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To
the Discussion Leader
Coretta Scott King Award winner Patricia McKissack brings to the
Dear America books a unique picture of slavery in France and America
in the 1760s. Lozette Moreau is bought as a companion for Marie-Louise,
the daughter of the Marquis de Boyer. Zettie is educated, bright,
well versed in social etiquette, but she is a slave nonetheless.
Played out in front of a backdrop of the French and Indian War
with the distant drum of the American Revolution getting stronger,
Look to the Hills: The Diary of Lozette Moreau, New York Colony,
1763, is about Zettie's trip to America-her reactions to Indians,
trappers, indentured slaves, and above all, her constant yearning
for freedom.
Zettie's story was inspired by Patricia McKissack's travels to
Aix-en-Provence, France. McKissack says, "As our tour guide showed
us through several large homes, she explained the French system
of 'companions.' These were young girls who grew up as servants
of noblemen's daughters. Some companions were indentured. Some were
slaves. Some were white and some were Africans or mulattos. By the
time I had finished the tour, Zettie and Marie-Louise had taken
shape as characters."
Summary
For as long as she can remember, twelve-year-old Lozette "Zettie"
Moreau, has been a companion ("that's just a fancy word for slave,")
to eighteen-year-old Marie-Louise "Ree" Boyer, the daughter of a
French aristocrat. Now everything has changed. It is January of
1763. Ree's father has died, her eldest brother Jacques, a soldier
stationed in New France is missing, and her other brother Pierre
has squandered the family's fortune. He is forced to sell his family's
house, furniture, and slaves to pay off his debts. In addition,
Pierre arranges a marriage between Ree and an unpleasant, middle-aged
banker. Zettie will become his property, but the girls manage to
escape. Ree learns that her brother Jacques is alive, and she makes
plans to travel to America. Zettie is overwhelmed. "One day I was
helping Marie-Louise dress for a ball, and the next day I am bound
for a distant land. I feel like I'm riding a horse without any reins."
Ree and Zettie arrive in New France, now under control of the
British, and make their way to Fort Niagara. They meet trappers,
Indians, and soldiers. Zettie becomes friends with Lemuel, a drummer
in the British army, Sally, an indentured servant girl, and Sam,
an African slave who longs to return home. Zettie soon finds that
she is lacking in useful skills such as cooking and sewing, but
she is able to earn her way by keeping records for the fort manager
and writing letters for the soldiers there.
Zettie helps Sam run away, but she worries that he will not make
it to freedom. Her fears are confirmed when Sam's body is found,
a victim of snakebite. Meanwhile, Ree's search for Jacques has been
successful. He has been living with the Indians, but now is being
held as a prisoner of war by the British.
Pierre arrives at the fort demanding that Zettie be returned to
him, her rightful owner. Zettie is imprisoned while her fate is
determined. The soldiers at the fort pool their money and buy Zettie
from Pierre. Soon after, Zettie is sold back to Ree who doesn't
understand why she isn't happy. Zettie writes, "My face must have
shown my disappointment. I felt more like a thing than ever. How
many times had I been bought and sold in the last year?"
Much happens as the year draws to a close. Jacques is brought
to trial for desertion and treason, but when no evidence can be
found to support these charges, the case is dismissed and he is
free to return to his Indian family. Ree receives a proposal of
marriage but turns it down to become a teacher at the fort. Zettie
celebrates her 13th birthday and is told by Ree that on the first
day of 1764, she will be free. Zettie reflects on all she has seen
and learned in a year and especially on all the people she has met
in the new land. She admires the energy and spirit of those who
have sought freedom there, and she writes, "That same spirit has
embraced me. I look now to the hills. I know that on the other side
is tomorrow. Freedom. And I'm almost there."
Thinking
About the Book
1. Why is Zettie's diary called Look to the Hills?
Does Zettie follow this advice? What evidence can you find that
she does?
2. What causes the death of Ree's father the Marquis de
Boyer?
3. Why does Zettie write part of her diary in French and
part in English?
4. What were some of Zettie's responsibilities as a companion
to Ree? Why was Zettie unprepared for life at Fort Niagara?
5. What is the difference between a slave like Zettie and
an indentured servant like Sally? Why do you think Sally and Zettie
became such good friends?
6. Ree turns down Captain Woolridge's marriage proposal.
Why?
7. In her diary entry for October 18, 1763, Zettie recounts
a story told to her about Dog and Wolf. Why does Zettie say, "I
am Wolf. It is my story."
8. Why does Ree challenge Robert Sullivan to a duel? What
does that tell you about Ree? What happens when Ree is too ill to
fight? What does that tell you about Zettie?
9. Lemuel tells Zettie that companion and friend mean the
same thing. Do you agree? Why or why not?
10. Of all the people Zettie meets in the new world, which
one do you think had the biggest influence on her and why?
Student
Activities
1. Have each member of your Discussion Group identify several
of the following names or terms from Zettie's diary. Explain why
each is important in Look to the Hills.
