MATCHED. by Ally Condie First Edition, New York: Penguin Group, 2010

Transcription

1 MATCHED by Ally Condie First Edition, New York: Penguin Group, 2010 CONCEPT ANALYSIS Plot Synopsis Cassia lives in a Society where everything is controlled by the government: What she eats, wears, learns, listens to, watches, and loves is under government management. Cassia is content with her life; especially after her Matching. At a designated Match banquet close their seventeenth birthday, youth across the country are matched with their ideal mate based on observed and reported characteristics of each individual. Cassia has been Matched with her lifelong best friend, Xander. Supremely happy after the banquet, Cassia inserts a government-issued microcard in her port, a computer-like device available in homes. Expecting to see information about her Match, Xander, Cassia is shocked when she sees the face of another friend, Ky, appear on the screen and then vanish suddenly. This startling moment causes Cassia to question her life and the Society in which she lives. She becomes better acquainted with Ky and he introduces her to new ways of thinking and gives information about the government and their power. Slowly, they begin to kindle a romance which confuses Cassia. As Cassia struggles to find understanding and to keep secrets, her structured world slowly begins to unravel. Organizational Patterns Matched has 366 pages which are divided into 32 chapters. Most chapters are between ten and fifteen pages long; chapters 27 and 30 are the longest chapters in the book with almost 20 pages each. The book has an approximate reading level of 5.3, but a high school interest level. Ninth and tenth graders, for whom this unit is written, should be able to read the required two (and sometimes three) chapters outside of class easily. 7

2 Enduring Question This unit, through studying Matched, will help students to address the question, How do your choices affect your family, your friends, and your community? Because the Society takes almost all opportunities to choose from its citizens, students will see the importance of choices. They will also explore the effects of their choices as they read about the effect of Ky s father s decision on his family and about Cassia s vacillation between Xander (her Match) and Ky (the boy she wonders that she may love). This enduring question will help meet Core standard RL : Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme. BACKGROUND INFORMATION Utopias A utopia is a society or community that possesses desirable, positive, or perfect qualities. The idea of a utopia has been around for quite some time; the term was originally coined by Sir Thomas More in the early sixteenth century (1516). The word comes from the Greek: οὐ ("not") and τόπος ("place") and means "no place". The English homophone eutopia, derived from the Greek εὖ ("good" or "well") and τόπος ("place"), means "good place". This, due to the identical pronunciation of "utopia" and "eutopia", gives rise to a double meaning. Utopias can be based around different philosophies including: economics, politics, religion, science and technological, and feminist ideas. Members of a utopia are educated, peaceful, and in harmony with nature. There is no need for lawyers or poverty. American utopias arose with great rapidity in the 19th century. During the 19th century, utopias were founded because of the notion that social disruption is caused and created by commercialism and capitalism. Members of these utopias attempted to distribute goods equally, abolish money, and suggest citizens should only do work they enjoyed and improved the society, which allowed them freedom to explore arts and sciences. Many of these socialist utopias failed because of the citizens failure to comply with the suggested ideas. Dystopias The opposite of utopias, dystopias are societies or communities that possess undesirable, negative, or frightening qualities. The idea of a dystopian society is most often portrayed in works of fiction and typically set in a speculative future. Dystopias often contain dehumanization, environmental disaster, totalitarian governments, or other qualities that could lead to the decline of society. Governments in dystopias can sometimes seem idealistic in nature and may intend positive consequences for the inhabitants of the society; however, the principles are often flawed and result in negative consequences for the citizens, which makes the governments seem oppressive. In some cases, dystopian governments do not care for the well-being or safety of its citizens and focus on complete control of the people in order to maintain power. 8

