Simone’s Comments (group member since Feb 01, 2017)

Simone’s comments from the Matched 2017 group.

Helena wrote: "The author, I feel, tries to emphasize themes throughout the novel in lots and lots of different ways. In my mind, Condie really emphasized the society to show the readers what it is like to live t..."

I agree with your response. I also believe that Condie emphasized the theme in many ways. I like that you included grandfathers poem in it. It goes along with what your saying.

I believe that the most important theme the author was trying to emphasize was that we should take control of our lives, and that we shouldn't let anyone, or anything tell us how to live our lives. In the cover of the book it says, "In the society, officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die." This explains that the people have no choice in their life. "'Poison,' she says, unflinching, 'is unbelievably humane. Small doses, in the patients favorite foods.'" (Condie,341). This means that the people are forced to die at a certain age, 80. The officials kill them by poison. They can't even live their full life. What I think the author was trying to get across was that don't let people tell you how to live, it's not their life, it's your life, you should be in control of it, and also fight for what you believe in and who you love. An example would be that Cassia loves Ky, but she was Matched with Xander and when Ky got taken away Cassia is fighting to get him back because she loves him. The author showed this theme by making a character, Cassia, who wants freedom and choice in her life and she wants to pick you she loves, and when she dies. She makes Cassia go through these situations and makes Cassia fight for what's right.

Olivia wrote: "In Matched I feel happy, sad , angry, confusion, and many more. The author, Ally Condie ,did a great job of creating the mood because I felt everything the characters felt. “Thank you I say, and th..."

I agree with you, the author did a really good job with helping to follow along. I also don't think that Cassia was making a wrong decision and I also felt guilty. I think you did a good job capturing the way that Ally Condie wanted the book to make the readers feel.

Kendall wrote: "The characters in Matched seem real and believable. They seem exactly like people in today's society, just living in a completely different world and under different circumstances. I can relate to ..."

I agree with what Kendall wrote. She said that it is like people in our scoiety today and I agree. People nowadays try to hard to be perfect, but like I said in my paragraph, they are just human, and humans make mistakes. There is nothing we can do about it.

The book made me feel so many moods/emotions. Some moods include sadness, happiness, anger, and I also felt sympathetic. Some parts of this book made me cry because it was very sad. One part was when Cassia and Bram got their artifacts taken away. This was the only thing they had left to remember their grandfather and to get that taken away, I can't imagine the heartbreak they went through giving up the artifacts. The author was very good at making me feel this way. One way she did it is through Cassia's emotions and thoughts and dialogue. "Bram doesn't pretend to hide the tears in his eyes now." (Condie, 203). Once I know or can picture someone crying, I cry, and he's only like 10. I can't imagine how he felt. It breaks my heart. I feel that the author was trying to portray this mood at this point in the story.

The characters do seem real and believable. Most of them are like us today, where we only strive for perfection, no mistakes can be made whatsoever. The only problem is... we're human. We make mistakes. But, the Society makes this world seem like it's perfect. They almost brainwash you of what is really going on. Take Cassia for instance, she saw two faces pop up on her microcard, she gets it all fixed, but deep down she knows something is wrong, but she doesn't want to admit it because the Society is "perfect" so nothing should be wrong. Maybe something is wrong, maybe Cassia is falling for Ky, but we'll never know because the Society is making people think that it's perfect. Personally, I can't relate to these predicaments, because I have never fallen in love with 2 guys before, let alone fall in love with one guy, and nobody I know is really going through these same circumstances.

Helena wrote: "The setting of the book is unique because it takes places in the futuristic version of the present. They seem to have a perfect world and a perfect society. The society has strict rules toward ever..."

The way you explained the book was very good and detailed, and I agree with you. Your last sentence where you said that society might not be able to control everyone was super true. The society is getting bigger and these people are only human, so they have to make a mistake sometime.

The setting of this book is unique because it takes place in the future where everything is to be perfect. They have a perfect society and according to the society nothing can nor ever will go wrong. They are very strict with rules and laws, like curfews and who you will love and when you will die. The people who live in this world don't get to take control of their own life. The society made out everyone's life plans already. This can cause a very big conflict because maybe someone wouldn't want to have their life planned out for them, and they want to control their own life, but they can't. What if they don't want to die on their 80th birthday because they want to see more of the world? What if they want to choose their life long partner, not a computer? None of that can ever happen because the Society persuades everyone to think that their world is perfect, when in reality it's not.