Dystopia in our World.

Our World? The society of Matched? Are they alike?

The society of Matched is like our world in many ways. Different people will make different connections depending on their experiences in life. There are historical connections, technology connections, social media connections, and government control connections.

I will be talking about three different connections to our world that stood out in my mind.

1. The matching.
2. The ports.
3. The officials.

The Matching

The matching in Matched is like the dating sites in our world. In the book, the government uses the peoples 'stats' and genes to match them with their 'perfect' match. Dating sites use the information you put into them to match you with your 'perfect' match.


The government wants to have the best offspring possible. In a way, this is like selective breading. Selective breading is what farmers do to have the best crops/herds. I feel if we continue this way, we could eventually end up like the society of Matched.

Cassia is matched with her childhood friend, Xander. When she receives his micro card, she sees his face - a familiar, friendly face that comforts her. But there was a mistake, another face flashed up on the screen - Ky's. Ky is an aberration, and this means he is not allowed to be matched. For an experiment, the government put Ky into the dating pool to see what would happen.
Cassia and Xander believed they were the perfect for each other, but if Ky was allowed to be matched he would have been Cassia's 'perfect' match. Because there are so many rules in their society, they were kept apart.
I would not want to be kept apart from my 'perfect' match. It is not right: The society  in Matched is preventing people from having an amazing life with their true love.

"I climb into bed and push away thoughts of the red tablet. For the first time in my life, I'm allowed to dream of Xander" 22

Before you are matched, you cannot even dream about people. The citizens of the society are deprived of natural feelings, and teenage fun. As a teenager you date, you go out with your friends, and just have fun. The society takes away the childhood fun from its young people. That is just wrong.

The Ports
The ports in Matched track everything the citizens of the society do on them. Our society is starting to rely more and more technology and our computers also track everything we do. We can't stand to be without our phones. Not only do our phones act as phones, they act as computers. You can search things, watch videos, post on facebook, post on twitter, and communicate with anyone anywhere in the world.




When we were little for Christmas, we would ask for dolls and toys. Today, small children ask for electronics and games to do with computers, for example, a LeapPad. If we start to rely more and more on electronics and computers, we will start to lose our writing skills just like the society in Matched eliminated writing.

As Cassia and Ky grew closer, they started to share secrets with each other. Ky shared with her his story through drawings and also shared that he could write. When they were hiking the hill, if they were the first two to the top, which usually happened, he taught her to write in the dirt.

"I'm getting good at C. When I arrive at hiking I practically sprint to the top of the hill. After I check in with the Officer, I hurry to my spot next to Ky. Before he can say anything, I pick up a stick and draw a C right there in the mud next to him."173

When they switched hills, the group was split into pairs. Ky and Cassia were paired together. They had more private time together and got to know each other better. As this happened, Cassia fell in love with Ky. 

The writing and drawing let them express their feelings and brought them together. The society was restricting the people from expressing themselves and once Cassia felt the freedom she wanted it badly.

The Officials

The officials in the book Matched are the government and the police officers. They are everywhere, always watching, and always reporting. In a way, they are like human cameras, everywhere. This also ties into the technology in our world because we have cameras in buildings, in our phones, and in our computers. These cameras are always watching us and could be hacked. 


The people in Matched always have someone watching them, and also the cameras are always watching them. They never have privacy. I would not want someone always watching me. The citizens of the society don't even have privacy when they are sleeping. Every so often, the society monitors their dreams with sleep tags. You cannot control your dreams because they are your inner thoughts. The society has so much control over the people in Matched that they even know their dreams. It is just wrong that their thoughts are not even their own.

"I've always wondered what my dreams look like on paper, in numbers.Someone out there knows, but it isn't me. I pull the sleep tags from my skin... Glad that my turn is over."23

The society in Matched tried to create the perfect world. They eliminated diseases which is great: No one has to suffer through the horrible diseases we have today. They also eliminated their choices in everything. They didn't have the choice of where to live, what to wear, what to eat, where to work, and even who to love. They tried to create the perfect world but in doing so they eliminated all the things that made you, you. They had no choice in anything. Life is supposed to be fun, you only have one, but the society changed all of that. I would not want to live like they are forced to.

Be Different. Be Yourself.

A dream of Cassia's

Tonight I get to let my mind go free. It is not my turn to have the society track my dreams with the sleeping tags. The society has complete control over our lives, we can't even dream what we want. I am starting to realise how much control they have, and now I want freedom.

I am walking with Ky, we are in a field. It feels right to be free, with Ky at my side. But where are we? I don't know where we are, this place isn't familiar, but I feel like I have been here before. Maybe in my dreams, maybe in my day dreams, I'm not sure?

This place is bright with the sun shining like it has never before. There is grass everywhere, continuously over the hills, around the trees, forever into the distance.

Ky and I are hand in hand walking freely, there are no officials around us, no one watching us, we are completely free. The feeling of being free is weird. As a child I felt freedom but never like this, never completely free.

In the back of my mind there is something sneaking up, Xander. Xander is my childhood friend, my match, and my love, but he will never be my true love. Ky is my true love. Being with Xander feels safe and comfortable, but being with Ky. When I am with Ky I feel free, being free feels so much better then safe. Ky is my true love.

Ky and I are walking freely through a field, we can run and not have the tracker stop us, tell us how fast to go. So we run. We ran fast, we run slow, it doesn't matter but we run.


I woke up surprised. That dream was so nice, but can the society know what I was thinking with out the sleeping tags. They say they can't but I now know how deceiving the society is. I know what the red pills do and how they use us. I don't only want freedom, I need freedom.

