The memoir, Angela’s Ashes, was written in 1996 by Frank McCourt. The memoir first took place in 1937 in New York City but the protagonist, Frank, and his family soon moved to Limerick, Ireland where most of the memoir took place. McCourt wrote this memoir different than most people would, he told it from the perspective of him as a child looking out onto the world instead of as an adult reflecting on his childhood. Angela’s Ashes received multiple national awards such as “Winner Of The Pulitzer Prize” in 1997, “Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award” in 1996, and “The Los Angeles Times Book Award” in 1996. The history behind Angela’s Ashes was it took place during The Great Depression. The Great Depression was a time period where …show more content…
there was a severe decline in the economy, this meant that so many people were in poverty and can barely afford to live by. This is important to the text because the reason Frank and his family moved back to Ireland was because of the severe poverty they dealt with in New York City. Even though Frank and his family moved back to Ireland to live a better life, Ireland was also in a depression-era. The author's purpose for this memoir was to describe the struggles him and his family faced and how they overcame these struggles. He wanted the readers to know what the life of a catholic irish child is like and how he dealt with the difficult times throughout his childhood. In the memoir, Angela’s Ashes, by Frank McCourt, Frank recites his life living in the Depression-era in Limerick, Ireland which contributes to his success in the future. Theme In the memoir, Angela’s Ashes, there was a major theme throughout the story, which was even if you start at the bottom does not mean you have to stay there.
This theme was definitely displayed throughout the memoir because Frank started off in one of the worst circumstances. He was a poor catholic irish child, had an alcoholic father, a mother who puts herself first, and he faced starvation. He not only has to deal with being poor but has to deal with being deprived of great opportunities that can help him further his education. The society around him does not seem him as what he is, which is intelligent, they see him as a low class boy. In the memoir, Angela's Ashes, it states “People everywhere brag and whimper about the woes of their early years, but nothing can compare with the Irish version: the poverty; the shiftless loquacious alcoholic father; the pious defeated mother moaning by the fire; pompous priests; bullying schoolmasters; the English and the terrible things they did to us for eight hundred long years” (Frank McCourt, pg.11). Frank had dealt with a tough life as a child but he did not want to live that for the rest of his life and wanted to show everyone that he can become successful. As the book progresses, Frank begins to grow independent and overcome the struggles he had to face as a child. He was a person who would rather starve than beg or owe anyone. He did not let his dignity be deprived from him. Frank was able to maintain a job to get money to go to America and be able to keep up with maintaining an education for himself. Frank was smart, and he did not want to waste it. He showed perseverance throughout his life so he can live the life he wants, which is in America. In the memoir, Angela’s Ashes, it states “Stock your mind, stock your mind. It is your house of treasure and no one in the world can interfere with it. If you won the Irish Sweepstakes and bought a house that needed furniture would you fill it with bits and pieces of rubbish?
Your mind is your house and if you fill it with rubbish from the cinemas it will rot in your head. You might be poor, your shoes might be broken, but your mind is a palace” (Frank McCourt, pg.208) Frank is a perfect example of how if you start at the bottom, it does not mean you have to stay there. With Frank being open minded about things and being independent, he was able to do so much for himself. Frank was able to move to America where he was able to complete his dreams. Frank became a teacher and later on a writer.The theme of how if you start at the bottom does not mean you have to stay there was definitely displayed throughout this memoir. Author's Style Passages of text: The memoir, Angela’s Ashes, states “Next day we ride to the hospital in a carriage with a horse. They put Oliver in a white box that came with us in a carriage and we took him to the graveyard. They put the white box into a hole in the ground and covered it with earth” (Frank McCourt, pg.76). The memoir, Angela’s Ashes, states “That’s Eugene’s coffin. I’ll tell Mam you put your glasses on Eugene’s coffin. Now, son. Now, son. Dad, that's Eugene’s coffin. The other man says, Will have another pint, mister? Dad says to me, Wait outside another few minutes Francis. No. Don't be a bad boy. No” (Frank McCourt, pg.86). Analysis: Throughout these passages of text, there was multiple rhetorical devices being used such as diction, imagery, and tone. McCourt utilizes diction to show how Frank begins as an immature child and then becomes a mature adult as the memoir goes along. For example, Frank uses very descriptive sentences in the beginning of the book when he was younger, this was used to show his innocence and how he did not know the genuine name for things. This is shown in the passage above because right after his first brother dies, he was immature and did not know the right word for casket, instead