“How many dead, Andrew?” Mr. Brown shrugged. “It’s hard to say with certainty.” “I’ve heard several hundred, at least,” said Mr. Carris. Grandfather paused. “Even a few hundred isn’t enough to call it an epidemic,” he said. “Some doctors warn we may see a thousand dead before it’s over. There are forty-thousand people living in Philadelphia, William. Can you imagine if one in forty were to die?” The room quieted as we all pondered the number. “I don't believe it,” said Grandfather finally. “People exaggerate. . . .” —Fever 1793, Laurie Halse Anderson How does Grandfather respond to news of the epidemic? How does Mr. Carris respond to news of the epidemic?

The harlem renaissance dawned in an era of pervasive racism and segregation. although legally "free," many african americans were still bound by ideas that had their roots in the slavery of earlier centuries. identity and freedom are important ideas presented in many of the poems from the harlem renaissance. furthermore, the values of identity and freedom are not unique to particular times and places. as hughes expresses in "dream variations," all humans want to be able to develop their identities in freedom. what role does freedom play in the poems you read in this unit? what is required of a society to enable each individual to be true to his or her identity and be free to live by that identity? write about at least three of the poems, describing how the poet uses imagery to depict freedom and identity, the lack of it, or the desire for it.