Fever 1793-2nd Assignment
Mattie’s grandfather didn’t think there was any need to rush out of Philadelphia when the fever started to spread. Why did some people think it was safe to stay? What would you have done?
When does Mattie move from being a child to being a young adult?
The Free African Society volunteered to take care of the sick and bury the dead, even though there was no cure for yellow fever. How do you think they felt? Why did they do that? Would you have helped?
March 5th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
I think some people said, “Oh we don’t have the disease,” so they didn’t leave. I also think they said, “We live so far away that we won’t catch it.” I think that I would have gone away from the city and I would still go now.
Mattie turn into a young adult when she took care of her grandpa. I think that was very responsible and I would of done the same thing.
I think that they felt proud that they were helping people in need even though they knew that they might get sick. They did this because they wanted to help in this horrible time. In 1793, I would help because I wouldn’t want the sickness to spread.
March 5th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
I think that the people that didn’t leave Philadelphia were thinking that if they left Philadelphia then there wouldn’t be very many people to stay and take care of the Yellow Fever victims since the Yellow Fever was spreading. If I lived in Philadelphia in 1793 I would’ve stayed and helped take care of the victims. If I left carrying the fever and the place that I go to has mosquitoes and I get bitten, that same mosquito might bite someone else and pass the fever too.
I think Mattie becomes a young adult after she and her grandfather got back to the farm because her mom isn’t there to cook, clean, or take care of Mattie’s grandpa so Mattie has to do everything by herself. I think she also becomes a young adult when she finds Nell because when Mattie finds Nell she didn’t want to leave Nell to die.
I think that the African Americans volunteered to take care of the Yellow Fever victims because they felt that it isn’t right to be selfish and leave the fever victims to suffer. I think that they did that because they didn’t want to leave and just let the fever keep spreading and spreading. I would’ve stayed because if I left knowing that there were thousands of people dying and I am capable of doing something to possibly stop it, I could not bring myself to ignore the fact people are dying every second.
March 5th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
I think some people thought it was safe to stay since everybody who was going out of the city possibly carried the fever out in to the country. I would have went out to the country because everything in the city could be infected. But I would not go too far away just in case I was already infected without knowing it. I would not want to infect everybody else out in the country.
I think Mattie moves from being a child to being a young adult when she starts taking care of Nell because she has to take care of herself and Nell. Also, she realizes she has more responsibility since grandfather is dead and she doesn’t know where her mom is.
I think the free African society felt good when they helped the fever victims because they were helping other people. I also think they might have been scared of getting the fever although doctors thought it was almost impossible for African Americans to get the yellow fever. I would do it if I were immune to the fever, but I wouldn’t help if I was not immune to the fever.
March 5th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
I think some people thought it was safe to stay in Philadelphia even if the plague was around because they thought their house didn’t have the plague. I found one quote that said, “There ‘ain’t any plague in this little coffeehouse.”
Thats how I found out that people thought that their homes were immune to the plague. What I would’ve done to avoid the plague is get out of town. I’d rather be safe than puke out black clots of blood on the floor like Mattie’s mom.
I think Mattie becomes a young adult when she takes care of her mom. When she took care of her mom when she had the yellow fever, she stood there and helped her mom even though she was puking. Instead of someone taking care of Mattie, she takes care of her mom. She takes on the responsibilities of the mother.
I think the Free African Society felt really sad when they were burying victims. Why I think they felt sad is because some of the people they were burying were their relatives. Also, besides from their relatives, I think they were sad because they knew they were going to get the fever unless they had the immunity.
I think the Free African Society buried the bodies instead of other people because they already had the plague, but the plague didn’t affect them that much. SO, they were strong enough to at least dig holes and bury the people. I wouldn’t have helped because if I helped, I could have gotten the plague and die making the Free African Society bury me. I would just be giving them more work.
March 5th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
I think one of the reasons they stayed in Philadelphia was because they said the Lord was with them. Back then, I would’ve moved away and thought that the sickness was just in the town. But now, since I know it was spread by mosquitoes, I would have stayed, and let whatever happens happen.
