Lesson 20

​ 

Midwife (noun)	A person who helps women during childbirth.
Apprentice (noun)	A person who learns a job, skill, or trade by working for someone who has mastered it.	Beginner, learner
Protagonist (noun)	The main character in a work of fiction.	Main character, hero

​DEEP DIVE - Content Vocabulary: Protagonist, Antagonist
Think about your favorite movie or comic book hero. What qualities made him or her the hero of the story?

​Get out Handout 20C: Frayer Model Protagonist. You will fill in your graphic organizer and take notes during our class discussion.

​Definition:

(noun) the main character in a work of fiction

proto, prot: a Greek root that means first, original, primitive

agon: a Greek root that means struggle, contest 

-ist: a suffix that means a person who does or makes

The word "protagonist" can be broken down into three morphemes:

1. Pro- (prefix): Meaning "for" or "in favor of."

2. Tag (root): Derived from the Greek word "agon," meaning "contest" or "struggle."

3. -ist (suffix): A person who performs a certain action or is associated with a particular role.

So, "protagonist" essentially refers to a person who is for the main struggle or contest in a story.

Multiple Choice

What does the prefix "pro-" in "protagonist" mean?

• Against

• For

• Without

Multiple Choice

What does the root "tag" relate to?

• Friendship

• Contest or struggle

• Peace

Multiple Choice

What does the suffix "-ist" indicate?

• A place

• A person associated with a role

• An object

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best defines "protagonist"?

• The main character who opposes the hero

• The character who is central to the main struggle of the story

• A side character with little impact on the story

​Can you think of other words that end in the suffix -ist? 

​Artist Scientist Activist Journalist Dentist

Biologist Chemist Pianist Guitarist Psychologist

Environmentalist Feminist Optimist Pessimist Realist
Pharmacist Economist Lobbyist Specialist Anthropologist Geologist Capitalist Socialist Receptionist Tourist Novelists Illusionist Stylist Novelist Activist

​Based on the morphemes, what do you think the definition of the word protagonist is? 

​Protagonist

• The so-called hero of a narrative. 

• Not all protagonists are heroes like our modern-day examples. 

• May share many of the characteristics of these heroes.

​In literature, the word protagonist refers to the main character of a story who goes through some kind of transformation.

​Characteristics:

Experiences personal transformation

Faces different types of conflict

Attempts to overcome this conflict

​Protagonists face different types of conflict in their individual stories.

It is their attempt to overcome this conflict that takes them on a remarkable journey, resulting in transformation. 

​Examples:

• Beetle, The  Midwife’s Apprentice; she struggles with poverty and Jane’s moods.

• Comic book superheroes; they fight for good

Katniss Everdeen, The Hunger Games; she fights for her people and struggles against the landscape

​Non-Examples:

Antagonist (n.) in literature, a character who (or something that) works against the protagonist;

ant-/anti-: against; opposite of.

• Jane/Midwife, The Midwife’s Apprentice has a temper

• Beetle’s station in life/poverty, The Midwife’s Apprentice

​Examine the book cover and title and list what you notice and wonder in your Response Journal.

As we read, you will Stop and Jot your thoughts on your Notice and Wonder chart. 

• Read to the end of page 2, ending with the sentence, “It was as cold and dark inside of her as out in the frosty night.” What have you noticed about the protagonist so far? 

Something to know:

While it may seem strange to us that Brat/Beetle did not know her age, this was not strange at the time. Children did not have birth certificates, and most did not go to school.

​Continue reading until the end of page 3. 

• What else have you noticed or wondered about the protagonist? 

• What other characters did you notice or wonder about?

Read to the end of the chapter. 

• What did you notice or wonder about what happens during this final section? 

What did midwives know how to do?

Midwives helped women get through their pregnancy safely. They could tell whether you were really pregnant, and they knew when the baby was about to be born.

Some midwives used a special chair for the mother to sit in. Other women gave birth lying down on a bed or a couch. They knew how to deliver a baby as safely as possible.

​But that wasn’t very safe! Even the best midwives in both ancient and medieval times didn’t know a lot of things we know today. They didn’t know about germs, so they didn’t always wash their hands before taking care of women. They didn’t know how to do a Caesarian section.

​Dying in childbirth

Many babies died while they were being born, and many women also died or were injured while they were having their babies, even if they had a good midwife. About one out of five women who were having a baby died. (These days, with modern midwives and hospitals, that hardly ever happens, though women are still injured sometimes.)

​

Wet nurses

If a woman did die in childbirth, the midwife might also help to find a wet nurse for the baby. A wet nurse was a woman who breastfed another woman’s baby.