3 Much of the conflict created in dystopian fiction is a result of the dissatisfaction of the characters quality of life and disagreement with the society s established principles. Often, the dystopian novel s main protagonist becomes acquainted with an outsider of the society whose knowledge of the outside contrasts with the protagonist s knowledge of the society. The climax is most often the protagonist s attempt to escape or destroy the dystopia. *Information supplied by Wikipedia ISSUES RELATED TO THIS STUDY OF LITERATURE Themes Community In Matched, the Society is incredibly important. It is the driving force behind all action in the novel. Everything the members of the Society do is planned to have the greatest effect on the Society: they are assigned work positions where their strengths will be put to the best use; they are given marriage partners (or Matches) for the greatest possibility of healthy children; and those who do not contribute to the Society are sent away from the City. Most people are happy to contribute to this community feeling, and so Cassia feels that she will be an outcast if she questions the Society. By understanding the type of community that is described in Matched, students will be able to see how much Cassia s choices affect not only herself, but her community as well. Relationships Matched is centered around Cassia s relationships; they are what compel all of her choices. The hardest realization for Cassia is that she loves both Xander and Ky and that she has to decide between the lives that she could have with each of them. When she thinks of Xander she says, We could have been happy...i could have held his hand, warm and strong, and we could have had what my parents have, and it would have been beautiful (364). Students will immediately be drawn into the relationships that Cassia forms in this novel: with Xander, with Ky, with her family members. Individuality There is little individuality in the Society. The people wear the same clothes, have the same privileges, and are given the same (extremely limited) choices. From the beginning of the novel, however, Cassia is singled out as an individual. At her Matched Banquet, she is the only one whose screen is dark at first (17); she is also the only girl who chooses the green dress for the Banquet, and she likes the idea: I don t mind standing out a little, she says (25). The rest of the novel, however, describes Cassia s fight to be an individual. The Society wants her to fit into the mold it has created for her, and slowly she discovers that she wants to break out of it. This theme will help students see the importance of their choices on their own individuality: As Cassia begins to make decisions that go against the Society, the results of her choices carve out an identity for herself. 9

4 Censorship The Society has chosen what is appropriate for its members to view, read, and hear. In an effort to systematize, the Society has chosen 100 poems, art pieces, and songs that citizens can read, view, and listen to; all other poems, art pieces, and songs have been destroyed. Citizens of the Society are not even taught to write--they use computers and other machines instead--so that they can t create their own works of art. When Grandfather gives Cassia that is not one of the Hundred Poems, she has to hide it and later destroy it so that she doesn t get anyone in trouble. As students understand the level of censorship that the Society uses, they can see how this censorship leads to limitation of choice; this can lead to a great amount of discussion with the students about the impact of censorship in schools and media today. Choice Choice hardly exists in the Society. Members of the Society are able to make some decisions, like how to fill their free hours (from among a set of carefully-selected options) or whether they want to be Matched or remain a Single. Most of the important decisions in their lives, however, are turned over to the Society: what job to have, whom and when to marry, when to die. Under this government, Cassia begins to feel oppressed; she finally tells her Official, I think people should be able to choose who they Match with, to which the Official replies, Where would it end, Cassia?...Would you say next that people should be able to choose how many children they have, and where they want to live? Or when they want to die? (246). The fact that Cassia really has to break the rules in order to even have a choice will help students to see the importance of each of her choices, and thus, each of their choices. Setting In the Society, everything is decided for the citizens: jobs, who they marry, when they die. Every hour is scheduled for them; even in their free-rec hours (26), they are only given a handful of options from which to choose. Officials, who can be equated to police officers and leaders in the Society, watch the citizens to make sure they follow the extensive rules of the Society. Each citizen wears the same plainclothes, in different colors to show their position in the Society (Officials wear white, students brown, and workers blue), and is given three tablets: blue, which will keep them alive; green, which will calm them; and red, which no one knows the purpose of because they are not allowed to take it unless directed to do so by the Society. Cassia and Ky get to know each other best during their hiking hours. At first they start at a small hill inside the City, but eventually they are moved to the Hill, the last place in the City that has been left forested and wild (66), where they clear branches and trees away from trails. On the Hill, Ky teaches Cassia letters, gives her gifts, and kisses her. *Note: The setting of the novel should be discovered by students while reading. It will be important to talk about utopias before reading, but students should be allowed to see for 10

