ipl-logo

Summary Of Catherine, Called Birdy By Karen Cushman

692 Words3 Pages

In the novel Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman, Catherine does not enjoy her life because she can’t do what she wants or things that make her happy. She wants to be free; she feels like a wild animal locked in a cage. She does not want to be a lady, but instead to be wild and carefree like most of the boys are. Due to her courage and determination to resist all of the negative things that are forced on her, Catherine is able to overcome each obstacle that is placed in her way. Marriage is an idea that Catherine has hated every since she became of age; she refuses to marry Shaggy Beard. As Catherine writes in her journal, she states, "Would I choose to die rather than be forced to marry? I hope to avoid the issue for I do not think it in me to a be saint” (43). It is clear that a marriage to Shaggy Beard is not a desirable choice for Catherine. At first, she tried to find a way to reject Shaggy Beard’s marriage proposal. She does not like Shaggy Beard, and finally she succeeded. She was …show more content…

They do not share the same ideas. For example, she doesn't want to marry Shaggy Beard as her father has commanded. While sharing her displeasure with her friend, Perkin, he responds "If it is necessary to lead a pig forward, he said, Sym ties a string to its hind legs and pulls backward. The pig will then pull forward and so goes ahead. And so it is with me”. Catherine responds, “If my father pulled me backward, I would demand to go ahead"(117). This conversation makes it known that Catherine and her father always seem to have conflicting ideas. Catherine is often against her father because, in general, she does not like him. He refused to help her save the bear from the bear baiting at the fair. So, instead of relying on him, she showed a great amount of courage to save the bear herself. Her courage is evident in most aspects of her

Show More
Related
810 Words | 4 Pages

In the short story “St Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves” by Karen Russell, the main character Claudette was successfully integrated into human society throughout the story. In each epigraph she would notice new changes in her personality. She struggled to figure out the ladylike ways she had to become to not let down her parents. But eventually she finds out how much she had to give to become a well behaved wolf girl. The girls at first were having fun by “tearing through the austere rooms, overturning dresser drawers, pawing through the neat piles of starched underwear, and smashing light bulbs with their bare fists” and they marked their territory by “spraying exuberant yellow steams all over the bunks”.

Read More
216 Words | 1 Pages

The author, Molly Merryman, earned her Ph.D., from Bowling Green State University in 1995 in American Culture Studies. She teaches at Kent State, and is associated with History and Justice Studies, American Studies, and Women’s programs. She is also a documentary film maker, who has received national and international screenings and awards, along with three Emmys. Merryman’s book, Clipped Wings, includes a useful index, that has cross-referencing for both topics and names. The bibliography of this book is organized into categories of different sources, such as articles, books, government documents, etc.

Read More
1239 Words | 5 Pages

“You change your life by changing your heart.” said Max Lucado. This is exactly what Catherine did in Karen Cushman’s Catherine, Called Birdy. Her experiences led to the discovery of the need for change. The interactions and experiences she had with the Jews, her mother, and a villager led to Catherine becoming more gentle, caring, aware of her surroundings, and more of herself than she was before. One way that Catherine changed was after her encounter with the old Jewish Lady.

Read More
575 Words | 3 Pages

In the novel Dealing With Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede, Cimorene of the kingdom of Linderwall is tired of her routine life of a princess. Cimorene was justified in ignoring the expected social norms of the medieval society because she wanted to be emancipated from them. Firstly, her decisions were not respected by her parents. Secondly, her life was overly controlled by her father and her life was already planned out for her, and finally she was not able to live the lavish life of a princess because of her unprincess-like features. Cimorene never really had any control over her life, as she already had it planned out for her.

Read More
1211 Words | 5 Pages

Birdie is not an easy read, an unexpected fact, considering the woman who penned it, Tracey Lindberg, is a lawyer and professor by trade. The difficulty in reading the novel comes not only from its harrowing subject matter but also from the way the story is told. It’s non-linear and jumps back and forth from the present to the past. At the start of each chapter are poems, which often transform characters into animals, such as Bernice Meetos/Birdie who longs to return to the tree, Pimatisewin. The story doesn’t entirely belong to Bernice however, as the chapters tell the story of Beatrice from the voice of five different women- her cousin, aunt, mother, landlord and herself.