I think Mattie turns into a young adult while her mom was sick. I think so because she had a lot of responsibilities around the coffeehouse with only Eliza. Mattie had to run errands (by getting groceries) and take care of her mother while she was sick.
I think the Free African Society felt bad for the families and the people. Also, they knew that if THEY were sick, they would want to be taken care of too. I would have helped too.
I would do so because I would feel bad for the families of the fever victims.
March 5th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
I think that some people thought it would be safe to stay in Philadelphia because they thought that the fever would pass, because they had fevers before. If I were living back then and the fever was spreading, I would have stayed because all of my friends and family were still there. But I wouldn’t stay that long because I don’t want to die either.
Mattie moves from a girl to woman when her grandfather dies because now she has to take care of herself. She is all by herself and on her own.
The Free African Society helped the sick and the dead because the African American people (Blacks) couldn’t get the Yellow Fever. I think that they must have been sad to see all of the sick and dead, but they also must have been happy because they knew that they were doing the right thing by helping the people who could get the fever and the ones who have already died.
If I were living back then, I would try to help the sick and dying people, but I would make sure that my family was OK and healthy too. I would also make sure I wasn’t sick either because then I could spread the fever and other people also sick.
March 5th, 2009 at 7:43 pm
1. I think that Mattie’s grandfather thought it was safe to stay in Philadelphia with the fever going around because they thought he had the immunity from the fever, or not get the fever at all if they stayed all cooped up in their houses. Personally, if I didn’t have modern knowledge, I probably would have left Philadelphia and gone to the countryside to get fresh air away from the fever.
2. I think that Mattie moved from being a child to a young adult towards the end of the book when she finds Nell and starts caring for Nell and Joseph’s two sons with the help of Eliza and Mother Smith, of course. I also think it was an adult-like decision when she decided to keep Nell and the Coffeehouse.
3. I think that the members of the Free African Society must have been afraid to go and risk their lives to help fever victims. I think they did this because people thought that Africans couldn’t get the yellow fever but actually that wasn’t true. I also think that they wanted to help these people get well. I think I would have helped because I would have felt bad for the people and would have helped bury them, and bring them bread and rolls. It would have been the least I could have done.
March 5th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
Some people like Mattie’s grandfather thought it was safe to stay because when they were kids, a disease wasn’t something that could make you flee to the country. If I were in that situation, I wouldn’t leave because back then they didn’t have most of the information about diseases that we do today. I probably wouldn’t know that diseases were spread by mosquitoes so I would have thought that the disease would stay by the river until winter comes and cleans the air.
Mattie started becoming a young adult shortly after Polly passed away. She had to do all of Polly’s chores like cleaning the tables or buying groceries from the marketplace. Mattie really showed how much she had grown when she took care of her grandfather when he got sick by finding food, water and shelter.
I think they felt sad because so many people died from Yellow Fever and the people that they helped had very little chance of surviving. They helped because they had seen many people die and they know what it’s like to see that happen to a close family member. I would have helped because if I could save at least one life, it would give me confidence to face the disease and help others overcome it.
March 5th, 2009 at 8:02 pm
I think some people thought it was safe to stay for the same reason some Westerners thought indigenous people were dying off. The reason was that they probably thought that God was on their side and therefore they would be saved. They may have also thought that the fever and the seriousness of the fever were just rumors. They may also have thought that only certain people who work in certain areas would catch the fever. I would have moved away where my family and I would be safe from the fever. I’m sure my Dad would’ve arranged for all of us to move.
I think Mattie moves from being a child to being an adult at the moment her grandfather dies and she starts caring for Nell. It seems like she had no choice but to be strong and responsible for herself and for Nell.
I think that the Free African Society volunteered because it was known that the African American people were not getting infected for some reason or another. It kind of left them with the responsibility to care for others. They must have felt like they were the community’s only hope. Since they were immune and were already used to working and serving others, it must have felt very natural for them to take on that responsibility. If I were immune, I would help. My honest answer is that if it were at all possible that I could get the fever, I would probably only help my family to survive. I’m sure that would’ve taken up a lot of my time and effort.
