During Reading
As you read be sure to visit the blog on occasion to leave comments with your thoughts. You must comment five times while you read, and in those comments you must respond to a quotation of your choice from the book. I’ll leave my own quotation comment for you as an example.
As you’re writing your own comments, be sure to read other students’ comments as well. You’ll need to respond to two of your peers comments as well. Again, check out the comments I’ve left for an example.
When you finish the book
Once you’ve finished the entire book, leave two comments where you respond to two of the following writing prompts (from readinggroupguides.com):
1. McCourt writes: “I think my father is like the Holy Trinity with three people in him, the one in the morning with the paper, the one at night with the stories and prayers, and then the one who does the bad thing and comes home with the smell of whiskey and wants us to die for Ireland.” Was this your impression of Frank McCourt’s father? How can Frank write about his father without bitterness? What part did Malachy play in creating the person that Frank eventually became?
2. Women — in particular mothers — play a significant role in Angela’s Ashes. Recall the scenes between Angela and her children; the MacNamara sisters (Delia and Philomena) and Malachy; Aunt Aggie and young Frank; Angela and her own mother. In what ways do these interactions reflect the roles of women within their families? Discuss the ways in which Angela struggles to keep her family together in the most desperate of circumstances.
3. McCourt titles his memoir Angela’s Ashes, after his mother. What significance does the phrase “Angela’s Ashes” acquire by the end of the book?
4. Despite the McCourts’ horrid poverty, mind-numbing starvation, and devastating losses, Angela’s Ashes is not a tragic memoir. In fact, it is uplifting, triumphant even. How does McCourt accomplish this?
5. Irish songs and lyrics are prominently featured in Angela’s Ashes. How do these lyrics contribute to the unique voice of this memoir? How does music affect Frank’s experiences? How do you think it continues to influence his memories of his childhood?
64 Comments
June 12, 2008 at 3:29 pm
There are obviously many moments in this book that sing out with sadness and melancholy, from the ongoing number of dead children to the fallout of the nuclear family in the wake of the father’s alcoholism. One of the moments that touched me most, however, was when Frank stays with the Clohessys to avoid getting in trouble at home (pgs 164-169). It might not seem like the most tragic scene in the book, but it got under my skin a little when Frankie’s “mam” finally locates him at the Clohessys’ run down home only to find that Mr. Clohessy is an old acquaintance of hers. The tragedy of the moment is in their interaction –he is dying of consumption (what we call tuberculosis today), and she is trapped in a miserable marriage, but as teenagers they danced together at parties and dance halls. They may have even flirted a bit and been in love, they certainly knew fun times together, but none of that matters in the present. I don’t know if many of you can relate to this just yet, but there will come a time when you reconnect with people you knew earlier in life, and that meeting will fill you with nostalgia. It might also fill you with a sense of what might have been had things worked out differently — but, of course, it’s not likely that you can go back and change things to explore that previously possible path, the moment is gone. Whether you’ve experienced this or not, the heaviness of the feeling is felt in the moment where Mrs. McCourt walks home crying, not for worrying about her son, but for having her past surprise her when she wasn’t expecting it. And it touched me. I found my eyes tearing up on the subway a little…
June 14, 2008 at 6:07 pm
While I see sgweber’s point in the comment above, I have to respectfully disagree. The moment where Mrs. McCourt talks with Mr. Clohessy IS touching and a little melancholy, but what about the fact that her husband is such a low-life? I mean, don’t you want to just beat the guy with a blunt object? What little money the family has, he spends on alcohol. Due to the time and place where the story is set, he’s the only one who can really work — she has to stay home with the children — so the family is COMPLETELY dependent upon him and he lets them down again and again and again and AGAIN AND AGAIN… How do other people feel about this? Maybe it just makes me so angry because I come from a family that has a history of alcoholism. My own father had the courage to face his problem and fix it when I was about 7 years old — and he’s still sober to this day! (Congrats, Dad!!) — but for awhile it was really difficult for us. So I find myself hating Mr. McCourt, perhaps more than I should, really, but his actions remind me of my own childhood and how frightening things could be. I don’t have much sympathy for men who don’t do right by their families. I think it’s interesting that Frank McCourt is very kind to his father in his memoir…he paints the picture of what their life was like and he doesn’t leave out a single night of wondering where dad might be, but he never seems to judge him poorly. I think I would have if I were writing the story. I wonder if he did it on purpose, if maybe he had so much anger towards his dad over the years that when he sat down to write the book he decided to go easy on him as an act of forgiveness. His dad is only human, after all. We’re none of us perfect, that’s for sure….but I see nothing wrong with trying a little harder to do what’s right.
