For the digital extension project, I chose to do Glogster for the final quarter. For the background photo, I chose a picture of the Ireland country side with stone walls and a few country houses to show where the majority of the story takes place. The other pictures I added on the poster was the book cover itself so that people would know what to look for in a library if they ever decided to read it. On the left side of the book cover, I added an image of a cloud and rain, since in the story, McCourt said that it was always wet in Ireland. On the right side of the book cover, there is a picture of a stone angel crying and ashes shaped like a cross above. The crying angel is a play on McCourt's mother whose name is Angela and she tended to cry often throughout the story. The crying angel also symbolizes the mother's suffering of trying to raise a family when her husband will provide little for them. There are two reasons why I chose the second picture. One reason is that religion is one of the factors of McCourt's childhood. McCourt was raised in a strict Irish Catholic environment where they took religion very seriously. The second reason is that ashes is connected to the title and the ashes that Angela stares into often in the book. Lastly, I added a four leaf clover on the left side of the character list as another symbol for Ireland, the setting of the book.
As for the text, I added the name and author at the top center of the poster. In addition, I added a quote to the side saying, "When I look back on my childhood, I wonder how I survived at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood[...]the miserable Irish Catholic childhood" - Frankie McCourt. Even though it was a short quote, I thought it was a good insight of what the readers should expect when reading this book. Lastly, at the bottom of the book cover I wrote, "It is not a happy story. It is a tale of poverty, alcoholism, death, and sorrows. But in the amidst of all this, there is one determined little boy." This sums up what the book is basically about in a few words.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Most Symbolic Content
What is the connection, the relevance of the title Angela's Ashes to the overall plot? Frank McCourt's mother is named Angela but what does the word "ashes" have to do with anything? This quote provides an insight to the connection of the title and the story:
"... he asked Mrs. O'Connell at the post office if they had anything for McCourt all day and they didn't. Mam turns toward the dead ashes in the fire and sucks at the last bit of goodness in the Woodbine butt caught between the brown thumb and the burnt middle finger." (224)
Throughout all of McCourt's childhood, he and his family grew up in poverty. His father Malachy Sr. always "drinks the dole money" (208) and comes home "with the smell of whiskey on him" (27) every night. Because of his impulsive behavior to drink practically all the time, it has caused the rest of his family a lot of grief and suffering. There is barely any money left to go buy food and clothes, so McCourt and his siblings are starving and are dressed in rags. Malachy Sr.'s actions have left Angela in a lot of emotional stress and she is constantly upset with her husband, asking in frustration, "The children are hungry. You mad oul' bastard, did you drink all the money again? Just what you did in Brooklyn" (77). Angela has cried numerous of times and always seems to be staring "into the dead ashes in the fireplace" (285). The "dead ashes in the fireplace" and from her burnt cigarettes symbolizes Angela's dreams and hopes of ever getting out of their poverty situation. She always hopes that whenever her husband gets a job or the dole money that the income will go to them so they can buy food. But then her hopes crumble and turn to ash so to speak and the miserable cycle continues. Malachy Sr. got a job in a factory in Europe and everyday, Angela waited for a telegram with money; however, he did not send money regularly and they sank deeper into poverty. Even though Angela tries to be the best mother that she can be for her remaining children, it is clear that her demeanor is often sad and melancholy. It does seem like all Angela has left to cope with is staring forlornly at her crushed hopes and dreams of a little prosperity in the fireplace filled with "dead ashes".
"... he asked Mrs. O'Connell at the post office if they had anything for McCourt all day and they didn't. Mam turns toward the dead ashes in the fire and sucks at the last bit of goodness in the Woodbine butt caught between the brown thumb and the burnt middle finger." (224)
Throughout all of McCourt's childhood, he and his family grew up in poverty. His father Malachy Sr. always "drinks the dole money" (208) and comes home "with the smell of whiskey on him" (27) every night. Because of his impulsive behavior to drink practically all the time, it has caused the rest of his family a lot of grief and suffering. There is barely any money left to go buy food and clothes, so McCourt and his siblings are starving and are dressed in rags. Malachy Sr.'s actions have left Angela in a lot of emotional stress and she is constantly upset with her husband, asking in frustration, "The children are hungry. You mad oul' bastard, did you drink all the money again? Just what you did in Brooklyn" (77). Angela has cried numerous of times and always seems to be staring "into the dead ashes in the fireplace" (285). The "dead ashes in the fireplace" and from her burnt cigarettes symbolizes Angela's dreams and hopes of ever getting out of their poverty situation. She always hopes that whenever her husband gets a job or the dole money that the income will go to them so they can buy food. But then her hopes crumble and turn to ash so to speak and the miserable cycle continues. Malachy Sr. got a job in a factory in Europe and everyday, Angela waited for a telegram with money; however, he did not send money regularly and they sank deeper into poverty. Even though Angela tries to be the best mother that she can be for her remaining children, it is clear that her demeanor is often sad and melancholy. It does seem like all Angela has left to cope with is staring forlornly at her crushed hopes and dreams of a little prosperity in the fireplace filled with "dead ashes".
