Literary Essay: Fever 1793
Laurie Halse Anderson’s historical fiction novel, Fever 1793, takes place in the capital of the United States during that time, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A fatal illness, called yellow fever, strikes in the summertime of 1793. Until the frosts come, the dreaded yellow fever disease rampages through the city, tearing it apart, home by home, family by family, person by person. Throughout the story, Matilda “Mattie” Cook, the main character, is able to turn over a new leaf while dealing with the tragedy of the horrifying yellow fever epidemic. She stays strong and defeats the obstacles that are thrown at her. By including descriptive imagery as well as repetition, Anderson establishes the lesson that people have
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A prospering city was quickly destroyed by a unexpected and gruesome sickness, yet most of Philadelphia remained brave and hopeful. The detailed sentence, “The yellow sun rose, a giant balloon filled with prayers and hopes and promise,” depicts that at the end of the peril that so many people underwent, there was a silver lining (243). Philadelphia suffered from the beginning to the end of a calamity, but the people of the city were able to overcome it and had hope. Mattie, especially, had to cope with the loss of her grandfather, care for Nell as well as herself, help Eliza, and worry about her mother, Lucille. All of these experiences played an important role in Matilda Cook growing into a cultivated adult. Anderson writes that detailed sentence to reveal just how much yellow fever negatively impacted many, many families, and at the end of the story, Mattie, her family and friends, and the rest of Philadelphia can finally have hope and look forward to a promising future. Descriptive imagery is only one of the ways the author of Fever 1793 puts craft into her writing. In the story, her repetition connects to the idea that tough times lead to full development. For example, Mattie is very upset and feels like a traitor when she must take Nell to the orphanage. Over and over, she assures herself that she really is doing the right thing. When Matilda
The author Laurie Halse Anderson introduced character Matilda Cook in her book Fever 1793. Yellow Fever is a disease that overwhelmed the city of Philadelphia, the home of Matilda Cook. No one really knows how it all started, it could have been the rotten coffee at the port, or the fleeing French. Who ever or what whatever it was, it happened and it affected Mattie in a big way. The biggest thing that affected her was, that her grandfather died in an accident with robbers.
She made the best out of a tough situation with what she was given. Jolly makes the connection of this story to her own life, and learns a lesson from
Station Eleven, a science fiction novel written by Emily ST. John Mandel, tells the stories of characters’ lives and careers before and after the Georgia Flu, is a strong infection causing infected patients’ deaths within forty eight hours. Mandel describes feelings and actions of characters about their home islands, their places in their world, and two categories of art, high and low, which trigger survivors’ different responses, to mimic modern citizens’ emotions and points of view about their current society. By constructing an imitation of modern citizens’ feelings in the book, Mandel shows readers how their lives will become after losing their current positions in order to remind them that they need to appreciate what they have and not
By the end of the book, Polly has become a more compassionate and caring person who is willing to fight for what is right. “Polly's heart swelled with the pride as she realized how far she had come and all that she had overcome. She knew that she was survivor” 22 This quote demonstrates how Polly's emotional journey has lead to a sense of self-empowerment and confidence. Despite the hardships she faced, Polly is able to recognize her own strength and resilience against all odds. Emotional and physical journeys help build character by showing that someone has gone through plentiful experiences and how their decisions influenced their lives and how it still can in the future still being painted for
This is an example of perseverance because Sarah stuck up for the little boy when he was getting picked on, and she knew how painful it can be. In the end however, Sarah taught everyone a lesson by showing them her perseverance.
Amari is not the only character in the novel who shows great resilience in the face of hardship. Other enslaved people such as Teenie, Tidbit, and Cato also demonstrate remarkable courage and determination in their efforts to resist their bondage. In this way, the novel suggests that resilience is a universal human quality that can be nurtured and developed in all individuals. As Draper writes, "The human spirit is stronger than anything that can happen to it" (Draper, 167). This quote emphasizes the idea that resilience is not a rare quality, but rather it is something that all people
Pd.2 Compare and Contrast Yellow Fever Doctors In Philadelphia in 1793, a disease that filled the whole town with terror broke out and struck the world, yellow fever. The disease spread rapidly and killed an estimated 2,000-5,000 people. Long ago, the best doctors in America lived in Philadelphia during this epidemic disease. They studied yellow fever as best as they could with their prior knowledge from previous diseases.
“The more one contemplates the hot viruses, the less they look like parasites and the more they begin to look like predators” (Preston 136). There is many different viruses around the planet; each spreading and mutating, jumping from species to species, picking out and taking down their prey. Richard Preston identifies viruses as predators in his novel, The Hot Zone, to show just how lethal they really are; the worst being the hot agent Ebola. The Ebola virus is the most dangerous hot agent, with high fatality rates, mutations, and limited survivors.
Some of the characters, like Dodge, Alyss, and Hatter, show perseverance in trying to defeat Redd. Dodge perseveres through the mental pain of The Cat killing his father and the physical pain of The Cat 's scratches. Hatter shows perseverance when he helps Alyss escape the palace safely and risks his life trying to find her. Alyss shows perseverance in trying to defeat Redd and finding the courage to stand up to her. This theme shows the reader that no matter what gets in your way, you can always fight through and
Chloe is so determined to learn, that she refuses to let anything stand in her way, or discourage her. Even when she gets up in age and her peers mock her, she doesn’t lose sight of her goal. Chloe’s determination pays off in the end, and by gaining knowledge, she gains her
When yellow fever strikes Philadelphia, where Mattie lives, she is forced to change her ways. In order to survive, Mattie must become resourceful and responsible. Throughout her journey, she catches the fever, helps an orphaned girl, uses her house to save lives, and starts up her coffeehouse again after it was shut down. The yellow fever epidemic of 1793 changed Matilda Cook from an unproductive teenager to a responsible young adult.
The lessons have propelled her forward to survive in her
“I came to a clear conclusion, and it is a universal one: To live, to struggle, to be in love with life--in love with all life holds, joyful or sorrowful--is fulfillment. The fullness of life is open to all of us” (Betty Smith). Betty Smith, born as Elizabeth Lillian Wehner, grew up in Brooklyn, New York as the daughter of poor German immigrants. At the time, child labor was legal and Smith began work at the young age of fourteen to help support her family. Smith’s life in the slums and her experiences during the Great Depression greatly influenced her writing.
The titled short story “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner is set in the post-civil war era in a southern town named Jefferson. The story discusses the themes of race and social class through the characters, Tobe and Miss Emily. Miss Emily Grierson is a distinguished woman in southern society while Tobe is her black manservant. Tobe stays with Miss Emily until her death and suddenly disappears afterwards because their relationship is a remnant of the race relationship in the antebellum South: master and slave. He no longer has any obligations to stay in Jefferson because his duty to Miss Emily is no longer needed since she died.
The only way the teacher could do so is by being determined. Members of the Keller family have doubted her; her memories have come back to haunt her, but her soul was pulled through to prove that she is a sound teacher that can teach the six-year-old. In that case, determination deters one from failure. Primarily, determination can take people in different directions.