5 themselves how this particular Society works. Point of View The novel is told from Cassia s point of view, in first person. The reader knows Cassia s thoughts and feelings and sees events and other characters through Cassia s perspective. Through this point of view, readers are not able to exactly know other characters motivations, thoughts, or feelings. For example, at the beginning of the book on pages 3 and 4, Cassia says, 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 then that I hear his name. The reader knows right off the bat that Cassia is a typical seventeen-year-old girl who is concerned with boys and recognizes the influence of the Society in her life. Characterization The characters in Matched are set apart by their choices and their reactions to the Society. Cassia Maria Reyes - Cassia is a 17-year-old girl and the main protagonist. Cassia is described as having green eyes, coppery-brown hair, a small, straight nose and a dimpled chin (7). She lives with her father, mother, and 10-year-old brother, Bram. Initially, she is excited to see her Match and is content when her best friend, Xander, is chosen for her. Her world is governed by choices that the Society makes for her: where she will work, when she will die, and who she will love. She is satisfied. However, as the book progresses, she discovers a mistake on the government-issued microcard of her Match information. The mistake causes her to consider another peer, Ky, as a Match. As the novel progresses Cassia begins to reevalute the Society and its control over her life. She is conflicted between choosing the stability and predictability Society offers, but sacrificing her newfound feelings and questions, and embracing different ways of thinking, art, and the ability to choose, but risking the safety and security of her loved ones. Xander Thomas Crow - A handsome boy with bright blue eyes and blonde hair (6). Xander is Cassia s best friend; they have known each other their entire lives. Xander is quite good at games and playing excites his competitive nature. He is well-liked and popular with his peers. He is in love with Cassia and is not afraid to show her physical affection in public; he is willing to help Cassia with whatever she needs and does not ask very many questions. He is perhaps more content with his role and life as part of Society than Cassia or Ky. Ky Markham - Ky is a peer of Cassia and Xander and Cassia s new love interest. He is described as having tanned skin, dark hair, and blue eyes which change depending on what he s wearing (52, 134). An orphan that was taken from the Outer Provinces when he was a young boy, Ky is the adopted nephew of Aida and Patrick Markham. In the Society he is classified as an Aberration, a status given because of an Infraction that his father committed. Ky is artistic and poetic; he has committed several 11

6 forbidden poems to memory and draws pictures for Cassia to depict his life for her. He also knows how to handwrite, a forbidden skill in Society. Ky and Cassia begin to fall in love with one another, which is forbidden because of Ky s Aberration status and because Cassia has been Matched with Xander. Ky is eventually taken by the government to fight in the Outer Provinces. OTHER LITERARY TERMS IMPORTANT TO MATCHED Suspense (RL ) makes the reader uncertain or tense about the outcome of events. Suspense makes the reader ask, What will happen next? and is greatest when it is focused on a sympathetic character. Examples of suspense in Matched include: Pages Cassia s wait to get Matched invokes a sense of suspense early on in the novel. Cassia is unsure of who her Match will be, and when the screen goes blank the reader is left wondering what the black screen means and if it is a good or bad thing. Pages After Cassia discovers the poem left from her grandfather, she comes home after hiking one afternoon to discover the Officials are investigating her house. Her frantic thoughts and Bram s covering for her excites the reader into wondering if she will be discovered. As the story continues, the reader begins to wonder why the Officials are searching Cassia s father and what his fate will be. Pages In this scene, after Cassia and Ky have kissed on the Hill, Ky is taken away. The reader is first scared because Cassia wakes up to screaming and the reader doesn t know where the screaming is coming from. Her running and confusion build up to the suspense; the imagery of Ky being taken away completes this suspense. Condie uses allusion (RL ) by referencing and drawing on themes from specific poems. Dylan Thomas poem, Do not go gentle into the good night is especially important in the novel, as it constantly reminds Cassia not to submit to the wishes of the Society. This novel can help students see the importance of poetry to transmit ideas and even incite rebellion. Specific poems that are alluded to in the novel: Page 82 - Grandfather says that the cottonwood seed is trailing clouds of glory (82), a direct reference to William Wordsworth s Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood. Page 96 - This is where Cassia first reads the poem that Grandfather gave her at his death, Do not go gentle into that good night, by Dylan Thomas. Page 97 - Crossing the Bar, by Alfred Lord Tennyson, is also included on the paper that Grandfather gives Cassia. Cassia doesn t read the poem, but it would be good to read it with students so that they get a feel for the kind of poetry Grandfather has given her. Page Ky gives Cassia part of Poem in October by Dylan Thomas as a birthday gift. A flashback (RL ) is an interruption in a chronological narrative of a literary work to 12

