Let Me Introduce Myself

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The Individual - Ryan

1)      I chose Samuel Reyes as the character I most identify. He is the grandfather of the main protagonist, Cassia Reyes.

2)      Samuel Reyes is currently deceased. He had his Final Banquet at the age of 80, like most of the people in Matched. His relationship with Cassia is a very trustworthy relationship. He was the first person who Cassia told about what she saw on her microcard. Since he is at his age, he has thinning grayish hair. His son is Abran Reyes, who he told to destroy his DNA sample. This shows his rebellious nature towards the Society. He also seemed to be very wise. In the novel, he gave Cassia a bit of advice in one form or another. The day before his Final Banquet, he let Cassia ponder on what her grandmother would have said about her Match. On the day of his Final Banquet, Cassia gave him a poem as her gift to him; he loved it, but he told her those were not her words. He told her to trust her own words. His advices to Cassia showed that he was a prominent figure in Cassia’s life.

3)      Samuel Reyes was an insightful, trustworthy, and a caring person. He was also a little rebellious towards the Society. I think I am most like Cassia’s grandfather because of his slight rebellious nature. Samuel Reyes’ way of being a little rebellious was not outright and direct. He told Abran to secretly destroy his DNA sample, so the Society could not have brought him back. My way of being a rebel is not direct, either. I especially like getting back at somebody without them knowing. I also try to give advice now and again, so I am similar to him in that aspect, as well. Even though they might not be the best advices, I still give them. I might not be such a caring person, like Samuel, but I do try to be trustworthy. I nearly always keep a secret whenever possible.

4)      For my piece of art, I chose to do a drawing. On my drawing, I drew Cassia’s grandfather with a thought bubble. In the thought bubble, there are three parts of DNA. I drew the one on the left bolder, and for the other two, I gradually drew them thinner to represent it disappearing. To the right of Cassia’s grandfather, there is a quote from him to Cassia. It says “It’s alright to wonder”. My piece of art relates to Samuel Reyes and me because it represent aspects that we both share. The DNA in the thought bubble represents reserved rebellion because it represents Abran Reyes destroying his father’s DNA sample. The quote to the right represents our giving advice to others. The quote was one of the last things he said to Cassia, and it was the advice that Cassia ponders about throughout the book. Finally, the light green background represents caring. Light green is Cassia’s favorite color, as well as the color of her Match Banquet dress. The light green surrounds the grandfather, and I thought this was a good way to show that Samuel cares about Cassia. I DO care about some things, so the background color relates to me, as well.

 

The Individual - Kenya

1)   The minor character that I chose is Em. Em is Cassia’s best girlfriend.
2)   She has black hair and cream-colored skin. Em supports Cassia and understands her, and they exchange looks with each other often. She is a very soft-speaking person, yet vivacious, when she’s around those she loves. Em always gets nervous when an important event, like her Match Banquet, comes up. It is known that Em suffers from anxiety attacks because of this. When Em and her friends were at the Music Hall, she had an anxiety attack because she was thinking about her upcoming Match Banquet. That day she had already taken her green pill, which is used as to calm someone down; she had to take Xander’s.
3)   I don’t think I would look anything like Em in a physical aspect; however, I can relate to her through mental makeup and social relationships. Although I can be loud, I can also be a soft-speaking person. Although I can be soft-speaking, when I am around my friends and family, I am full of life. I can also relate to Em’s nervousness. I am always nervous before an important event, just like her. Before a big test, my nerves start acting up, and I have to learn how to settle them. If Em and I met, I think we would get along perfectly fine, except for the fact that we would both panic about everything and wouldn't know how to help each other. Other than that, we could be great friends.

4)   The piece of art, literature to be more specific, that I created is a poem called a “nonet.” A nonet is a type of poem that had nine lines. The first line of the poem has nine syllables, the second line has eight, the third line has seven, and so on. The last line of the poem has one syllable.
My first poem is titled "Em" to describe the character of Em. It describes some of her qualities that make her who she is. Since Em and I are a lot alike, this poem can also relate to me. Em and I share some of the same qualities that are described in this poem. This poem is written inside the silhouette of a girl, which represents Em. The background shows flowers, and I chose it because I thought it represented the newroses that are mentioned a lot in the novel.
My second poem is titled "The Green Pill," and it describes the green pill that most people in the novel have, including Em. In the novel, the green pill is used to calm someone down. The poem itself doesn't tell someone what the green pill does, but its function can be inferred. This poem is written inside an oval shape, which represents a pill. The pill that is talked about in this poem is the green one, hence the green background.