- Code Noir
- indentured slave
- war belt
- portage
- bateau
- Huguenots
- Pontiac
- Proclamation of 1763
2. Zettie is amazed that her friend Lemuel survived the
attack at Devil's Hole. In the Historical Note you find out that
Lemuel Matthews was a real person. Go to http://www.iaw.com/~falls/devilcavetablet.jpg.
Tell what you learned about that event.
3. On May 20, 1763, Zettie writes of seeing passenger pigeons
fly over. Read again what she says about them. Then go to http://www.saplonline.org/Alerts/passenger_pigeon.htm
and find out what happened to the passenger pigeon.
4. Choose one of the following expressions from Zettie's diary and explain its meaning.
- You're burning daylight.
- Pride goeth before a fall.
- What is given from the heart, reaches the heart.
- Grace under pressure.
5. One of Zettie's most valued possessions is her mother's blanket. If you had to choose one object to remind you of a favorite relative, what would that object be? Explain.
An
Interview with Patricia McKissack
Richard F. Abrahamson, Ph.D. & Eleanore S. Tyson, Ed.D.:
You are a writer who loves to travel to do research for your books.
How did your travels influence the creation and writing of Look
to the Hills?
Patricia McKissack: We traveled to Aix-en-Provence, France a few years ago. While taking a tour through the old part of the city, the guide told us about "companions." Immediately I created Zettie in my mind. (Please note that Lozette in French is spelled Losette. But I Americanized the spelling of the name in order to create the nickname Zettie.) Our travels have also taken us to Canada, upstate New York, Buffalo, Niagara, and the Great
Lakes region. All along the way, I gathered information that I used to tell
Zettie's story.
RFA & EST: In "About the Author," credit is given to Doug DeCroix of Fort Niagra for getting you started on the project and Susan Dischun of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historical Preservation for helping you finish. How did these two individuals help?
PM: No real person inspired Zettie. She is a composite of many personalities created from women I've read or heard about. Zettie is unique in many ways, yet she is like so many other little African girls who came to the Americas and lived and died as slaves--property.
RFA & EST: Your have written two other Dear America books, A Picture of Freedom and Color Me Black. What challenges did you encounter in writing Zettie's diary, and how was this novel different from the writing of the other two books?
PM: The other two Dear America books were set in Virginia and Chicago. I knew those places very well. Zettie's story began in France, then moved to Cadiz, Spain and then Cape Breton, and ended up in Fort Niagra. That is quite a journey. I had to research each place, rather than just one or two. Getting the time, place, season, etc. was not an easy chore. I wanted to include so much more, but the story was getting too long and too complicated. But I have plenty of leftover research on this subject, so I might write another novel with new characters.
RFA & EST: Zettie's life as a companion often is depicted as a life of privilege at least compared to the horrible existence of slaves in Haiti during this same period. Are there different degrees or different types of slavery?
PM: I think this is the most important part of the story.
It appeared that Zettie lived a life of privilege, but she was still
a slave--treated like an animal. The only difference between a field
slave and a companion (house slave) was that one was treated like
a mule and the other was treated like a cat or a pooch. Both positions
were demeaning and cruel albeit in different ways. The field slave
was often physically abused. The house slave was lulled into believing
they were "special," until they were, as Zettie was, faced with
the harsh reality that they were property--no more or less than
a table or chair. That is mentally confusing and just as cruel as
a slap across the face. The French bragged that they practiced a more civil form of slavery because they issued the Code Noir. This document, signed by Louis XIV, addressed the rights of French slaves and the responsibilities of French slave owners. In the "Sugar Island" of the Caribbean, the Code Noir was nothing more than "paper rights" --meaning the laws were written but impossible to enforce. The laws were meaningless in the wilderness of the Caribbean and the Americas as well. No, French slavery was different but just as cruel as any practiced anywhere in the world.
RFA & EST: Other than Zettie and Marie-Louise, who is your
favorite character in Look to the Hills? Why?
PM: It is hard to say, but I like Saint Georges. He is an historical character with an amazing story. I'd like to do a whole book about this master swordsman, because at one time I was involved in competitive fencing. Foil was my weapon of choice and I placed in several city and state tournaments.
RFA & EST: Freedom and education are of paramount importance in your work. Is one more important than the other?
PM: Freedom and education are equally important. One cannot exist without
the other.
RFA & EST: What is one question you'd like to ask children after they've finished reading Zettie's diary?
PM: The question I'd like to ask children who read Zettie is why did I name the book Look to the Hills? Do they think I was talking about "real" hills or "hills" of another kind?
RFA & EST: What would you like readers to remember most about Zettie?
PM: I would like readers to remember Zettie's determination. She was not one to give up or to give in when her mind was made up. She adapted to her new environment and made the most out of the opportunities with which she was presented.
Discussion Guide written by Richard F. Abrahamson, Ph.D., Professor of Literature for Children and Young Adults, University of Houston and Eleanore S. Tyson, Ed.D., Clinical Associate Professor, University of Houston, Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Houston, Texas.
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