August 12, 2008 at 7:40 pm
“When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I survived at all” (11). I believe this is a very interesting way to begin a book because it makes you think about what the rest of the book may hold. It also gets you excited to continue reading the book.
August 12, 2008 at 7:48 pm
“My mom screams again, Dead, Mrs. Leibowitz. Dead.” (37). This is a very sad moment in this book. I can’t even seem to imagine just how this mother and father felt losing their daughter like this. I can already predict that the dad will result back to drinking. He really did seem to love his daughter.
August 20, 2008 at 8:29 pm
“I wonder what child is lost because we’re all here…”(62). I feel sorry for this family. It’s bad enough that they’ve already lost their daughter but they lose this one to. But on the other hand they couldn’t afford to have another child. Times are hard enough for them already. I don’t understand how family could treat each other so horribly. I think they were better of in New York.
August 20, 2008 at 8:35 pm
“They put Oliver in a white box that came with us in the carriage and we took him to the graveyard”(76). Yet another child this must really be putting a strain on his parents. I predict his father is going to continue to drink and more heavily. How is Angela dealing with the lost of all these children. I hope that they won’t lose anymore and I really hope Malachy can keep a steadyjob and stop drinking for the benefit of his kids.
August 20, 2008 at 8:42 pm
“Heaven is a place where Oliver and Eugene and Margaret are happy and warm and we’ll see them there some day”(89). By this point I would go insane. Burying two children within six months time is painful. A family that was once so big is smaller and smaller as the years go by. I can see their father is just becoming worst and worst. Pretty soon he wont be able to function unless he drunk. He has a really painful childhood, and I think it would serve to make him stronger in the future.
August 20, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Prompt 1
McCourt titles his memoir Angela’s Ashes, after his mother. What significance does the phrase “Angela’s Ashes” acquire by the end of the book?
They entire tone of the book represents ash–dark, lifeless, sunless. I believe Angela Ashes symbolizes the dying hopes of Angela. She only wanted to raise her children with a supportive husband and those dreams collapsed. Also Angela was always smoking and staring into the fireplace blankly. When all her dreams had vanished she was left with only cigarettes for comfort and the ashes of a fire for warmth.
August 20, 2008 at 9:00 pm
Prompt 2
McCourt writes: “I think my father is like the Holy Trinity with three people in him, the one in the morning with the paper, the one at night with the stories and prayers, and then the one who does the bad thing and comes home with the smell of whiskey and wants us to die for Ireland.” Was this your impression of Frank McCourt’s father? How can Frank write about his father without bitterness? What part did Malachy play in creating the person that Frank eventually became?
I did have a similar impression of Franks father. He did have many sides to him. I think even though Malachy drank all the time and eventually abandoned his family frank remained very loyal to his dad and treasures the moments they shared. I think Malachy played a big part in burdening Frank with all the guilt he had. But he also helped Frank to find Frank later finds comfort in hearing Shakespeare, P. D. Wodehouse, and songs and poems read aloud by his friends and family.
August 25, 2008 at 9:37 pm
“My father and mother should have stayed in New York where they met and married and where I was born. Instead they return to Ireland when I was four, my brother, Malachy, three, the twins, Oliver and Eugene, barely one, and my sister, Margaret, dead and gone” (11). The first sentence in this book basically summarizes the author’s experiences in New York and Ireland. You can pretty much assume what his views and impressions are of those two places. How he feels about these two places seems to be pretty clear. From this statement, you can tell that he had a positive view of New York and a negative view of Ireland. It can be implied that he had a very enjoying, exciting, life in New York. In contrast, he probably endured a lot of hardships, obstacles, and adversity in Ireland.
August 26, 2008 at 1:25 am
“I don’t know why we can’t keep Eugene. I don’t know why they have to send him away with that man who puts his pint on the white coffin. I don’t know why they had to send Margaret away and Oliver. It is a bad thing to put my sister and my brothers in a box and I wish I could say something to someone” (88). At this point in the story, Eugene has just died, following the deaths of Oliver, and Margaret. Everyone in the family has been grieving in extreme pain. They were all devastated by this. They could no longer bear their family members one by one being taken away from them in such a short amount of time. They were all deflated and hopeless. Their spirits and mental has began to take a great tear. In this statement, Frank is being critical of god. He wants an answer from him as to why his siblings are leaving one by one. He desperately wants them back.