Read More
911 Words | 4 Pages

Courage is having strength in the face of pain or grief. In the book called Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, Mildred Taylor did a great job showing how Cassie Logan has courage and that she can stand up for what is right. Cassie showed courage when she was in Strawberry, going up against Lillian Jean Simms (her enemy), and helping TJ even though her was really mean and rude to her. Cassie Logan was a southern girl who lived in Mississippi. She didn 't like being told what to do

Read More
731 Words | 3 Pages

“Waxen Wings” Literary Analysis All her life, Birdie experiences failure. However, the only thing that she takes away from the experience is success. So, whether this is a tragedy or not, Birdie only sees it as a chance to be triumphant. In Ha Songnan’s “Waxen Wings”, the character Birdie grows up wanting to fly and the ways that she attempts to achieve this goal shapes her into the person that she will become. Songnan uses a sequential structure in order to take the reader through the highs and lows of Birdies’ life.

Read More
383 Words | 2 Pages

Nat Hawkins ended up protecting his family and fighting for his life as well as theirs in the tragic story “The Birds”. In the story Nat and his family have a little pre-war cottage they reside in. Everything suddenly takes a turn for the worst when birds start attacking them during the night. Nat proceeds to board up all the windows and doors before the next nightfall. Nat lied to his children for the following reasons: they had to stay calm,they were too young to understand, their job as parents to protect them.

Read More
1954 Words | 8 Pages

Love into Fear “You can build walls all the way to the sky and I will find a way to fly above them. You can try to pin me down with a hundred thousand arms, but I will find a way to resist” (Oliver 440-441). In the novel Delirium by Lauren Oliver, a seventeen year-old girl, Lena, lives with her Aunt, as her parents both died. She lives in a society where love is a disease, Deliria.

Read More
718 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout the play Proof David Auburn, the playwright, employs various dialogues and situations to portray the dynamic relationships the characters have with one another. Auburn uses the relationship dynamics to demonstrate the contrasting personalities between Catherine, our protagonist, and her sister as well as the similarities between Catherine and her father, Robert. In addition to that, the relationships demonstrate the depth to the characters and how the impression of them isn’t necessarily the most accurate. In proof the Auburn paints the characters in one light, and then alters the our perspective to illustrate the intricacy of their personalities. In doing this Auburn also demonstrates just how dangerous prejudice is in the play

Read More
793 Words | 4 Pages

There are many times throughout the novel where Catherine’s imagination gets the best of her and she must explore some silly fantasy. When she first arrives at Henry Tilney’s home, Northanger Abbey, she immediately wants to explore as if she were a little kid at Disney World. Her room has a mysterious chest that she tells herself she must get open because it has to contain some dark secrets inside. However, it only held a cloth and a few grocery lists inside. This scene is a perfect description of how her young 17 year old mind got the best of her.

Read More
1008 Words | 5 Pages

She stood up against an overpowering man and did not back down. Of course she has to spend six months of her life with him every year but I’m sure that eventually she grew to love him and that is something a woman with great pride could not

Read More
553 Words | 3 Pages

Courage by dictionary definition is having the strength to face pain or grief. Additionally, it is the ability for one to be brave under certain adversities. In the book, The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, courage is portrayed as the ability to bring light to the truth. People who do not cower behind deception and falsehood are people who are courageous. The reason why Amir thinks Soraya Taheri was a better person than himself, is because she does not hide behind a wall of lies.

Read More
1575 Words | 7 Pages

“The Wife of Bath,” written during the Late Middle Ages, is one of a variety of stories which can be found in The Canterbury Tales. It is a tale which is told within the context of a larger story. Bath’s wife is atypical given the period of time in which she lived. She advocates for the institution of marriage by employing an unusual technique to convey her viewpoint.

Read More
1004 Words | 5 Pages

The Female Desire to be Free The story takes in place in the 1920’s. During that era, women were living under the influence of men. They were not so free to make decisions for themselves without being judged upon by society. Seeing a pregnant woman who was unwed was viewed upon negatively.

Read More

More about Summary Of Catherine, Called Birdy By Karen Cushman

Related Topics

Open Document