he described it in detail. In the memoir, Angela's Ashes, it states, “They put Oliver in a white box that came with us in the carriage and we took him to the graveyard. They put the white box into a hole in the ground and covered it with earth” (Frank McCourt, pg.76). This shows how Frank was immature, because he did not say the word coffin but described it in detail. Frank in the beginning of the memoir when younger used a lot of imagery. He used details to give us an image in the reader's head of what was happening. Instead of just saying his brother was in a coffin, he used the meaning of a term instead of the actual term. With diction Frank was also able to reveal the tone which came off as childlike, and showed innocence. When Frank when was younger in the beginning of the memoir and was at Olive's funeral, it showed the sense of child like innocence even in a tragedy. Throughout the story, there is a change in his diction because as he is growing up he uses more mature words, and less imagery. Frank does not describe the events he went through in as much detail as he did when he was younger because he wanted to use diction to show that as he gets older he has a better understanding of what is going on around him. For example, after Frank's second brother, Eugene dies, Frank has gotten older and does not describe the funeral like he did for Olive. He has a change in vocabulary which symbolizes how Frank matured from one death to the next. In the memoir, Angela's Ashes, it states “That’s Eugene’s coffin” (Frank McCourt, pg.86). This time Frank refers to it as a “coffin” rather than “white box”. This shows that as time went along, Frank matured and was able to say the correct term instead of being descriptive in what he was looking at. Diction is definitely very important in this memoir because it allowed Frank to be able to remind the audience that the perspective of a child will mature as the novel goes along.
She was named after Angelus, which were the bells that rang at midnight to welcome the New Year. Finished ninth grade and was unable to be a charwoman her mother tells her, “You don’t have the knack of it. You’re pure useless. Why don’t you go to America where there’s room for all sorts of uselessness? I’ll give you the fare.” (15) So she later migrates to New York, where she meets Malachy. Angela becomes pregnant and her cousins talk her into marrying Malachy. From the start her life was a living hell. From the beginning Malachy drank whatever money he made not providing for Angela or her soon to be born baby. Frank was her first born, soon after she had Malachy Jr. and then a set of twin boys, before giving birth to Margaret. There was happiness after Margaret. Soon after she died Malachy Sr. went back to drinking and she became depressed leaving the care of the four boys to Frank and his brother Malachy Jr. Soon after they returned to Limerick Ireland to be close to her family... They continued to live in poverty, Malachy continued to drink and she had another baby. Despite her acceptance of a drunk for a husband it was Angela who was the only one to raise the boys to be respectful, thoughtful, kind, and hardworking. But it was also Angela who was also responsible for keeping the family poor and hungry. Soon after returning to Limerick they lost the set of twins. The weather in Ireland was cold, rainy and depressing. She begged for food to feed her family and the Church was no help because she married a man from Northern Ireland. After Malachy leaves her the last time she is unable to pay the rent, so she moves in with Laman Griffen. Frank learns of his mother sleeping with Laman. Frank forgets to empty Laman's pot and Laman tells Frank he can’t use the bicycle. Laman ends up beating on Frank and Frank leaves to live with his Uncle Ab. Upset because his mother didn’t do anything to Laman. This is one of many
Occasion: The author wrote this, to relive his experiences as a young boy living in Limerick, Ireland. Specifically the day his brother and he returned home from school to find an empty and wet living room and kitchen. The heavy rains flooded downstairs and forced his parents to "move in" upstairs.
Angela’s personality is brought to life in front of us and is applied to our own lives. This characterization, which is present in the movie, but absent in the novel, is where these two adaptations sit different. In the book version, direct characterization is used to describe Angela as a, “...beggar...dependent…[and]emotional”(256,266,301). The audience is not directly affected by these character traits. Angela is only described using two dimensional words. We only read the description of a flat character. The film presents an indirect light to Angela’s character that shocks the audience. The physical sight and direction of Angela begging, crying, and fighting is one true way how Frank McCourt experienced his mother, and how we experience her when the movie rolls. It is only through this movie we see how Angela affected Frank in the long term, how she made him guilty, careful, and responsible, how she made the audience feel these same emotions. She taught Frank and the audience that they must make their own way in the
In the book, “Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer, the main character Christopher McCandless is foolish,brave, and psychotic. He is foolish for dropping everything to go on an impossible “hike” through the Alaskan backcountry, brave for sticking through it, and psychotic.