March 5th, 2009 at 8:02 pm
I think the people thought it was safe to stay because they had said that God was with them and that they would be safe in Philadelphia. If I were living in that time, I would have not left the town because I would have thought only certain people could catch the disease. But if it were today, I would have left the town because I would not want to catch the disease. If I already have caught Yellow Fever, then moving away from the town and having another mosquito bite me, then where ever I moved, the Yellow Fever would end up spreading there too. So basically I would leave it up to my parents, but I would also try to help make the decision.
Mattie moves from being a child to an adult when the Yellow Fever had got to her mother. Now she has lots of responsibilities to take up because now her mother is too sick to do things in the coffeehouse.
I think the Free African Society helped the people that were sick because since they were immune to the disease, they could not get it. Since they saw all the people dying, maybe they had decided to help the people who may have the disease and possibly find a cure for it. If I had been back in that time, I would have definately helped the cause.
March 5th, 2009 at 8:08 pm
1. The people in Philadelphia who have yellow fever are probably safer staying where they are. I would have stayed because you might risk getting yellow fever if you traveled to another town, or if you already have it, you could spread it to other towns.
2. Mattie turns into a young adult when she started using nature’s resources: getting fish, following the willow tree, getting the berries for food, and getting water at the stream. She was starting to be responsible.
3. I think the free Africans felt happy that they were helping, but also sad that they were seeing “friends” go away. They might also have had nightmares because they were looking at dead people all day. I think the Africans did it because they wanted to help and maybe to show the whites how nice, caring, helpful and good they were. I would have helped because all those dead bodies around was a health hazard, and because it showed respect for the dead and helped the living to say goodbye.
March 5th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
I think that some people thought it was safe to stay because they were probably thinking it was just the normal flu. In the book Mattie said “few people die every August because of a fever” and “A woman dies of some illness and you talk of Yellow Fever, we haven’t seen Yellow Fever for thirty years in Philadelphia,” said the lawyer. Also a few doctors must have lied like when Dr. Rowley lied that Mattie’s mother didn’t have yellow when she did, and lies that doctors told affected what people thought.
I think she moves from a child to a young adult when they get thrown off the wagon and have to walk miles. Mattie’s grandfather was sick and she had to take care of her grandfather so she got water, food, and shelter to care for her grandfather and herself.
When The Free African Society volunteered to take care of the sick and bury the dead, I believe that The Free African Society felt good about themselves when they did the good deed. I think The Free African Society treated the sick and buried the dead because they felt like they had to care for people because the Africans were free there. I probably wouldn’t have helped because I am not a kind of person that would risk their life for their country, but I would have helped in different ways if I could.
March 5th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
1) People didn’t leave Philadelphia because they thought that the Yellow Fever would not affect their everyday lives. I think the other reason was that people didn’t want to go to Europe because they were tired of kings and queens. If I knew that Yellow Fever was being spread by mosquitoes, I would’ve traveled to France or England.
2) In my greatest opinion, I think Mattie became a young adult when her Grandpa was killed by the burglars. I say this because after her Grandpa died, she had to figure out what to do, who to trust, and find food quickly.
3) I think the people felt that the other sick people needed help so they thought the best thing to do now was care and help the sick, and bury the dead. I think they did this because they had nothing better to do than to help, it was almost not a choice.
March 5th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
Some people thought it was okay to stay in Philadelphia because they said that there were many fevers at the end of summer and it could be any fever that killed those people. If I were in that time with a mysterious fever going around, I would try to get out of Philadelphia just to be on the safe side. I would try to hold a town meeting and talk about it amongst the town if we wanted to stay or leave Philadelphia, and figure out what’s best for our town.
I thought Mattie became a young adult when her grandfather and her were kicked off their ride to a fever-free town. Mattie really stepped it up by getting food for her grandfather who was ill, and also by finding fresh water so they wouldn’t die.