August 26, 2008 at 5:22 am
“When the pubs close he’ll be home singing and offering us a penny to die for Ireland and it will be different now because it’s bad enough to drink the dole or wages but a man that drinks the money for a new baby is gone beyond the beyonds as my mother would say” (186). This is getting really ridiculous. Every night, all he does is spend all his money drinking beer after beer in the pubs. Never did he spend any money to support and raise his family. This just goes to show he doesn’t have much pity and sympathy for his family. As the man of the family, he is a complete disgrace. Anyone counting on him to survive is going to be screw for life.
August 26, 2008 at 7:47 pm
“She tells us take off every scrap of our clothes, get out to the tap in the backyard and scrub every inch of our bodies. We are not to come back into this house till we’re spotless. I want to tell her it’s the middle of February, it’s freezing outside, we could all die, but I know if I open my mouth I might die right here on the kitchen floor” (243). At this point of the story, the kid s’s mother Angela got really sick and had to be sent to the hospital. Now with their mother sick and their father gone to England, the kids had to live with their aunt Aggie. Sadly for them under Aunt Aggie’s control, they were greatly mistreated in many aspects of life. One example of that is clearly depicted in this quote. In this scene, Aunt Aggie forced them outside under extremely cold conditions and made them strip off their clothes and wash themselves. I really pity Frank and his brothers. This just shows how cold hearted Aunt Aggie is to them. She doesn’t seem to treat them as her nephews. From this kind of treatment, if I was the kids, I would’ve run away from her for good.
August 27, 2008 at 4:51 am
“Dad’s here, Dad’s here, Dad’s here, and runs back out and there’s Dad sitting on the hall floor hugging Michael, crying, Your poor mother, and there’s a smell of drink on him. Aunt Aggie is smiling, Oh, you’re here, and she makes tea and eggs and sausages. She sends me out for a bottle of stout for Dad and I wonder why she’s so pleasant and generous all of a sudden. Michael says, Are we going to our own house, Dad? We are son. Alphie is back in the pram with the three old coats and coal and wood for the fire. Aunt Aggie stands at her door and tells us be good boys, come back for tea anytime, and there’s a bad word for her in my head, oul’ bitch” (248). In this scene, the kid s’s dad had just came back from England. He went to Aunt Aggie’s house to pick up his kids and Aunt Aggie acts very gracious towards him and the kids. It seems obvious from here that Aunt Aggie wants Malachy to develop a good reputation of her and deceive him into thinking that she was very kind, caring, and friendly towards his kids when all alone she was very rude, harsh, and cruel to them. I just can’t believe how pathetic this is. This is outrageous. How can she be so immoral? Her integrity and honesty has completely been broken.
August 27, 2008 at 6:32 am
I agree with Ayeshia’s comment on Margaret’s death. Margaret’s death understandably was a devastating blow to the Angela and Malachy. They are having an extremely difficult time grieving this loss. This loss of their only girl had taken a toll on them mentally, especially Malachy. Because of this loss, they both had completely forgotten to run the family. They both felt really hopeless and desperate. At that time, they had no intentions of taking care of the rest of their kids and raising them. As a result, these kids are always hungry and wearing dirty torn outfits. Malachy, who had always been inspired by her daughter at a time even to quite drinking, went back to drinking to help him ease down the pain of grieving. After this loss, his drinking troubles had substantially worsen. It seems like Margaret had really occupy a considerable presence inside his heart. I don’t know how they are going to get over this.
August 28, 2008 at 1:27 am
Pg 81- I know Oliver is dead and Malachy knows Oliver is dead but Eugene is too small to know anything. When he wakes in the morning he says, Ollie, Ollie, and toddles around the room looking under the bed or he climbs up onto the bed by the window and points to the children on the streets…
It is very hard to tell or describe death to a small innocent kid who’s twin just died and probably won’t know he had a brother until something jogs his memory or he would keep questioning his mother until she breaks down and tells him.
August 28, 2008 at 1:34 am
Pg 33- I think ya like bananas eh? Ha, ha. I know ya like bananas. Heah take a bag. Ya gotta nice mother there. Ya father? Well ya know he’s got a problem, the Irish thing.
That sounds kind of stereotypical because Irish people love to drink and Frank’s dad is Irish and he has a drinking problem. Well he doesn’t help out the family as much or he comes home with the money that he gets from his job and drinks it all.
August 28, 2008 at 1:49 am
Pg 328- Ah no thanks. That puny Celtic whine. You people love alcohol. Helps you crawl and whine better.
