Connections Connections.

How Our Societies Are "Matched"

 

The society in The novel Matched has very many connections to the way our society is. Some connections are through Social Media, Technology Use and Government Control. Here are some ways that these catorgories are "Matched."

SOCIAL MEDIA:

No matter what kind of advertisement you are looking at, it will always make you think.

The Society in Matched on many and different levels control the way the characters thought. About how they viewed a perfect life. They believed that whatever Society viewed was perfect for them, was something they knew had to be perfect.

Advertisement has a connection to this type of Society, in a different yet similar way. Advertisement shoves different views and products that will eventually make you desire that object or view in order to be perfect.

This website gives 10 ways on how advertisement controls our lives. They say that advertisement came from being a form of communication to a way of life. It has different quotes and connections between advertisement and our lives.

Matched Society, the officials decide; Who you love. Where you work and when you die. The Society is like our advertising and social media. It has control on the we think "normal" and "perfect are.

Who we love, can be controled by dating sites. Social media makes us think that we can always find love easier by being "matched" with people who are similar to you. The only thing different between matching banquets and dating sites is the right to chose. You supply your interests, beliefs, and other information that would help find that "special" someone then they match you with people who are similar to you.

"I've waited 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. It will be the first time I hear his name." (Page 4) 

Then we can choice who we want to learn more about. Just like the matched banquet, we can be matched with people we dont know, someone we arent interested in or not end up falling in love with them.

We use technology to find love and happiness, in matched, technology and "Sortng" is used to find love and happiness, letting us have access to our "perfect life."

TECHNOLOGY USE:

In our society, we have become more and more dependent on technology. In the Matched society, technology is basically all they use. They are dependent on it for their health, knowledge, and future.

The Matched society uses technology for their health, by programming and controling their meal portions, meal types, and use programmed pills to change there moods.

"I know what the blue and green tablets do. I don't know anyone who knows for certain what the red tablets does. There has been rumors about it for years." (Page 22)

 We use x-rays, scans, and other techonogly to benefit our health. Matched  uses computer type things to hold our there knowledge that has been limited and controlled by their government. They are not taught how to write with pens but simply type what they need.

"He is writing in an old-fashioned, curved kind of writing, like the script on my compact. I've seen samples of it before but I don't know how to do it. No one does. All we can do is type." (Page 170)

We use computers to research and educate ourselves quickly and easily, the difference between our knowledge from computer is that we are not fully controlled by our government on what we research and learn off the technology.

http://www.educause.edu/ECAR/HowTechnologyWillShapeOurFutur/162468

Pretty soon, technology in our society will be at high dependancy rates and our whole world will be evolved around it. In these youtube clips it shows how our future may become if we become so dependent as well as a funny clip of how santa gets around now a days!

http://youtu.be/5qcmCUsw4EQ (Santa Clip)                           http://youtu.be/dy5MIJ4EgvI (Future World)

GOVERNMENT CONTROL:                                                                               

In Matched their government has full control over the citizens. Every decision in the end is based on government. The government or "'officials' decide; Who you love. Where you work. When you die". (Front page) They are continually watched, sorted, observed and controlled. Their lives are planned by the government with little to no choice.

In our world, an example of connection is "Big Brother Government." This "organization" explains how government and corporations are taking our freedom and privacy from us, and having control on us without a choice.

I think that with all the media and other influencial things, we are continually being forced into government choosing and control. I feel that the government having control on us is a situation that will and can occur at any time.

Now remember; "Big Brother Is Watching You."

This video is interesting because its makes you think of "what if " situations of us and our governments.

This song by Micheal Jackson and Rockwell "Somebody's Watching Me" is a song talking about how we have no idea anymore if we are being watched every second of the day. Are we truely living our own life?

http://youtu.be/-CeAjDpTiLE (What if Government Controlled You?)

http://youtu.be/jlm5FoQEdrI (Micheal Jackson & Rockwell - "Somebody's Watching Me"

CONCLUSION:

Now hopefully, you can tell that there are a lot of connections between our world and the Matched Socities. The connections are all about control. How governments and technology can so easily take control over our lives. This is can be a pretty severe problem, considering the dystopian atomosphere this much control consists of. We need to become more aware of the things we let control and even the things that can. We need to also be more aware of who can be controlling us and work together to become a more a more utopian world.