Author's Style Analysis
"Dad says I'll understand when I grow up. He tells me that all the time now and I want to be big like him so that I can understand everything. It must be lovely to wake up in the morning and understand everything. I wish I could be like all the big people in the church, standing and kneeling and praying and understanding everything.
At the Mass people go up to the altar and the priest and the priest puts something into their mouths. They come back to their seats with their heads down, their mouths moving. Malachy says he's hungry and he wants some, too. Dad says, Shush, that's Holy Communion, the body and blood of Our Lord.
[...]
There's no use in asking more questions. If you ask a question they tell you it's a mystery, you'll understand when you grow up, be a good boy, ask your mother, ask your father, for the love o' Jesus leave me alone, go out and play." (Chapter 3, page 108)
It is very apparent that McCourt did not use quotation marks in his writing whenever someone speaks: "Malachy says he's hungry and he wants some, too" (108). It is usually someone's name and the word "says" and a sentence following it. However, despite that it did not have quotation marks, it did not deter my attention from what was happening. I have read so many books that had quotation marks and only a few have I read had no quotation marks (like this one and The Color Purple). It is impressive that even though the author did not use quotation marks, he still made the story flow and gave depth to the characters and himself. The story itself seemed more important than the subtraction of quotation marks for the characters' speech.
Another stylistic trait of the author that can be gathered from the selected passage above is how he delivered the story. He wrote his childhood life story in the present tense. Even though this story already happened in the past by the time he wrote it, he written it as if it was happening right now. For instance, above McCourt says, "They come back to their seats with their heads down, their mouths moving" (108). If it was past tense, it would have been "They came back to their seats with their heads down, their mouths were moving." Maybe McCourt wrote in present tense instead of past tense to make the story more surreal and to make readers believe that they are looking into the mind of a little boy, instead of an old adult.
At the Mass people go up to the altar and the priest and the priest puts something into their mouths. They come back to their seats with their heads down, their mouths moving. Malachy says he's hungry and he wants some, too. Dad says, Shush, that's Holy Communion, the body and blood of Our Lord.
[...]
There's no use in asking more questions. If you ask a question they tell you it's a mystery, you'll understand when you grow up, be a good boy, ask your mother, ask your father, for the love o' Jesus leave me alone, go out and play." (Chapter 3, page 108)
It is very apparent that McCourt did not use quotation marks in his writing whenever someone speaks: "Malachy says he's hungry and he wants some, too" (108). It is usually someone's name and the word "says" and a sentence following it. However, despite that it did not have quotation marks, it did not deter my attention from what was happening. I have read so many books that had quotation marks and only a few have I read had no quotation marks (like this one and The Color Purple). It is impressive that even though the author did not use quotation marks, he still made the story flow and gave depth to the characters and himself. The story itself seemed more important than the subtraction of quotation marks for the characters' speech.