It sounds confusing at first of whom this is being addressed to but I guess it is Frank because of the Irish stereotype. It just sounds insulting that someone would call a Irish even under a legal age (well I don’t know the drinking age for Ireland) but giving a kid sherry and he looks pasted out and being insulted because he turn down alcohol is just wrong.
August 28, 2008 at 1:54 am
Pg 347- I’m jumping on my bike and Eamon runs down the steps. Hey McCourt, wait. Listen. Don’t give him all page sixteens when you come back. Why? We can sell’em me an’ Peter. Why? ‘Tis all about birth control and that’s banned in Ireland. What’s birth control?
I kind it kind of weird reading this that no one in Ireland, maybe some of the few, know about birth control in Ireland. I wonder why birth control is even banned or not even something the public would like to know? Maybe there is a secret or something else that the government is trying to hide? Who knows.
August 28, 2008 at 2:09 am
Pg 355- I’m sorry I’ll never be able to tell Aunt Aggie I saved her nine pounds. I’m sorry I wrote threatening letters to the poor people in the lanes of Limerick, my own people, but the ledger is gone, no one will ever know what they owe and they won’t have to pay their balances. I wish I could tell them, I am your Robin Hood.
Whatever goes around comes around and in this case the lady that he worked for. The only good thing besides having to save the debts of many people that have owed her money he was able to get enough money to leave for America.
August 28, 2008 at 2:13 am
davielee456
August 25, 2008 at 9:37 pm
I disagree with David because Frank has not lived in NYC when he was a kid so it could have turned out worse then what has happened to him in Ireland. Sure that he has lost a brother and sister, moving place to place, living on welfare and having to deal with strangers sexually touching his mom, but it would have been worse. He still survived and so did Malchy, went to America and wrote a book about his whole experience so in the long run it wouldn’t be that bad.
August 28, 2008 at 2:23 am
Ayeshia
August 20, 2008 at 8:35 pm
Yes it is pretty tragic. I also do wonder how does Angela deal with all the problems within her family. Food and money is decreasing, husband has drinking problems, everyone is getting sick easily and not having enough money means not able to see a doctor. I believe she is mentally strong just like Ruth aka Rachel in The Color of Water. They both have to deal with racial issues. Angela’s family think that her husband is a druken Irish loser and Rachel’s family has already removed her from their family.
August 28, 2008 at 2:28 am
Writing Promt
3. McCourt titles his memoir Angela’s Ashes, after his mother. What significance does the phrase “Angela’s Ashes” acquire by the end of the book?
I guess the title of the book is just about Frank’s experience in his life along with trying to talk about his mother and what she has to go through from day to day. He does talk about the times she has begged for money, looked for handy-downs and food to support her family. Frank tries his best to write his P.O.V with his mother. Since it is a tribute/ named after her I guess Frank has seen that the time that he has with his mother has greatly influenced his childhood and shaped his teen years into what he is now.
August 28, 2008 at 2:51 am
Writing Prompt
4. Despite the McCourts’ horrid poverty, mind-numbing starvation, and devastating losses, Angela’s Ashes is not a tragic memoir. In fact, it is uplifting, triumphant even. How does McCourt accomplish this?
I guess it could diction that he doesn’t make it sound that tragic that all of these horrible. It probably is a uplifting, triumphant event because he has lived through this hardship in life, younger twins died, sister died, having to deal with sickness without the proper medications, dad is a alcoholic and more. He came out of it all and was able to go to America.
August 28, 2008 at 3:21 am
I agree with Ayeshia’s comment regarding Oliver’s death. It’s already sorrow enough to lose one of your love one but to lose another one is too much to bear. Something like this that constantly happens can be really despairing. It really makes everyone question the meaning and purpose of life. Now that the sadness have taken into a another level, Malachy’s will to drink will increase The more sadness he has, the more he will drink to help him reduce the pain and resist the reality. For Angela, her upcoming life will be miserable. Not only does she have to painfully grieve the loss of another child, but yet she have to take on the responsibility of taking care of all the kids on her own. I cannot imagine how she’ll be able to handle all of that. It’s really ashame how Malachy is so selfish drinking all the money there is left. If he could just come to his senses and be devoted to get ing a job and supporting the family, that would be a real boost for the family.
August 28, 2008 at 3:49 pm
davielee456
August 25, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Frank obviously didn’t know the real reason why his mother and father had to move to Ireland. Frank’s mother Angela was already in depression due to the death of Margret. She saw New York as a place with bad luck so she decided to move to a more suitable place for the family to live in. She thought living a nomad life would solve most of their problems. But as a result, the bad luck and conflicts followed the family to Ireland. The kids of the family continued to die one by one and Frank’s father didn’t stop his drinking problem.
