger years. Grandfather gives Cassia her artifact, a compact, and shows her the hidden compartment (containing stolen writing) .In the book, after Grandfather dies, Cassia always remembers his wise and kind words.

Abran Reyes: The father of Cassia and Bram, he is a Sorter and an Official for the Society. He sorts out artifacts for the community. His project (in the beginning) is to dig up the old library and incinerate any books the Society deems unnecessary.

Bram Reyes: Cassia's little brother. He is a typical troublemaker, and he tends to be late. His artifact is Grandfather's watch, which is really important to him. Also, Bram stands up for what he thinks is right. He has hope when there is virtually nothing to hope for.

Molly Reyes: Cassia and Bram's mother. Works in the Arboretum, and is originally from the Farmlands.

Summary

In a society, where a long life is guaranteed, as well as the perfect job and ideal mate, and every day is expected, a rare malfunction happens. At her Matching Ceremony, when Cassia is matched with her best friend, Xander (a rare occurrence that one knows their mate), she thinks it's ideal that the two of them are placed together. 

However, back at home, when Cassia decides to read the microchip given to her (containing all the data about her Match), she is surprised to find not her best friend, but a strange boy. His face flashes on the screen, just before it goes black.

She is assured that this was just a glitch; that she couldn't possibly be matched with this other boy... Xander was the one for her! However, she knows this other boy too... Ky Markham; the orphan who moved in with a family down the street... Ky, who was an Aberation (someone who has committed a crime (or is the relative of someone who has) and is punished for it) and cannot be Matched with anyone.

Cassia's dying grandfather gives her an illegal poem, which she loves dearly and cannot stop thinking about its beautiful words. She shares lines of it with Ky in exchange for learning how to write cursive. On their hiking trips, they share their long-forgotten information, and get to know each other better.

Cassia begins to find herself wanting to know more and more about Ky, and she realizes she's slowly begun to fall in love with him. Near the end of the book, they kiss, but after that, Ky is taken away by the Officials to the Outer Provinces. Cassia and her family are also brought to the Provinces. She promises that she will find Ky, with the help of the compass Ky gave her and blue tablets Xander gave her. She also has to move away after the Society takes Ky away to the farmlands.

In a world where everyone is the same, will a spark in the sea of grey save everyone or send them further into the grasp of the totalitarian government.