Another stylistic trait of the author that can be gathered from the selected passage above is how he delivered the story. He wrote his childhood life story in the present tense. Even though this story already happened in the past by the time he wrote it, he written it as if it was happening right now. For instance, above McCourt says, "They come back to their seats with their heads down, their mouths moving" (108). If it was past tense, it would have been "They came back to their seats with their heads down, their mouths were moving." Maybe McCourt wrote in present tense instead of past tense to make the story more surreal and to make readers believe that they are looking into the mind of a little boy, instead of an old adult.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Personal Response 3
Abusive Schoolmasters:
Even though this book was very interesting and it held my interest throughout the entire story, there is one particular part that I did not like and it makes me shake my head with disgust. It is the part where Frank McCourt described what being in school was like back in his time. McCourt described that all the school masters had "leather straps, canes, [and] blackthorn sticks" (80) that they used to hit boys that disobeyed rules, asked annoying questions, or did not know something. For instance: "They hit you if you don't know why God made the world, if you don't know the patron saint of Limerick, if you can't recite the Apostles' Creed, if you can't add[...][or] subtract" (80). Now I thought this was too extreme. I know that back in those days corporal punishment was common and people never questioned if it damaged kids psychologically. However, it sounds like to me that McCourt's schoolmasters will hit their students just for the sake of it. Perhaps they hit their students as a way to enforce discipline and structure in the only way they knew how, but I still find it very wrong. I would imagine that the boys would feel a lot of fear, dread, and anxiety of going to school when they receive that kind of treatment from their schoolmasters. And then the boys have to worry about not showing their tears when they are slapped or they would be called "a sissy" and be "mock[ed][...] on the street" (81). Also there was one school master that was so cruel that he could "always bring the tears and shame" (81) to any boy he punishes. No wonder McCourt could not wait until he was thirteen, so he could stop going to school and get a job instead.
A school is a place where you can learn to your full potential and be successful in life. A school is a place where you feel safe and that there are teachers who want to teach you and help you. It should not be a place where you are so scared that if you do the littlest thing wrong, you'll get hit or slapped "on the shoulders, the back, the legs, and, especially, the hands" (80). It is suppose to be a school, not a torture prison camp.
Even though this book was very interesting and it held my interest throughout the entire story, there is one particular part that I did not like and it makes me shake my head with disgust. It is the part where Frank McCourt described what being in school was like back in his time. McCourt described that all the school masters had "leather straps, canes, [and] blackthorn sticks" (80) that they used to hit boys that disobeyed rules, asked annoying questions, or did not know something. For instance: "They hit you if you don't know why God made the world, if you don't know the patron saint of Limerick, if you can't recite the Apostles' Creed, if you can't add[...][or] subtract" (80). Now I thought this was too extreme. I know that back in those days corporal punishment was common and people never questioned if it damaged kids psychologically. However, it sounds like to me that McCourt's schoolmasters will hit their students just for the sake of it. Perhaps they hit their students as a way to enforce discipline and structure in the only way they knew how, but I still find it very wrong. I would imagine that the boys would feel a lot of fear, dread, and anxiety of going to school when they receive that kind of treatment from their schoolmasters. And then the boys have to worry about not showing their tears when they are slapped or they would be called "a sissy" and be "mock[ed][...] on the street" (81). Also there was one school master that was so cruel that he could "always bring the tears and shame" (81) to any boy he punishes. No wonder McCourt could not wait until he was thirteen, so he could stop going to school and get a job instead.
A school is a place where you can learn to your full potential and be successful in life. A school is a place where you feel safe and that there are teachers who want to teach you and help you. It should not be a place where you are so scared that if you do the littlest thing wrong, you'll get hit or slapped "on the shoulders, the back, the legs, and, especially, the hands" (80). It is suppose to be a school, not a torture prison camp.
Personal Response 2
A Miracle of a Baby Girl:
I do tend to be an optimistic and believe that miracles can happen. Whenever I read a book and something miraculous happens, it never fails to make me smile and think more deeply about the subject further. In the novel, Frank McCourt's father, Malachy Sr. is a heavy drinker. The fact that he has a wife and young boys to take care of does not deter from his drinking habits. It wasn't until the birth of a little girl named Margaret put a temporary stop to his drinking habits. Everyone adored Margaret, especially her father, who would hold her dearly and "walk around the kitchen with her and [talk] with her", saying how beautiful she is and that when he gets a job he will have plenty of money to buy her "dresses of silk and shoes with silver buckles" (30). Whenever Margaret cried he would sing to her and make "sounds like a mother"(30). Even Angela said that Malachy Sr. is "in heaven over that child" and "hasn't touched a drop [of alcohol] since she was born" (30). Her friend Minnie remarked that "it's lovely [...] to see a man so charmed with his little girl [...]" (31). I agree with Minnie, it is quite lovely to see a sight like that. It seems like little Margaret was a little angel that brought a moment of peace in the family. They were still poor, but at least the father was not drinking anymore and the devotion and love he showed to his daughter made the rest of his family smile and laugh. In the condition that the McCourts were always in there was not a lot of smiles and laughter to go around, so it was nice to see a small positive change in Malachy Sr; which in turn, affected the rest of his family. "We all laugh[ed]", McCourt recalled as his father danced with Margaret in his arms and Angela joked that he danced with "two left feet" (30). Alas, the bundle of joy that brought happiness to her mother, her father, and her brothers was short lived. Margaret, who was only a few months old, died suddenly in her sleep. Of course the whole family was devastated, especially Angela and Malachy Sr. Angela went mad with mourning and Malachy Sr. went back to his old habits and he "went mad all over Flatbush Avenue and Atlantic Avenue [...] and [was] thrown out of all the bars"(39). Even though he has the rest of his children to take care of, having only little boys brings "no comfort to him", said Minnie, "That little girl brought out something in him. [...]he didn't even drink after she was born and that was a miracle"(39).