I think that the Free African Society felt good about helping the people with Yellow Fever, but worried that they might die. Those people had guts for going and helping out the victims of Yellow Fever. They probably would do this because they felt that they were doing the right thing and since they were immune, they would help. I would have helped if I knew that I wasn’t sick and I was not going to get the disease.
March 5th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
Some might have thought it was safe because they didn’t believe that it was the Yellow Fever that was killing everyone. Others might have stayed because they felt as if they could help the sick, like Mattie did. I would have stayed because if I left, the disease would spread and everyone in the country might get sick. Better to have one place sick than the rest of the world.
Mattie starts to become a young adult when her grandfather died when they were robbed, or when she had to take in a child because she couldn’t just leave a baby in the streets. She had to make difficult decisions when raising the child and running the Cook Coffeehouse. She had to live on her own until she found Eliza, and when her mother came home later, she had the Yellow Fever twice.
I believe that the Free African Society felt bad because they had to watch the people they helped suffer and die. They helped because they were told that Blacks couldn’t get the fever, so they should help people and show that Blacks were as good as the rest of society. When it turned out that they could get the fever, they decided that they should continue their mission to help those in need. I would have helped because it might have lessen the amount of people who died of Yellow Fever.
March 5th, 2009 at 8:27 pm
I think some people thought it was safe to stay because, maybe they thought that the Yellow Fever was not going to affect them. Or maybe they thought that the Yellow Fever was not that serious. Also, when Mattie’s mom was sick, the doctor said that her sickness was not the Yellow Fever, but it was. Mattie and grandfather could have went of Philadelphia and got a better doctor to help. But why did people leave Philadelphia when they could have been carrying the germ and it could have spread even more? Maybe that’s why people stayed a little longer, so the disease didn’t spread. I would have left because there might have been better doctors who could help me if I got sick. Plus, a lot of the food was gone, so there might have been a chance that I would have starved if I didn’t leave.
I think Mattie moved from a child to a young adult when her grandfather died and she had to take care of herself. When she found Nell in the house, she had more responsibilities. But, Eliza was her savior. When Mattie found Eliza, Eliza helped Mattie by helping her with Nell and supplying food for her and Nell.
I think the members of the Free African Society felt happy and sad. They felt happy because they were helping the people that needed it, even though they might have had a chance to get the Yellow Fever. The doctors said that they were immune to the Yellow Fever, but who knows. They felt sad because of the fever victims who were suffering from this disease, and seeing children moaning for their mothers and fathers, and mothers and fathers crying for their children. I think they did that because they wanted a better name to the white people, and prove to them that they were good people, and they could do anything even though it was hard. Yes I would have helped if I wasn’t a fever victim. I would 100% help if I was over the Yellow Fever because I couldn’t get it again.
March 5th, 2009 at 8:35 pm
I think the main reason that people stayed instead of leaving is because they didn’t want to spread the fever anywhere else. If only one person got the fever outside of Philadelphia than it can still spread from 1 person to 50,000! or even more! I would have just stayed at my house and never leave until the yellow fever passed. That way I wont get and I wont spread it.
1. Mattie turns into an adult when the Fever starts to hit, so she has to be more responsible about her choices. If I were her than I would try to keep inside as much as possible, so it reduces the chances of me getting the yellow fever.
3. I think the African people helped and buried the sick was so that they could prove their loyalty so maybe if anything happens to them than we will help them. To be honest I would not have helped out with the sick because right now I am really concerned about not getting that fever or spreading it anywhere else.
March 5th, 2009 at 8:49 pm
① Some people thought they didn’t need to escape because they thought they had a family bloodline that was better than there neighbors or they are just wealthy. What would I do? I would act calmly and slowly make my way out of Philadelphia and if one if my family members get sick I’m not just going to abandon them on the street, me and my other family members will find a doctor as soon as possible.