Behind The Scene.

The Secret Path . -

The one part in Chapter 19 that they dont mention is the spot Ky and I hid at. During hiking, we were partners to tape up an new hiking spot. We took a different path. The little dirt path that lead to a bench. We sat and talked. A moment where I knew I liked him. We touched. He held my hand. A rush of love filled my body and all I could think of was us. Xander was not on my mind. This worried me, I can not keep doing this to myself, but it is not like I can control it. Ky he is perfect. We talked about what it would be like if we got matched, even though it was impossible concidering he was an Aberration. We joked and exchanged stories about life. I felt I was on cloud nine and it was impossible to come back to earth.

 http://youtu.be/OniajbXAJXE

- A song that represents this moment.

In The Year 2525.

Dystopian Music.
Lyrics. -In The Year 2525 (Zager & Evans)


In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find

In the year 3535
Ain't gonna need to tell the truth, tell no lies
Everything you think, do, and say
Is in the pill you took today

In the year 4545
Ain't gonna need your teeth, won't need your eyes
You won't find a thing chew
Nobody's gonna look at you

In the year 5555
Your arms are hanging limp at your sides
Your legs got not nothing to do
Some machine is doing that for you

In the year 6565
Ain't gonna need no husband, won't need no wife
You'll pick your son, pick your daughter too
From the bottom of a long glass tube

In the year 7510
If God's a-comin' he ought to make it by then
Maybe he'll look around himself and say
Guess it's time for the Judgement day

In the year 8510
God is gonna shake his mighty head
He'll either say I'm pleased where man has been
Or tear it down and start again

In the year 9595
I'm kinda wondering if man is gonna be alive
He's taken everything this old earth can give
And he ain't put back nothing

Now it's been 10,000 years
Man has cried a billion tears
For what he never knew
Now man's reign is through
But through the eternal night
The twinkling of starlight
So very far away
Maybe it's only yesterday

In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find

In the year 3535

Ain't gonna need to tell the truth, tell no lies
Everything you think, do or say
Is in the pill you took today ....(fading...)


[ From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/z/zager-evans-lyrics/in-the-year-2525-lyrics.html]

[It talks about how our society could change into how the book "Matched" is. It talks about taking a pill to decide how you feel; in the book, there are three types of pills to help control your emotions. In the year 6565 it talks about how your marraige, and future will be control by one simple choice. All though this is not exactly the same as the book it is simliar, based by not having a wide choice. Over all this song relates a lot to how society can become and how it relates a lot to the book.]

The Final Banquet.

A Diary Entry By Cassia Reyes.

Dear Diary,

It was Grandfather's eightieth birthday a few days ago, but not only that, the final banquet. The day people wonder about. My mind was and is filled with memories of my grandfather & I as we walked up the stairs to his house. He layed there, helpless. I had to blink away the tears that try to flood my face. We all had brought gifts for him, a little something each. Bram had picked a rock from Arboretum for grandpa and I wrote a letter with poetry in it. I worried he would not like it. People normally do not care about poetry these days but Grandfather and I love it. He had asked for us to all have an one-on-one with him before it is time for him to rest. When it was my turn to talk to Grandfather, I gave him my letter. He liked it but encouraged me to use my own words next time. It was weird. A secret full of trust was handed to me that day as well. He put a piece of paper in my compact. He said to me "Cassia, I am giving you something you won't understand, yet. But I think you will someday. You, more than the rest. And, remember. It's all right to wonder." That night he ended his life saying I love you to my family and I. Now, today, a few days later, I am  hurt and confused. I hid during hiking today and read the paper Grandfather gave me. A poem. Grandfather gave me a poem. Ky saw me read it. I am scared. We arent aloud to have poetry like this, and I dont know what to do with it. I want to keep it but if an Officer sees it, I can be in huge trouble. Ky will keep it secret. I hope. When I got home from hiking today, Officers were at my house. I thought they knew about my compact.What Grandfather had given me. They are still here. I need to go hide my compact FAST and see what happended. I will let you know what happens as soon as I get a chance.. Oh no I hear them coming.. Gotta go...

