Mother's will is sacred
you will determine a person telling about events
you will characterise the main character
you will tell about events and understand their dependence
you will find the information you need in the text
you will name the heroine's experience and compare it with your own
Read the fragment of the novel entitled „Małgosia contra Małgosia” in the lesson „Matki wola święta” at epodreczniki.pl. Footnotes will help you understand the former language.
Who is telling the story of Małgorzata? How does it affect the story?
Answer the questions concerning the narrator. Justify your answers.
The specific/first‑person narrator takes part in the events, is subjective, his knowledge of the presented world is limited, he uses verbs in the singular or sometimes in the plural.
What events from Małgosia’s life are told in this fragment of the novel?
Małgosia was transferred to the time of the reign of Jan III Sobieski. For which offenses were the children punished then?
What children’s offenses were punished in John III Sobieski’s days, where Małgosia was transferred.
When they did not want to lay in bed., When they did not agree with the opinions of seniors., When they spent their time on reading books., When they responded rudely to adults., When they did not want to help with houseworks., When they did not want to eat dinner.
| Children were punished | |
|---|---|
| Children were not punished |
What educational methods were used in John III Sobieski’s days, where Małgosia was transferred. Complete the text.
dinner, salty tea, bitter herbs, rewards, heavy punishment, kneel, cowhouse, closet, slap the faces, stand
When children were disobedient, lazy or spoke badly to seniors, their mothers would punish them heavily. They would ................................ of their daughters; deprive them of breakfast, ................................ or supper; tell them to ................................ in the corner.
Children would also be locked in a ................................. They had to sit there until their mother came. Bad behavior would also be cured with enema or ................................ that had to be drunk at one gulp.
What was the plan of the day of Małgorzata? Arrange in the correct order.
- Wake up at dawn
- A meager dinner
- Working at smokehouse
- Embroidering
- A visit to henhouse
- Issuing yarn and washing wool
- A hearty breakfast
Make a portrait of a lady from the 18th-century. Then, find fragments in the text that refer to Małgosia’s attire. Could she wear similar clothes? Justify your answer.
In your opinion, what did the 20th‑century teenager learn through the stay in the 17th‑century house of mother?
What would you have liked and disliked in the times described? Why?
Work in groups. Tell about the strange behaviour of Małgosia from the perspective of another character of the novel. Each group chooses one character, e.g. mother, sister, aunt or miss Franciszka.
In Ewa Nowacka's novel “Małgosia contra Małgosia” there is one more Małgosia, who moved from the 18th century manor house to the 20th‑century. What kind of problems do you think she might have had in adapting to the new conditions? Describe her encountering the world of the future.
Keywords
customs, tradition, mother, daughter, obedienceobedience, eighteenth century
Glossary
obyczaje
posłuszeństwo
kara
wymierzyć policzek
gorzkie zioła
komórka
klęczeć na grochu
wędzarnia
prząść wełnę
kurnik
jejmościanka
pijawki
lewatywa
haftować