August 28, 2008 at 4:00 pm
LampPost
August 28, 2008 at 1:34 am
I would agree with Lamp about stereotype towards how Irish people were considered all drunks. But you can’t really blame the community of they think of a certain group. During that time, the people most likely mislead by their own experiences or rumors. If you were to walk into several bars and all you can see are a bunch of drunk Irish; drinking the will out of themselves then yeah. It’s quite obvious what people would most likely think. There is a connection between this and Frank’s father’s obsession for alcohol.
August 28, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Writing Prompt 3
McCourt titles his memoir Angela’s Ashes, after his mother. What significance does the phrase “Angela’s Ashes” acquire by the end of the book?
Frank’s memoir was titled after his mother due how much the book talks about his mother. At least a fair portion of the book was describing his mother and what she had over the years. It would be best to be titled Angela’s Ashes because of how the book started from the beginning of his mother and father getting married till the end. Throughout the book, constant poverty occurred in Angela’s life. In addition, the death of 3 of her children continued to make her suffer. But despite all this, she continued to care for her children and their welfare. She would come to any cost to teach and give her children a better life. She hopes for a better future for her children. The ashes were most likely taken from the dead ashes of the cigarettes she had smoked in order to keep herself chilled.
August 28, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Writing Prompt 4
Despite the McCourts’ horrid poverty, mind-numbing starvation, and devastating losses, Angela’s Ashes is not a tragic memoir. In fact, it is uplifting, triumphant even. How does McCourt accomplish this?
Angela’s Ashes wasn’t a tragic memoir because of the moral behind it. Despites all of the bad things that he had suffered like social class, hunger and the guilt he had, he had used all of these to strengthen himself. Throughout the book, he had convert all the hardships he had faced into his motivation. For example, his social class: he wasn’t accepted as an altar boy due to his appearance. But he still determined to achieve what other people had. The lack of food and money caused Frank to be the independent individual who would try to provides the family the resources they need. Conflicts may appear harmful to the protagonist but it is actually a lesson for them to become stronger.
August 30, 2008 at 3:04 am
“Tommy said that Malachy from the Northgot money for that baby. Money? says Mrs. Leibowitz. That’s right, says Philomena. Money. They take bodies any age and do experiments on them and there’s not much left to give back nor would you want back bits of baby when they can’t be buried in consecrated ground in that condition.”
I found this passage sick. I can’t possibly believe that anyone would sell their relatives or babies’ bodies away for experiments. They wouldn’t even let a person rest in peace after their death. Thats beyond anything that is honorable. For the people who talk about Malachy going so low for money is also sicken. Malachy would have been extremely guilty to do anything like that to his loved daughter. He even quit drinking for the baby.
August 30, 2008 at 5:21 pm
@The page of the quote above was 44.
“People everywhere brag and whimper about the woes of their early years, but nothing can compare with the Irish verison: the pover ty
August 30, 2008 at 5:34 pm
@The comment above, I accidentally pressed enter.
“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; 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.”(11)
Despite a great start in book with the quote “When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I survived at all”, I would have to disagree with the passage stated above. I don’t see how anything else can’t compare with their Irish childhood. There are version far worse than Frank’s childhood. In China, back in the villages. Some children’ lives were always in danger: the same poverty, kidnappers who sell children away as slaves, bandit raiders, poor education, diseases, lack of knowledge of English and much more. Although most men of the family are hardworking, it was still not enough to make a living or bring food to the table. That’s why I believe the author is being too selfish to his own experiences and never thought of the others.
August 30, 2008 at 5:45 pm
“On Friday night we wait for him and Mam gives us bread and tea. The darkness comes down and light come on along Classon Avenue. Other men with jobs are home already and having eggs for dinner because you can’t have meat on a Friday. You can hear the families talking upstairs and downstairs and down the hall and Bing Crosby is singing on the radio, Brother, can you spare a dime?”(25)
This scene pretty shows us how everyday was like for Frank and his family. While the other families are enjoying their food at their home, Frank and his family were still waiting for their Father to bring back food. But in the end, he just came back drunk and singing a song. He even tried to wake them up, while the kids already fell asleep due to hunger. It’s amazing how a man of the house can act like that. He also putting shame on the family.