Another Brick in the Wall

Another Brick in the Wall - Pink Floyd

This is a very dystopian song. The video show children walking in lines, everyone alike, except their faces. Don't worry though, the "society" will take care of that. After the children walk through a brick cave they come out with no facile features. This is alike to Matched in many ways. The society makes all of the citizens dress in the same clothing except for the colours and those they don't even get to choose.

The title even says what Matched is about, Another Brick in the Wall. Every person in matched is just another part of their society, just another brick in the wall of their society. The walls in the society are built up very strong, if you rebel, if a brick starts to crumble, they take care of it very quickly. The only way the citizens could break the wall down is if they work together.

This song shows that eventually the children rebel and take control. This is what Cassia and the people of the society need to do if they want any freedom.

Take a stand and take control of your life.

You, Yes You, Stand Still Laddie!*

When we grew up and went to school, there were certain teachers who would hurt the children anyway they could
by pouring their derision upon anything we did
exposing any weakness however carefully hidden by the kids.

But in the town it was well known
When they got home at night their fat and psychopathic wives
Would thrash them within inches of their lives!

ooooooooooooo, oooooooo, ooooooooooo, ooooooooo, ooooooooo, ooooooooo,oooo.

We don't need no education
We don't need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers leave them kids alone
Hey! Teacher! Leave them kids alone!
All in all it's just another brick in the wall.
All in all you're just another brick in the wall.

(A bunch of kids singing) We don't need no education
We don't need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers leave them kids alone
Hey! Teacher! Leave us kids alone!
All in all it's just another brick in the wall.
All in all you're just another brick in the wall.

Spoken:
"Wrong, Guess again!
Wrong, Guess again!
If you don't eat yer meat, you can't have any pudding.
How can you have any pudding if you don't eat yer meat?
You! Yes, you behind the bikesheds, stand still laddie!"

[Sound of many TV's coming on, all on different channels]
"The Bulls are already out there"
Pink: "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrgh!"
"This Roman Meal bakery thought you'd like to know."

(A bunch of kids singing) We don't need no education
We don't need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers leave them kids alone
Hey! Teacher! Leave us kids alone!
All in all it's just another brick in the wall.
All in all you're just another brick in the wall.

The Diary of Cassia Maria Reyes

Today is going to be a hard day.
Today is all about grandfather.
Today is the day of his final banquet.

Yesterday I went to go visit grandfather during my rec hours. I feel like we are a lot alike. We had a good conversation, we talked about hiking. I told him I was going to be doing hiking during the summer. I enjoy talking to him and am going to miss him.

While we were talking yesterday he asked me to bring my artifact. Every person is allowed to have one artifact and mine is from grandfather. It is called a compact. Women used to us it to keep powder in that they put on their faces.

I brought my compact to my Match Banquet, it is very important to me. In a way calms me down, having a piece of the past. I'm not really sure why? Maybe because they got through all of their hard time, which were much worse then ours, so i will be able to over come the problems in our society.

I don't know what today will bring, I have never been to a Final Banquet before. I am also wondering why Grandfather asked me to bring my artifact? I can't think of a reason he would want me to bring it other then just seeing it one last time. I hope today isn't to bad. :(

“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”

– Abraham Lincoln

An Interview with Cassia Maria Reyes.

Lets take a look into Cassia's mind. What she believes and how she feels.

Q. How would you describe your appearance?

A.Well, this is an interesting question. I would say my eyes are green, the society says that is why I chose the green dress for my Match Banquet, and my hair is long and brown. My grandfather also chose green for the color of his plain clothes for his Final Banquet. I think were a lot a like, I miss him.

Q. What is your role in the society?

A. My role in the society is to go to second school and work as a sorter. My job right now is boring but if you are a good sorter it could set you up for a higher job in the future. My great-grandmother started as a sorter and she was part of the group of people how chose the Hundred Poems. They had to eliminate many poems. It would have been a very difficult job. I hope I will get to do something interesting with my future job.

Q. How do you behave in tense, frightening, or dramatic situations?

A. I believe I behave proper like the society would want us to. I try hard to but sometimes the situation is just to much for me. When Em started to shake and have her anxiety attack I did not know what to do. I had to rely on Xander and Ky to do something, and they did. Over all I act pretty calm. Grandfather told me not to take my green pill because I am strong enough with out. I believe him.

Q. Is there another person in the society that you are close with, and can you describe that relationship?
A. Em and I used to be close but we are not that close any more.
Xander and I are obviously close, we have been friends since we were young. But our relationship has changed, we are now matched. Even more than that our relationship has changed though. I used to want to tell him everything without a even thinking about it but now it is different. When Grandfather showed me the poem I did not want to tell him. Things have changed.
Then there is Ky. I never thought about him before but now I am. Since his picture showed up where my matches was supposed to be, Xanders, I can not stop think about him. I find my self having to actively stop my mind from thinking about him. We are growing closer, I think? His and my relationship is confusing.

Matched.

http://matched-book.com/matched-book.html

I have just started reading the book Matched yesterday. This book is by Ally Condie.
Matched is set in the future where poeple are matched with their "perfect match." The main character is Cassie. The first 20 some pages are about her getting matched with her best friend, Xander. Both of their families are excited because they know their childs match.

I am very excited to read this book. I loved the Hanger Games books! They were amazing. It was the first time i have ever finshed a book before the class. Nevermind finishing one, i read all three of them before the class even finished the first. It says that if you liked the Hunger Games you will like Matched. I am very excited.

Here is a link to the book trailer --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaeNWL8rlBI
Check it out!!