② Mattie became a young adult when Mother and Grandfather got sick. When they both got sick Mattie had to go out and find food and water by herself and she couldn’t just go to the farmers market and by food.
➂ I think the African-Americans were happy also sad. I think they were sad because they have a high risk of getting the fever but also very happy because they can pay there respects to the people and close friends that have died. I think they did this because they’re doing community service and getting rid of the dead bodies. Yes, I would have helped.
March 5th, 2009 at 9:01 pm
I think that some people like grandfather thought it was safe to stay because when they were younger they didn’t run away from diseases they just stayed and waited until the disease went away, so they might think that they’re immune to the disease. If I were living back then and I knew that the disease was spread by mosquitoes I would leave the place, but if I didn’t know that it was spread by mosquitoes I would still leave.
Mattie moves from being a child to being an adult when she recovered from the fever and her and grandpa went back to the coffeehouse. When she was there she had to cook, clean the house, make food and water the plants she was like the mom she did everything.
I think the free African American Society felt good that they were able to help the families that were sick, because they were being kind and doing the right thing. I think that the free African American Society volunteered to help the sick because they thought that they were immune to the yellow fever and they wanted to prove that they were just as good as the white people. Also they wanted to help the sick families. If I were part of the free African American Society I would help the sick people because if I were sick I would want someone to help me get better.
March 5th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
I think that Mattie’s grandfather didn’t want to leave because he was in the civil war and so he is thinking that the fever is like a “war”. Also in the civil war he did not turn back so in this “war” he is not going to turn back. If I had the knowledge that I have now about the fever then I would stay. But if I didn’t have the knowledge then I would have fled so fast like all the other people.
I think Mattie moves from a child to an adult when here grandfather dies from the robber attack, because now she has no one to look after her and she has to do all the work such as cook, wash clothes, and clean.
I think that the Free African Society felt happy in a sense that they are helping out with the sick. But in another sense they are sad and guilty that all these people died and there lucky. I think that the Free African Society did what they did because they felt that it was there duty to help out and help get the community started again. If I was still alive I would help out because if you were alive you would feel guilty and you would help. And then at least you know you did something good before you die.
March 5th, 2009 at 10:39 pm
Some people thought that it was safe to stay in Philidelphia because they did not think that it was the yellow fever. Madeline Cook’s (Mattie) grandfather (Captain William Farnsworth Cook) thought it was an August fever and Mr. Carris thought it was a miasma. I would not have stayed in Philadelphia because I wouldn’t take the chances of it not being the yellow fever just in case it is and because the doctor said it looks like the the yellow fever. I understand that most doctors could not tell if it was the yellow fever. Now that doctors have technologies that know what the reason why so much are dying, with proof, I think that it was common for people not to believe the doctor in 1793.
Mattie stopped being a child and started being a young adult was when she took over the coffee-house with Eliza and she “adopted” Nell with Nathaniel. Without Lucille (Mattie’s mother) help because she was weak after healing from the yellow fever.
I think that the Free African Society felt that they needed to show the white people that anyone can help ake care of people including Africans. It gave them more of a right to be equal with the white people. If I was immune to the yellow fever, I would help the people who were sick like the Free African Society bacause I would want others to take care of me when or if I got sick. Plus, most if them maybe healed and they can hp out too.
March 5th, 2009 at 10:52 pm
Some people thought it was safe to stay because they did not think or believe that it was yellow fever. They thought it would pass. Some people said anything could have killed those poor people. I would have gotten the details first then if I knew it was danergous, than I would leave. If people believe every thing they hear, they could end up in a lot of trouble.
Mattie moves from being a child to an adult when her mom gets sick with yellow fever and she and her grandpa have to go away and then some trouble occurs. Mattie is forced to care for herself and her grandfather (part time).
I think that they felt that it was the right thing to do. I’m sure some people felt scared to see dead bodies but had to stick together and do the right thing for all people. I would have helped as well because it ’s so sad what happened to those innocent people. Also, what if it was someone I knew or even my family. I would want a proper burial for them.