The Role Of Alyce In The Midwife's Apprentice

A major tragedy can change a person's entire personality. Matilda Cook, the main character in the historical fiction book Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson clearly displays this concept. Matilda is a young woman who would rather sleep than help out around her coffeehouse when the book starts out. She is constantly complaining about the tasks that she needs to accomplish. Her mother, a hardworking and uptight woman, is frequently scolding Mattie to do better. 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.

As the Roman poet Horace once said, "adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant." In other words, he believed that challenges are beneficial because they bring out talents that would have stayed hidden otherwise. He thought that adversity would force a person to use their unknown talents out of desperation. Some argue that his theory is irrelevant and that a person 's skills will develop just as well without adversity if they have the capacity, but I believe that hardships will evoke and improve on their dormant talents.

Imagine losing everything you had, your house, your dad, and all your possessions all of that at the age of 12. Ghastly isn’t it? Well in the story, Esperanza Rising by: Pam Munoz Ryan, Esperanza had to go through all that and shift to America during the Great Depression, and even if you don’t know what that is, you probably know by the looks of it that it is not the most marvelous thing. And you would be right, it’s not. When Esperanza goes to work in America to earn money, there are strikes going on about how people don’t get paid enough for working. Esperanza takes the job because she needs the money to help her mom who is sick and in the hospital and to earn money, so that her grandma can come to America. Esperanza is a brave 12 year-old

The era of 1920s is known for flapper dresses, extravagant lifestyles, and reformation of women. Before this time, women were treated as property and did not have their own voices in politics and their personal lives. With the start of the 20th century, women yearned for a change. They wore shorter dresses, became more reckless, and took control of their lives. F. Scott Fitzgerald was a renowned author during the 1920s who provided commentary about the changes of women. In his works The Great Gatsby, “Winter Dreams”, and “Bernice Bobs Her Hair”, Fitzgerald shows how women 's attempts to gain independence during the 20th century initially fail due to society 's construction.

The novel The Midwife’s Apprentice by Karen Cushman is about a 13 year old girl called Brat who has not found her place in society until she meets Jane the Midwife. Brat undergoes several identity changes when she changes her name from Brat to Beetle then eventually to Alyce. This novel is set in a small village in England during the 14th century. Brat was accustomed to the lifestyle of sleeping in dung heaps and traveling on foot from village to village begging for her next meal. While begging she encounters the Jane the Midwife. She is surprised to get the response, “Those who don’t work don’t eat” (Cushman 4). To this Brat responds, “I will work, Mistress. I am stronger and smarter than I seem” (4). This is how Brat became Alyce the apprentice to Jane the Midwife. Karen Cushman’s The Midwife’s Apprentice accurately portrays the relationship between a midwife and her apprentice and the technology and methods used by a midwife in medieval England.

If I were to describe the life of Charlotte Charke in one word, my word of choice would be “odd.” Her autobiography, A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Charlotte Charke, describes in great detail the abundance of situations where Charke acted in ways that greatly varied from the perceived norm, which I believe played a massive role in the formation of her identity. Her personal narrative perfectly depicts how identity is constructed through a combination of factors that were outside of her control, as well as the things she could control within her life, or in other words, the situations were agency was involved, and the ones where it was forbidden.

The Mirabal sisters were revolutionaries who opposed the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. During the revolution, they were given the code name “Las Mariposas”, or “the butterflies”. The term “mariposa” suits each sister in a different way. Patria, Dedé, Minerva, and Mate Mirabal each have their one reason to be compared to a butterfly. The nickname “mariposa” shows who the Mirabal sisters are; they transformed from domestic, innocent mothers and wives into brave, defiant martyrs for national freedom.

The most turbulent and liberating moment of life is the moment one ‘leaves the nest’. Jamaica Kincaid’s Lucy paints the troubled narrative of a young woman finding a new life in America and wrestling with the roles society has placed upon her. Lucy remarks that “on their way to freedom, some people find riches, some people find death” (Kincaid, 129). Lucy’s battle leads her down a road of riches of newfound independence, however, she ultimately finds herself in desolation.

“Thousands of our noble soldiers have gladly given up their lives for their country. Should I hesitate to do as much?” This is a direct quote from the famous heroine, Pauline Cushman. She was a courageous Union spy and American actress. Not only was she a mother of three, but she also had a total of three husbands. Pauline wouldn’t let anything stop her, not near death experiences, not a sentence to execution, not anything. Pauline Cushman focused on the task at hand and put aside any of her fears and doubts.

“What a man can be, he must be,” is a quote by Dr. Abraham Maslow in the book Motivation and Personality, which talked about a hierarchical pyramid of human needs. It means, such as, if a girl wants to be a midwife, she must be a midwife, like in the book The Midwife’s Apprentice by Karen Cushman. The main character, Alyce, wants to find a place in the world by becoming a midwife, and it is the most important thing to her. However, her age and gender affect the conflict.

The short story “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan explains a mother and daughter relationship that has many differences within a conflict in the story. The narrator demonstrates that the mother and the daughter do not agree with the same aspect on life. Since the mother wants her daughter to be perfect, the daughter refuses to make her mother’s wishes come true. Her mother wanted the narrator to become the perfect traditional daughter, but the narrator’s differences triggered with her mother. An indication from the story is, “Unlike my mother, I did not believe I could be anything I wanted to be, I could only be me” (137). According to the quote from the story, the author just wanted to be somebody she wanted to be, not somebody her mother wanted her

The young man describes Mrs. Moreen as a woman that “spoke only of feelings and, as it were, of the aristocracy.” This indicates that he believes that Mrs. Moreen believes that she is superior to him as she focuses on aristocracy and the hierarchy of the society. He is very conscious of this perception and this contributes to his issues of being insecure and nervous about approaching the subject of his salary. In addition, the third person limited point of view shows the young man’s paranoia surrounding the teaching of the student as he is worried that the student will “prove cleverer than himself.” This adds to the degrading and ironic tone as it shows that not only is the narrating mocking him, but there is reason for it as he himself is doubtful of himself. He does not fit the typical mold of man in the late 1800s as he is supposed to in an authoritative position, but does not show confidence or assertiveness at all. In addition, to mocking his role as inferior position, there is the element of his profession. He is being mocked as a teacher which in the time period most men were not teachers as that was not perceived as a very important job that was to be done by men. As a result, the mockery of the young man is only reinforced as he is an inferior teacher that is at

A Sense of Self is a unique quality that differs from one person to another and yet may involve multiple identities. Explore the extent to which the protagonists in the texts you have studied appear to possess one or more identities. Refer closely to the texts in developing your response.

finds herself struggling against a man versus society conflict, as she confronts the rich first class

Originating in France, ‘The Necklace’ is a short story written by French writer Guy de Maupassant in the late nineteenth century, the period where literary movements realism and naturalism dominated French fiction. Maupassant played an important role in both the realist movement and the naturalist movement through his depiction of the setting as well as the character’s decision. The short story reflects upon the rigid patriarchal society during the late nineteenth century, demonstrating how the wealth of a person can lead to their generosity and greed; thus affecting their lifestyles. Through ‘The Necklace’, Maupassant aims to depict the conflicts between the upper-class and the lower class, how their inner desires vary. This essay will analyze ‘The Necklace’ and how Maupassant uses the social context, characters and literary devices in the short story to illustrate his misogynistic viewpoints towards women.