August 30, 2008 at 5:57 pm
“I look out at Mam at the kitchen table, smoking a cigarette, drinking tea, and crying. I want to get up and tell her I’ll be a man soon and I’ll get a job in the place with the big gate and I’ll come home every Friday night with money for eggs and toast and jam and she can sing again Anyone can see why I want your kiss.”(28)
Events like this slowly pushes Frank to be an independent person. It gives him the determination and motivation to take the responsibly as the man of the house. He soon reaches beyond the obligations forced upon him by poverty he had to face. He hated to see his mother being such suffering and pain. But all he can do was to wait until he was old enough to get a job.
August 30, 2008 at 6:21 pm
@To be further in depth to LampPost’s quote.
“I’m jumping on my bike and Eamon runs down the steps. Hey McCourt, wait. Listen. Don’t give him all page sixteens when you come back. Why? We can sell’em me an’ Peter. Why? ‘Tis all about birth control and that’s banned in Ireland. What’s birth control?”(347)
Birth control was first introduced around the early 1900’s. There is a possible reason why there were very little people who knew about birth control. This also explains why Frank’s family had so many children compared to the family nowadays. The more kids you had, the more food and resources needed. That was one of the reason why they experienced such poverty. It wasn’t entirely Malachy’s fault, he had to support so many children at once.
September 1, 2008 at 6:03 am
Writing Prompt 3
McCourt titles his memoir Angela’s Ashes, after his mother. What significance does the phrase “Angela’s Ashes” acquire by the end of the book?
- I think it is obvious to say that the reason for the title of the book, is becuase throughout the entire book, Angela, Franks mother, is talked largely about. I Think the “ashes” in “angela’s ashes” represent the Cigarettes she turned to for comfort. Angela had dreams of having a perfect family, and her dreams turned to dust, turned to ash, which i think was a message throughout the book.
September 1, 2008 at 1:39 pm
“I look out at Mam at the kitchen table, smoking a cigarette, drinking tea, and crying. I want to get up and tell her I’ll be a man soon and I’ll get a job in the place with the big gate and I’ll come home every Friday night with money for eggs and toast and jam” Page 28
-This is a turning point for frank, becuase this really makes him determined to get a job.and it shows that he really wants to take responsibility and take care of his mother. I truely did feel sorry for frank, you can tell he feels terribly for his mother, but he couldnt do anything about it at the time becuase he wasn’t old enough for a job.
September 1, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Writing prompt 4
Despite the McCourts’ horrid poverty, mind-numbing starvation, and devastating losses, Angela’s Ashes is not a tragic memoir. In fact, it is uplifting, triumphant even. How does McCourt accomplish this?
-Through all the harships and downfalls of franks life, he still did what he wanted to do so badly, and go to America. Though he had a terribly hard time doing it, he still managed to fufill his dream in the end, Which is why i think the book, though very tragic, is also very uplifting and triumphant.
September 1, 2008 at 1:48 pm
“Eugene is too small to know anything. When he wakes in the morning he says, Ollie, Ollie, and toddles around the room looking under the bed ”
page 81
To me this was such a sad part of the book.i felt so bad, becuase i think that eugene knew. It was his tiwn, and he passed away, they were closer then just regular brothers, becuase they were twins. Sure he was young, but i think that he must have known.
September 1, 2008 at 7:08 pm
i agree with kwalther24 when he said that frakie wants to take on a job to have more resopsitbillity. i think frankie feels bad for his mom and sees how his father isn’t helping so he wants to help and be more of a man. he is the oldest and wants to help in any way he can.
September 1, 2008 at 7:08 pm
“even if dad came he wouldn’t be much use because he never carries anything,parcels,bags,packages. If you carry those things you lose your dignity. that’s what he says.” (98)
This quote shows how one of the characteristics of the father is pride. From this you can see that the dad is very prideful and doesn’t do certain things due to the fact that it isn’t good for his reputation. Also it shows that he cares what others might think of him. He should only worry about his family and not about their people. I don’t like this about the father because he should do anything for his family and they really need him so he shouldn’t not be acting prideful.
September 1, 2008 at 7:09 pm
“He walks around the kitchen with her and talks to her. He tells her how lovely she is with her curly black hair and her blue eyes of her mother. He tells her he’ll take her to Ireland and they’ll walk the Glens of Antrim and swim in Lough Neagh. Hell get a job soon, so he will, and she’ll have dresses of silk and shoes with silver buckles.”(30)
I like this quote because you can see how close he is to his daughter. He adores her and want to do better because of her. He even talks about getting a job, in which we know is hard for him. He want to give her all the nice things in life. When reading this you can tell the love between him n his daughter is different then him n his two sons. I could connect a little because I know when I was a baby my father worked hard to make sure I got everything I needed.