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Who's Who

Cassia Reyes: Cassia Maria Reyes is the main protagonist of Matched. She has green eyes, coppery-brown hair, and a straight, small nose. She is officially matched with Xander Carrow, a childhood friend. Her birthday and Match Banquet are both on July 15^th. Her artifact is called a compact. It was given to her by her grandfather for her 17^th birthday. Her favorite color is green, and she lives in Mapletree Borough. Her mother is Molly Reyes, and her father is Abran Reyes. Her grandfather is Samuel Reyes, and her brother is Bram Reyes. She is a sorter. She sees Ky Markham on her match card, but she was told it was a mistake, so she shouldn’t worry about it.  

Xander Carrow: Xander Thomas Carrow is 17 years old and lives in Mapletree Borough. He is a childhood friend to Cassia Reyes, as well as her match. He has blond hair and blue eyes. He is described by Cassia as golden, charismatic, and clever. He is a medic. His Match Banquet was on July 15^th.

Ky Markham: Ky is an aberration who was seen on Cassia’s match card for a brief moment. Not a lot is known about him as of yet. Since he’s an aberration, he can’t be matched. He is a childhood acquaintance with Cassia.

Samuel Reyes: Samuel Reyes is the grandfather of Cassia and is deceased. Like all people in the novel, people are to be put to death at the age of 80. Cassia seems to trust Samuel a lot. He gave Cassia her compact and advice. He was the only one told about Ky Markham originally because he was only days away from his Final Banquet, at the time.

Abran Reyes: Abran Reyes is the son of Samuel Reyes, husband of Molly Reyes, and the father of Bram and Cassia Reyes. He is a sorter.

Molly Reyes: Molly Reyes is the wife of Abran Reyes and the mother of Bram and Cassia Reyes. She works as a caretaker at the Arboretum.

Bram Reyes: Bram Reyes is the younger brother of Cassia Reyes and the son of Abran and Molly Reyes. He is seen breaking a few rules of the Society at the beginning of the book. He is 10 years old.

The First 48

In the novel, Matched, there are certain rules the society has implemented that the citizens have to abide. There are numerous rules, including no running in public and no disparaging members in the people's street. The Society also chooses what the people will eat. People in Matched eat for health and not for anything else. The Society chooses what the people will eat by sending food to everyone. So if someone like Bram, Cassia's brother, attempted to make something like ice cream, the Society would most likely see it as a crime.

Before You Read

And Then What?
Based on the title and first page of the novel and knowing that the book is dystopian, the book will probably be about “rulers” choosing who you’ll marry. In the book description, the main character's name is Cassia. Apparently, she is matched with her best friend Xander. Afterwards, she discovers the person that was on her card that tells her about her match showed, not Xander, but another guy she knows. She sees Ky. When looking at the cover of the book, you see a girl inside a green bubble. This could mean that Cassia is trapped between the two guys.

Who Did It?

Ally Condie is a 34 year-old female author. She has been writing Young Adult novels for 12 years. She wrote the #1 New York Times Bestseller Matched. She lives just outside of Salt Lake City along with her husband and three sons. Ally went to Brigham Young University, and she is a former English teacher. She spent time being a teacher before she became an author.

Where Are We Again?

Matched takes place in a futuristic, socialist dystopian society. The Society chooses a person’s perfect match. The Society decides what everyone will eat and when they will die. People take tests to see what jobs they will do. There are also numerous amounts of rules in the society. Rules include curfew and no running in public. The citizens’ lives are controlled by the government. “Matching” is when someone is paired up with a boy or girl selected by the Society. The book features pre-arranged marriage and a love triangle. In this Society, government chooses all.

Are We There Yet?
1) In the book, characters have three different pills that they have to have with them at all times. They are first given blue, then green, then red. The effects of both the blue and green pills are known by most in the society, but the red pills are only taken when an official gives permission. The effects of the red pill are yet to be revealed, and it is unknown on what it will do by most characters in the novel. What does the red pill do?
2) In the novel, everything is governed by the Society. The Society decides who someone will marry, what someone will eat, and when someone dies. What the Society is is yet to be revealed. What makes up the Society?
3) When Cassia wakes up on the day after the Banquet, she takes off her “tags”. The tags seemed to be disk shaped, and the tags seemed to be distributed between family members. Cassia wonders what her dreams look like on paper, and she remarks that someone out there knows. Who is that someone, and why do the people in the novel do this?
4) Throughout the beginning of the novel, the rules of the society were emphasized. One of those rules is that everybody has to wear “normal clothes” at all times. Also, meals are sent to people because the people in the novel eat for health. The Banquet was the exception. The people who are being matched wear lavish clothing, and everyone at the Banquet eats exquisite food. Are there any other events that the Society deems worthy to “break” the common rules?
5) Cassia’s father works in restoration, and Cassia’s mother works in the Arboretum. Later on in the novel, it is revealed that Cassia will soon take a formal sorting test to decide what her job will be. What will her job be, and what kinds of jobs are there?