One morning, she is discovered sleeping in a warm pile of dung by the village midwife. Are you sure you want to remove #bookConfirmation# From the first sentences the world of medieval England bursts to life not just as a physical landscape against which people struggle to survive but almost as a character in its own right: "When animal droppings and garbage and spoiled straw are piled up in a great heap, the rotting and moiling give forth heat. The Midwife's Apprentice is narrated in third person ("she said," as opposed to "I said," which is first person), using a limited omniscient viewpoint (in which only the protagonist's thoughts and feelings are revealed).The novel is set in medieval England. For possibly the first time in her life, Alyce feels pride and smiles. The Midwife's Apprentice Character Analysis Alyce. She now has work and a place to live. She and her husband share their Oakland, California, home with two cats, a dog and a rabbit. For as long as she can remember, she has lived on her own, going from village to village, stealing food or working in exchange for food or a dry place to sleep. She renames herself "Alyce," and thinks that someone named Alyce could be loved. Brat has no memory of her parents. Are you a teacher? Brat, the protagonist, or main character of the novel, is a homeless, nameless young girl who might be twelve or thirteen years old (she doesn't know her exact age). References are made to "Summer Is Acoming In," a Middle English lyric written down in manuscript after 1240 and before 1310, and Edward Longshanks, the first of eight English Kings to bear that name, who reigned from 1272 to 1307. This novel won the John Newbery Medal in 1996. But Beetle is never allowed to watch the midwife or to learn what the midwife is doing when she helps to deliver a baby. This Study Guide consists of approximately 24 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - The Midwife's Apprentice is set in medieval England, most likely during the late thirteenth or early fourteenth centuries. Introduction to the 1990s Newbery Medal Winners, Study Help for All 1990s Newbery Medal Winners. The Midwife’s Apprentice. The Midwife's Apprentice is set in medieval England, most likely during the late thirteenth or early fourteenth centuries. The novel is set in medieval England. New York: Clarion Books, 1995. Even though the midwife is mean to Beetle (slapping Beetle and calling her names), Beetle considers her situation a step up from living on the streets and sleeping in dung. The setting is integral to the development of the narrative. Soon, Beetle befriends a stray cat that she rescues from the inhumane treatment of the village boys. She thinks better of herself and, consequently, acts better. Start your 48-hour free trial and unlock all the summaries, Q&A, and analyses you need to get better grades now. The time period is not explicitly stated, but the author gives the reader clues as to the story's setting in time, mentioning the English king Edward Longshanks, and an old English song, "Summer Is a'Coming In," which was written during that period. She feeds him, helps him name himself (giving him a bit of self-respect), and sends him to the manor to find work. When Alyce realizes she can't deliver the baby because it is a difficult birth and she doesn't know what to do, she has to call for the midwife to come to deliver the baby. Alyce (previously known as Brat and, later, Beetle) is the 12- or 13-year-old (she doesn't know how old she is) protagonist, or main character, of the novel. Because she is curious, Beetle watches covertly — looking through cracks in the windows or standing in the shadows of a room out of the midwife's sight. They have a daughter; Leah. Although Alyce is happy about her accomplishment, the midwife is not. The Midwife's Apprentice is narrated in third person ("she said," as opposed to "I said," which is first person), using a limited omniscient viewpoint (in which only the protagonist's thoughts and feelings are revealed). Usually no one gets close enough to notice because of the stench." During the course of the day, Beetle is treated with respect. The midwife is angry because she doesn't want competition from Alyce. What internal conflict does Alyce feel at the beginning of chapter 11 in The Midwife's Apprentice? This becomes evident when she goes to the Saint Swithin's Day Fair for the midwife, to replenish the midwife's supplies. Beetle, our protagonist, is first described as sleeping in a dung pile, but is soon discovered by Jane, the curmudgeonly midwife who sets her to work as her apprentice. Later, she names the cat Purr. Karen Cushman has a gift for portraying time periods accurately, and the setting for The Midwife's Apprentice is no exception. THE MIDWIFE'S APPRENTICE Karen Cushman WINNER OF THE NEWBERY MEDAL Karen Cushman was born in Chicago, and is now Assistant Director of the Museum Studies Department at John E Kennedy University in San Francisco. She doesn't think she can return to the village. Brat calls the midwife "Jane Sharp," because she has "a sharp nose and a sharp glance." Removing #book# Back in the village, Alyce is adamant about people calling her "Alyce" and not Beetle. Alyce is depressed. Top subjects are Literature, History, and Math. Who are the experts?Our certified Educators are real professors, teachers, and scholars who use their academic expertise to tackle your toughest questions. In return for her labor, Beetle receives scraps of food and a place to sleep. It tells of how a homeless girl becomes a midwife's apprentice—and establishes a name and a place in the world, and learns to hope and overcome failure. While working at the inn, Alyce is taught by one of the patrons of the inn to read, and she learns what she wants in her life. The midwife is even more upset when a woman in labor asks for Alyce and not for her. ISBN: 0-395-69229-6. She earns their respect when she successfully delivers a baby in the mid-wife's absence. Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. She is totally humiliated. The vividly presented seasons also prescribe the movement of the peasants' lives, directing the ever repeating cycle of planting and harvesting, controlling everything, except for the all-powerful elements of birth and death. Alyce is … The midwife calls her "Beetle" and takes her in to work as her servant. ©2020 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Alyce trades her labor for food and shelter. She and Purr arrive at an inn situated at a crossroads. The Midwife's Apprentice Setting Karen Cushman This Study Guide consists of approximately 24 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Midwife's Apprentice. Alyce finds a homeless boy sleeping in the barn near Will's cow and calves. Plot Summary: A homeless and nameless orphaned girl is the main character and an effective hook for this book set in fourteenth century England. The pungent description of the dung heap in the nameless village where much... Get The Midwife's Apprentice from Amazon.com. As time passes, the villagers begin to accept Alyce and ask her advice. Beetle begins to gain some self-esteem. Karen Cushman Biography. © 2020 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. CliffsNotes study guides are written by real teachers and professors, so no matter what you're studying, CliffsNotes can ease your homework headaches and help you score high on exams. Movement between geographical locations was very difficult during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, with ordinary citizens traveling from place to place mainly by walking, or, if they were lucky, on horseback. bookmarked pages associated with this title. Beetle continues to follow the midwife from cottage to cottage, preparing and carrying the midwife's supplies. In fact, in the beginning she is … Order our The Midwife's Apprentice Short Guide, teaching or studying The Midwife's Apprentice. A self-respecting Alyce returns to the midwife in the village and asks to be her apprentice once again, vowing never to give up. eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. from your Reading List will also remove any She is complimented, given a comb, and is mistaken for someone who can read. This is not stated explicitly but is easily established by internal evidence. Because of this, the action in the story realistically takes place in one small village and its immediate environs, the distance which can be traversed comfortably in a short day's walk. The odious description of the dung heap on which Beetle sleeps because of its warmth at the beginning of the story is representative of the cyclical aspect of life, and the intimacy with which the characters are acquainted to the earth. Even though she doesn't know how to sing songs or speak gently to the cat, who is close to death, she feels compassion and is relieved when she realizes the cat will live. The peasant people are closely tied to the land and the elements; their very survival depends on these things. Previous everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Midwife's Apprentice. Log in here. What she really wants is to be the midwife's apprentice. Sign up now, Latest answer posted October 15, 2013 at 5:31:54 PM, Latest answer posted April 21, 2016 at 11:01:04 PM, Latest answer posted May 14, 2016 at 7:10:53 AM, Latest answer posted March 10, 2008 at 2:35:30 AM, Latest answer posted July 19, 2018 at 3:51:39 PM. Beetle begins to give the cat scraps of food she saves from her meager meals and the cat begins to follow her wherever she goes. Educators go through a rigorous application process, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team. Already a member? The Midwife's Apprentice is a children's novel by Karen Cushman. What is the problem, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Resolution, and Genre. Feeling like a failure, Alyce takes Purr and runs away. She saves Will, a bully from the village who has always picked on her, from drowning in the river and later helps him deliver twin calves. All rights reserved. She is a skinny, pale girl afraid of people and unfamiliar situations and surroundings. The Midwife's Apprentice takes place in the last years of the thirteenth or the first years of the fourteenth century. and any corresponding bookmarks? The peasants depend on the land in growing their crops and raising their animals, and in the end, all things return from whence they came, to the earth.

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