7 relate events from an earlier time. Authors employ flashbacks to give readers necessary background information or to create tension or contrast. Cassia flashes back several times throughout the novel. Examples of flashback from the novel include: Pages Cassia flashes back to a time when Xander loses his tablet container in a pool when they re 10. Through this flashback, Cassia explains tablets and what they are used for. Page 53 - Through this same flashback, Cassia explains to the reader when she first met Ky. Page 55 - Connected to this flashback of that night, Cassia gives information of Ky through dialogue between her parents. Page 63 - Through this flashback, the reader learns more of Cassia s relationship with her grandfather. Pages With this flashback, Cassia recounts a memory of her grandfather and it gives her the courage not to take a green tablet. A character s motivation (RL ) is the reason for which that character makes certain choices and does what he or she does. As students study the choices the Cassia, Ky, and Xander make, it will be important to discuss the motivation behind each choice and action. Students should be able to see how the events of a character s life affects his or her motivations, choices, and actions; this will tie in well with the enduring question of How do your decisions affect your family, your friends, and your community? as they better understand their own motivations. This will also help students to develop cognitive strategies as they practice making predictions and inferences about the choices of each character. Examples of places in the novel where motivation can be discussed are: Pages Cassia s Official tells her that there has been a mistake and that Ky will never be Matched because he is an Aberration. Why does the Official tell Cassia this? How does it change Cassia s view of Ky? Pages Grandfather gives Cassia an illegal poem just before he dies. Why does he give her such a dangerous gift? Why at this point, and not earlier in his life? Pages Officials search Cassia s home for Grandfather s lost tissue sample. What could have motivated Papa to be so careless with something so important? Pages Xander offers to hide Cassia s artifact for her when the Officials come to collect all of the artifacts, but Cassia gives him Ky s artifact instead. Why does Xander offer to hide her artifact? Why does she hid Ky s instead? Page Ky gives Cassia a drawing that describes his life before coming to live with the Markhams. How do these experiences affect Ky s motivations and his choices? AFFECTIVE ISSUES RELATED TO MATCHED Girls will especially like this book and will probably be immediately drawn into the story. Because of the book s popularity since its release, however, many girls may have already read 13

8 the entire trilogy before. Also, it may be difficult to engage boys in the novel, since as readers we only have Cassia s perspective on and her feelings about what happens in the story. For this reason, teachers who wish to teach this novel to an entire class will have to make sure that class discussions, the enduring question, and activities will engage every student. In order to do so, teachers should focus on such universal issues as individuality and choices. Ninth and tenth graders are coming to an age when they will have to make more decisions that will affect their lives, and focusing on these issues will engage all students. An alternative for using this novel would be to offer it as an option for literature circles. Teachers could offer other options, such as The Hunger Games, Unwind, or The Chosen One for students who have already read Matched or who are disinterested in the story (see Text Sets and Enrichment Resources below for more ideas). Most of the instructional strategies in this unit would work well for any of these novels; students could read different novels but still be able to participate in the activities and discussions described here. (As an added bonus, giving students the choice of which novel to read in a unit about choice gives students another chance to examine the effects of their choices.) VOCABULARY ISSUES Matched is a novel students can easily navigate, for the most part. Several words which students may find problematic are insubordination, utopia, anomaly, and aberration. Insubordination and utopia can be defined when discussing the background information discussed earlier. Anomaly and aberration can be defined previous to reading the novel, or can be defined as the novel progresses (because the context of these words are unique to the Society). However, these words can be understood by context clues and are not necessarily vital to understanding the text. On the other hand, there is a set of vocabulary which may be important for students to distinguish. Words such as: Society - Page 31 Matches - Page 16 Match Banquet - Page 3 Official - Page 42 Aberration - Page 46 Anomaly - Page 46 while not necessarily new to students (they probably have seen these words before), are important to the novel (set apart by their capitalization). By defining these words, and making sure students can define them in the context of the novel, students can better understand the plot and themes of the novel because they recognize what is important in this Society. 14