From,

Cassia

In The View Of Cassia Reyes.

In the View of Cassia Reyes; An Interview.

Q: In a society of perfect people and perfect apperance, how would you describe your apperance?

A: Well, like you said, we are all perfect. Every gene is a perfect gene full of beauty and perfection. Each individual would fall under the defination of beauty. As for myself, I wonder. I am told that with society making sure everyone is the best apperance they can be, I still stop and think that they may have made a mistake on me. With people all around me so stunning, its hard for me to think I dont match up with them. I question the fashion here as well. I mean plainclothes are exactually what they are called "PLAIN" clothes. Everyday we wear the same clothes and have no twist at all. With my eyes being green and my hair being dark brown, it does not look that appealing with the plain look of them. I love fashion and beauty, and this whole plainclothes thing is just not working for me, Im like the plain clothes cop. I would love to open my closet and it be like the rainbow fell from the sky into my closet. At the match we were able to finally choice the clothes we wanted to wear. I chose of course something that would bring out my eyes and look flattering with my hair and body, not like them hideous plain clothes. That sure was a special time in my fashion life. Haha.

Q: In the novel Ally Condie wrote on your society and life, what role do you play in it?


A: I was asked to be the main character. She wanted to base the story on my life and my experiences. So, pretty much I have the most important role in the story. In the story, she writes about my experience with the match and afterwards. I feel though as if every single role in the story is very important and has impact on how the story is told. Without one of the "roles" there wouldn't be a story!


Q: With your life involving around some challenging situtations, how do find you behave in tense, frightening, or dramatic situations?

A: Im a very reserved but fun girl, so those situations do bother me to a large extent. I dont stress myself out alot and i dont find that tense situations revolve around stress so when they do occur I find the best way to stay calm is to just stop, and relax. When it's a tense situtiation like at the matching banquet for instense, I have a hard time dealing with them. I get really nervous, especually because I dont like being centre of attention. Frightening and dramatic situations are worse than tense. I find myself stuck into knowing what to do and then panic.

Q:  Is there another character that you are close with, and how would you describe that relationship?

A: My grandfather, he is my role model. In the beginning of the novel, it talks about when he turned 80. On a citizen's 80th birthday they have their final banquet (death banquet). My grandfather and I were really close. He was one of the people I trusted, looked up to, and went to for advice. Not only are we close in love but we are close in birthdays. For my matching banquet, he gave me a compact. I chose to bring it with me. I later found out that the compact was not just an ordinary compact, it held something dear. I love poetry but orginal poetry is banned in Society. The compact had a secret compartment that held a poem that my grandmother wrote before she passed on. I knew that after my grandfather gave me something so special and worthy, I can truely trust him with everything. He was the first and only person I told about the mixed up trick with Ky and Xander. All and all, most people would think that Xander & I are the "main" characters, I feel as though my grandfather makes it into that category. I love him so much.

"Every minute you spend with someone gives them a part of your life and takes part of theirs."

-Cassia Reyes.

First Impression.

The beginning of the matched story, has a great first impression on me. The main character Cassia, tells her story of the day of her childhood dream; her match day. On this day at the age of seventeen, Cassia and her parents head down to the City Hall where she will find her "perfect" match. The problem is, she has no idea who she will be matched with and may not even know the person. This causes her to worry but cant help to be excited as this is a day everyone waits for. It was her turn to recieve her match, when normally the match would show up on the screen, hers was right in the room with her, her best friend Xander. She laughs at the fact that he was truely her dream and perfect match. The part I stopped at was when Xander and her headed home to their families as they waitied until their "first date." She was excited to see the micocard, just to see what it holded, but she knew already what was going to be on it, as she had known Xander all her life.

This story and its dystopian setting makes me think of they way our society is. We have the choice to spend the rest of our life with anyone, its not chosen by Society. It makes me think of how life would be with that type of setting.

Ally Condie's book "Matched" and it's dystopian setting where Society controls all, and its love story  feel, this book so far has captured my interest and has made it impossible to put down.
No wonder why its a New York Times Bestseller. I am happy to have choice this novel to enjoy.

http://youtu.be/xaeNWL8rlBI