September 1, 2008 at 7:09 pm
.“The darkness is in the lane and we have to light a candle. She has to give us our tea and bread and cheese because we’re so hungry we can’t wait another minute.”
Its sad to hear about them staving for the fact that their father is an alcoholic and cant help but spend all his pay check at the pub. I feel bad for them and the mother, because all she wants is for her husband to go to work and come home so she has money to feed her kids. The father cant seam to stop drinking no matter what. To think this still exist today. Kids going hungry, parents having no money for them to at least eat, let alone get cloths and shoes that fit. Yet the mother continues to stay strong for her and her kids.
September 1, 2008 at 7:13 pm
#1:
I do feel as if there are many different sides to frank’s father, in some case you see a side of him as a drunk and all he wants is to drink. Then there are parts where he cares for his children and pays attention to them. I think its hard to write about his father with out having bitterness because the things his father did had an effect on him and stays with him even as an adult. Although he could of written about the good things his father did for him and his family. Write about the good and not the bad time with his father.
September 1, 2008 at 7:13 pm
#5. The music written though out this book is very unique, because you will not find an other book doing the same thing. The songs help identify each character. The mother has a song for when she’s happy and cleaning. The father has a song for when he’s drunk. The songs help you to relate to the character. For example, frank would know that his father was drunk because of the song he sang. Every experience he has relates to a song which helps him recall that moment.
September 2, 2008 at 12:41 am
” I try to find the music in my own head but all I hear is my mother moaning for lemonade.”(235)
The narrator explains how he tried to comfort his self and block out the thought of stealing, by using music. The quote emphasizes his mothers pain and how hes connected to it. he felt her pain even though she wasnt near him. Her need for the lemonade drove him to extreme showing that he would do what ever it takes to comfort her.
September 2, 2008 at 3:22 am
Jazmine, i agree with you.
“even if dad came he wouldn’t be much use because he never carries anything,parcels,bags,packages. If you carry those things you lose your dignity. that’s what he says.” (98)
He obviously cares alot about what everybody else thinks about it. And he is willing to act a certain way just to keep his pride.
September 2, 2008 at 3:38 am
Pg 33- I think ya like bananas eh? Ha, ha. I know ya like bananas. Heah take a bag. Ya gotta nice mother there. Ya father? Well ya know he’s got a problem, the Irish thing.
I agree with LampPost. It is very stereotypical to say “the irish thing” , though he does actually have a drinking problem, it shouldnt be categorized as the irish thing.
September 2, 2008 at 3:49 am
“I know when Dad does the bad thing. I know when he drinks the dole money and Mam is desperate and has to beg . . . but I don’t want to back away from him and run to Mam”
- I feel bad for frank here, becuase he’s faced with such a hard dicision. He doesnt want to abandon his father, becuase he does have alot of love for him, but then again he doesnt want his mother to get upset about how much he cherishes his father.
September 2, 2008 at 3:52 am
“I’m on deck the dawn we sail into New York. I’m sure I’m in a film, that it will end and lights will come up in the Lyric Cinema. . . . Rich Americans in top hats white ties and tails must be going home to bed with the gorgeous women with white teeth.”
This really just goes to show, that even back then, movies put ideas into childrens minds, and everybody for that matter. Movies and e.t.c, paint such a perfect picture for alot of people, and they put into peoples minds, that this is the way things really are.
September 2, 2008 at 3:56 am
“They take bodies any age and do experiments on them and there’s not much left to give back nor would you want back bits of baby when they can’t be buried in consecrated ground in that condition.”
I was disgusted a little bit by this quote. I dont understand how somebody, can sell their loved ones bodys, for money! In my eyes its ridiculous. No matter how desperate you are for money, its not right to sell a dead body for testing purposes!
September 2, 2008 at 4:04 am
prompt 4
Despite the McCourts’ horrid poverty, mind-numbing starvation, and devastating losses, Angela’s Ashes is not a tragic memoir. In fact, it is uplifting, triumphant even. How does McCourt accomplish this?
McCourt was able to accomplish this because he overcame all the countless hardships, struggles, and obstacles presented and eventually succeed. He was very strong mentally and physically. He was able to fight and persist through all the extreme poverty, starvation, devastating losses. He didn’t collapse through all these miserable time periods. He still continued to do whatever he can to succeed. As a result his long desire of going to America came true. When his father was constantly drinking his wages, going to England and not bringing back a penny, he took on the role as the man of the family and did whatever he can to earn money to support the family. Eventually he decided to save money so that he can to go to America and ultimately he was able to achieve that feat. Now going to America, he will have a much better life than he’s ever have.