9 IMPLICATIONS FOR STUDENTS OF DIVERSITY In the novel, there are no real prevalent issues with racial, ethnic, or religious diversity, although individuals do have some unique characteristics. Differences in eye color, hair color, and skin tone exist; however, there seem to be no prejudices formed because of these differences. Society controls food portions and exercise regimen, so there does not seem to be much difference in weight between individuals. It could be beneficial to have students consider, and possibly discuss as a class, if the author chose to ignore the possibilities of prejudices based on racial, ethnic, or religious differences; or, if the lack of prejudice based on these qualities is a positive result of the control of the government in an attempt to make a utopian society. It could be eye-opening to determine whether or not students believe that no prejudice is a sign of a utopian society, and if our own society could someday reach that point. However, while not based on physical or personal beliefs, issues of prejudice are formed based on Aberrations and Anomalies in the Society. In terms of the book, students can decide whether or not characters who know of Ky s status are prejudiced against him. Are his aunt and uncle?; Cassia s parents?; Cassia? Speculate and predict how other characters would react if they knew of Ky s status. Then ask if the characters in the novel do look down on Aberrations and Anomalies, why do they? Are they scared by the prospect of something different? Is it because the government tells them that they have reason to be frightened? Is it okay that Ky is not allowed full privileges in the Society because of his status? From there, the discussion or assignment can expand to real-world contexts. Have students consider why they form prejudices; why their parents form prejudices; why their friends do. Ask students to consider how they feel when they see or talk with someone different than them. Ask them to share experiences where they felt they were the victim of a prejudice, when they may have formed prejudices, or what prejudices they see in their world around them. GENDER ISSUES In the Society, men and women are treated pretty much equally: they wear the same clothes, are all assigned jobs and have specific responsibilities within the Society. Their responsibilities are not based on gender but upon skills and training. As with issues about diversity, gender issues don t explicitly come up in the novel. The mere absence of defined gender roles can serve as a springboard for classroom discussion. Talk about the differences that students see (if any) between Cassia and Ky, or Cassia s parents. Does the absence of gender stereotypes make the Society better, or are there instances in which it would be important to assign roles and jobs based on gender? If certain roles were prescribed based on gender, how would the Society change? 15

10 Students can then connect this to their own experiences. It will be important for students to consider the ways in which gender roles are expected of them, and if those roles affect their ability to make choices. Ask students to imagine our society without the gender roles we have today: without them, how would our society change? Would it be better, worse, or the same? By allowing students to discuss this in class, they will be respond to perspectives that may be very different from their own. RESEARCH AND PROJECT IDEAS Research utopias and dystopias Students create their own Society and write a narrative based in this Society See how one decision could change the outcome of a scene or of the novel by rewriting one decision of one of the main characters (for example, how would the book be different if Cassia chose to ignore the change on her Match microcard or if she chose to stay with Xander?) Students create a list of their Top Ten paintings, poems, songs, or movies (like the Hundred Poems or Hundred Paintings the Society has chosen) along with a rationale for each choice Match profile: Create the perfect Match for a character in the book, for students themselves, or for a classmate Socratic seminar discussion of choices and motivation Personal narrative of an experience where students had to make an important decision, focusing on how those choices have affected their lives; students could also change the outcome by rewriting their choice and exploring the effects of this change Diagram character development and write about how major events affect later choices TEXT SETS AND ENRICHMENT RESOURCES Dystopian novels The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins Unwind by Neal Schusterman Delirium by Lauren Oliver Brave New World by Aldous Huxley The Giver by Lois Lowry 1984 by George Orwell Uglies by Scott Westerfeld Divergent by Veronica Roth Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams - While not necessarily a dystopian novel, this novel focuses on a controlling polygamist society and addresses many of the same issues as Matched. 16

11 Fox News article about feminism: /11/24/war-on-men/ - This article could be used as part of a discussion about gender roles and stereotypes Movies and television shows about dystopias Gattaca WALL-E Avatar the Last Airbender - TV show about nations that are utopias and dystopias Doctor Who - several episodes deal with a dystopian theme Information online about utopias (for example: and dystopias ( Music Citizens of Tomorrow by Tokyo Police Club Mylo Xyloto by Coldplay - An album based on the concept of two lovers trying to survive in a dystopian society 17