Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

Plot Diagram

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Character Map

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Literary Conflict

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Perspectives

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Medieval Rulebook

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Symbol Square

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Essential Questions for Catherine, Called Birdy

1. In what ways does Birdy grow and mature during the year she describes in her journal?
2. How did marriage in the 13th century differ from marriage today?
3. How does Birdy balance her own desires with her duties to her family and society?
4. How do family and society help shape our identities?
5. How did the mindset of Medieval Europeans differ from the mindset of people today? How is it similar?

Historical Context

Students reading Catherine, Called Birdy will likely require a little background on life in Medieval England. As Catherine explains in her journal entries, her life in the manor house is strictly controlled. For Catherine, acting “like a lady” holds a different meaning than it does today. Being a lady did not simply mean acting like a polite female; a lady was a specific upper-class position in the ranks of English nobility and held different responsibilities and expectations than life as a lower-class female. Catherine is both empowered and restricted by this position.

Her privileged position as Lady Catherine is due to her father’s position as a knight. While he is only a minor knight, he is still lord of the manor on which he lives. His position is a result of the feudal system which dominated English life during the Middle Ages. In this hierarchical system, all power flowed down from the king, and with it, land, money, and food. The king parceled out his property among his favorite nobles who owed him loyalty and yearly taxes in exchange. This system was repeated on a smaller scale between greater and lesser nobles, eventually working its way down to the peasants, who collected no tax themselves, but owed allegiance and rent to their ruling nobleman. With this strict social structure, each member of society knew his or her place in the community and the expectations and responsibilities that came with it. Although this structure could provide comfort to some, it restricts Catherine and creates both external and internal conflicts for her, adding to the novel’s central tension.

Before beginning Catherine, Called Birdy, students may also benefit from research on the following aspects of Medieval society:

• The Church and Religion
• Hygiene
• Marriage Customs
• Medicine
• Holidays and Celebrations
• Daily Chores

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