September 2, 2008 at 4:51 am
Prompt 1
McCourt writes: “I think my father is like the Holy Trinity with three people in him, the one in the morning with the paper, the one at night with the stories and prayers, and then the one who does the bad thing and comes home with the smell of whiskey and wants us to die for Ireland.” Was this your impression of Frank McCourt’s father? How can Frank write about his father without bitterness? What part did Malachy play in creating the person that Frank eventually became?
Yes I had this impression of Malachy as well. Like Frank said, his father seemed like three complete different people. The way he acts one part of the day seem to be a really different from how he acts in other times. In the morning, he reads the newspaper by the fire and talks with his sons. At night he could be the really caring, loving father who reads stories and perform his religious rituals. Though all the caring he has for his kids, ironically, he can still be the really bad person who constantly drinks all his wages for the family. For Frank to write about his father without bitterness, he has to remember not only the harm his father did to the family, but also the good times he had with his father. Through all the good and bad he does, Malachy play a role in the person Frank eventually became. From the bad side of his father, Frank learned to become tougher both mentally and physically, believing in hard work for success and persistence through difficult times. Through the prayers, Frank start to have strong religious beliefs. Lastly, from the stories his father often read to him, Frank later had a great love for literature.
September 3, 2008 at 1:15 am
” when dad brings home the first week’s wages Mam is delighted she can pay the lovely man in the grocery shop and she can hold her head up again because there’s nothing worse in the world than to owe and be beholden to anyone” (pg.23)
This quote is about paying what you owe or being ashamed. Mam felt as if she did something wrong because she had money. She knew as long as you owe anyone anything you’d always be in debt and its possible that your rep can be tarnished, meaning your not good for paying people back. This was also one of the few parts where the father did his job as a “Man Figure”.
September 3, 2008 at 1:23 am
I Agree with “Kwalters” when they mentioned images bei ng portrayed by movies. Up until this day media and clebrities effect its viewers and fans in so many ways. Rather its positive or negative is the viewers choice.
September 3, 2008 at 1:31 am
” if my pals see my mother dragging me through the streets to an Irish dancing class i’ll be disgraced entirely.” (pg. 141)
Im not sure how significant this quote is. I just feel as if the narrator let other people control his image. He judged something before trying it. Instead of breaking the barriers of difference he rather remain the same. You only go unoticed that way.
September 3, 2008 at 1:35 am
Prompt 1.
I feel Franks father made him who he is. ALthough he wasnt exactly the model parent he showed his child wrong. Frank was able to sit back and watch him do his mther wrong and neglect her. That had to show him wha not to be as a man and how he need to be with his family.
September 3, 2008 at 1:42 am
Prompt 3.
The tittle corralates with ciggarettes or “fags”. Angela used cigarettes as a stress reliever. I feel that the ciggerette and its ashes symbolized the family and how drop by drop things were going wrong until the pack was gone. Each ashed that dropped would represent problems liek the father being a deadbeat or Frank needing guidance.
September 3, 2008 at 3:07 am
In response to Ayeshias comment on August 20, 2008 at 8:29 pm :
I agree with Ayeshia because they already lost one child and now that they’ve lost another one doesn’t make things any better between the family. Maybe they thought that things would change once they move out of New York but in my opinion it seems like things are only getting more difficult for them
September 3, 2008 at 3:11 am
“Grandma says the Sacred Heart is everywhere and there’s no excuse for that kind of ingnorance” (pg. 57)
This quote shows us how the Grandmother is religious and does care about her grandchildren and how they act.
September 3, 2008 at 3:17 am
“I dont want to go to school next day and I pretend to be sick but Dad gets up and gives us our fried bread and tea and tells us we should be grateful we have any shoes at all…” (pg. 105)
This quote is important to me because it just shows us how a family is going through many hardships and struggles to get by in life but yet the Father teaches them how to be grateful for what they have. I think it will only make the children stronger .
September 3, 2008 at 3:23 am
“Mam says there’s nothing left but the dipenary and the public assistance, the relief, and she’s ashamed of her life to go and ask for it” (231)
I could understand why the mother is afraid to go and ask for public assistance. She feels ashamed but then again she needs the help. She has a family to take care of as well as herself.
September 3, 2008 at 3:29 am
In response to kwalther24 comment on September 2, 2008 at 3:52 am :
I agree with this persons comment because it’s so true movies do paint a perfect picture for people and have such a big influence on there lives. I also believe a lot of people try to live there lives from what they see and hear on tv because they admire it so much.
January 9, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Great book!