Evan King Mrs. Madis English 12-2 14 January 2015 Making Something Out Of Nothing Making the most out of life is hard, especially life as a poor child in Ireland would have kept most people from reaching their goals in life but not for Frank McCourt, did not play into the stereotypes of many poor Irish people of that time. In the Memoir Angela’s Ashes written by Frank McCourt Frank has to persevere through much adversity in his not so desirable life as a poor Irish boy with a drunk for a father who could not provide for Frank and his family. Frank must get a job at a young age in order to bring in the money that his father Malachy drinks away, when he finally has money and moves to America, and when he eventually becomes a teacher even with all of his bad experiences as a child in school.
The first barrier to a better life had to do with surviving poverty or the absence of certain privileges. In Angela’s Ashes, Frank, the protagonist of the book, along with his family had to endure persistent rains, exposure to disease and starvation. Frank and Malachy Jr. had to resort to stealing food several ...
This essay will be looking at and examining the theme of characters having or going through a Journey, and how they are conveyed by author, Gwen Harwood, in her poems, ‘Suburban Sonnet: Boxing Day’ and ‘In the Park’. With the journeys in these two poems seemingly being written as reflections, where the characters are going through and struggling with the journeys they’re undertaking, I’ll be looking at what the journeys in these poems are representing and what they are showing readers about the characters who have had them.
Life is a form of progress- from one stage to another, from one responsibility to another. Studying, getting good grades, and starting the family are common expectations of human life. In the novel Into the Wild, author Jon Krakauer introduced the tragic story of Christopher Johnson McCandless. After graduating from Emory University, McCandless sold of his possessions and ultimately became a wanderer. He hitchhiked to Alaska and walked into the wilderness for nearly 4 months. This journey to the 49th state proved fatal for him, and he lost his life while fulfilling his dream. After reading this novel, some readers admired the boy for his courage and noble ideas, while others fulminated that he was an idiot who perished out of arrogance and
In "Angela's Ashes" Frank McCourt develops the theme that through perseverance he and his brothers were able to survive. This is seen through Frank when he says; "I'll have to try Kathleen O'Connell once more"
Poverty can be and extremely devestating force when left alone, but when persevered through, it is merely a small roadblock in the way of the path to success. Two stories that show the themes of poverty and peseverance are, "Angela's Ashes" by Frank McCourt, and "The Street" by Ann Petry. These themes of poverty and perseverance are consistent throuhout both of these stories and can shown through the author's use of characters, events, and settings.
Angela’s Ashes - Frank McCourt's Love/Hate Relationship with his Father. Angela’s Ashes is a memoir of Frank McCourt’s childhood and the difficulties he faced whilst growing up. His family were very poor and moved from America to Limerick to try and live an easier life. Frank’s father was constantly out of a job and never had enough money to support his family and friends.
Frank has an interesting view on the way man has progressed morally. I think that he says that we don’t really know our morals until we have them truly questioned. In this he implies that the people who have strong morals, not only will stay true to them, but will survive. An example of this is Randy Bragg. Randy, on the day of nuclear fallout, stopped on the side of the road to help a woman. This shows that he has respect for the human race as a whole. The opposite of this was Edgar Quisenbury. Edgar valued nothing but money. In the end, the absence of money caused Edgar to become an example of Darwin’s “Only the strong” theory as he shot himself.
The mother of Frank McCourt, Angela, is an antagonist. She blamed Malachy Sr. for all of their problems calling him “useless,” “sitting on your arse by the fire is no place for a man”(218). Angela constantly ridiculing Malachy Sr. could be the cause of his alcohol addiction. Angela never made him feel like a man throughout the book she was always putting him down, the assumption of alcohol was the only thing he was really happy about. Angelas constant nagging drove him away leaving his family without much. Also, Angela constantly abandons her children. Her sexual desires caused her to continue having children despite the hunger and poverty they were already facing. Every time one of her children died she abandoned the rest of them, not taking care of them. The children had to survive on their own during her time of grieving. After Frank’s fight with Laman, Angela never once made sure Frank was okay. Instead she goes to Laman,
Despite Frank McCourt's horrid poverty, tiresome starvation and devastating losses, Angela's Ashes is not a tragic memoir. It is in fact up lifting, funny and at times triumphant. How does Frank McCourt as a writer accomplish this?
The Theme of Religion in Angela’s Ashes Throughout the novel, religion is presented as being of extreme importance in Irish society, influencing the beliefs and actions of the characters. I will attempt to highlight the several factors which I believe make up the presentation of religion in “Angela’s Ashes”. From the beginning of the book, religion is said to make up a large part of the unhappy childhood Frank suffered. The following quote shows the extent of Frank’s sentiments: “Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood, is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood” The quote above portrays the crescendo of negative emotion, describing the worse possible scenario of a childhood, adding finally “Catholic” to signify the most terrible part of the childhood Frank suffered.