I guess most people would think that to quit something like drugs or drinking, it would take something big, like extensive medical therapy, but in cases like Malachy Sr. all it takes is the birth of a little girl to touch his heart and he is a temporary reformed man. It sort of reminds me of my Grandad. He use to be a heavy drinker and it wasn't until the death of my Grandma that he stopped drinking turned more to religion. His wife's death got to his heart and had a huge impact on him and he is more of a mellow guy. Based on observations and readings, drinking excessively and then trying to be sober for a long time must be extremely hard. I never really liked McCourt's father very much. I disproved of how irresponsible he was and that there was not one mature bone in his body. From the beginning of the book, it seemed like the chances of him stepping up and taking responsibility for his family was slim. When I read that the birth of his daughter put a stop to his alcoholism, I was like "Wow! So it is possible."It just comes to show that people who have hard habits to break, all they need is for someone to touch their heart in a special way to completely change them. It is a wonderful miracle and miracles don't happen that often, and that's what makes them special. It worked for my Grandad and it worked for Margaret's father too.
I do tend to be an optimistic and believe that miracles can happen. Whenever I read a book and something miraculous happens, it never fails to make me smile and think more deeply about the subject further. In the novel, Frank McCourt's father, Malachy Sr. is a heavy drinker. The fact that he has a wife and young boys to take care of does not deter from his drinking habits. It wasn't until the birth of a little girl named Margaret put a temporary stop to his drinking habits. Everyone adored Margaret, especially her father, who would hold her dearly and "walk around the kitchen with her and [talk] with her", saying how beautiful she is and that when he gets a job he will have plenty of money to buy her "dresses of silk and shoes with silver buckles" (30). Whenever Margaret cried he would sing to her and make "sounds like a mother"(30). Even Angela said that Malachy Sr. is "in heaven over that child" and "hasn't touched a drop [of alcohol] since she was born" (30). Her friend Minnie remarked that "it's lovely [...] to see a man so charmed with his little girl [...]" (31). I agree with Minnie, it is quite lovely to see a sight like that. It seems like little Margaret was a little angel that brought a moment of peace in the family. They were still poor, but at least the father was not drinking anymore and the devotion and love he showed to his daughter made the rest of his family smile and laugh. In the condition that the McCourts were always in there was not a lot of smiles and laughter to go around, so it was nice to see a small positive change in Malachy Sr; which in turn, affected the rest of his family. "We all laugh[ed]", McCourt recalled as his father danced with Margaret in his arms and Angela joked that he danced with "two left feet" (30). Alas, the bundle of joy that brought happiness to her mother, her father, and her brothers was short lived. Margaret, who was only a few months old, died suddenly in her sleep. Of course the whole family was devastated, especially Angela and Malachy Sr. Angela went mad with mourning and Malachy Sr. went back to his old habits and he "went mad all over Flatbush Avenue and Atlantic Avenue [...] and [was] thrown out of all the bars"(39). Even though he has the rest of his children to take care of, having only little boys brings "no comfort to him", said Minnie, "That little girl brought out something in him. [...]he didn't even drink after she was born and that was a miracle"(39).
I guess most people would think that to quit something like drugs or drinking, it would take something big, like extensive medical therapy, but in cases like Malachy Sr. all it takes is the birth of a little girl to touch his heart and he is a temporary reformed man. It sort of reminds me of my Grandad. He use to be a heavy drinker and it wasn't until the death of my Grandma that he stopped drinking turned more to religion. His wife's death got to his heart and had a huge impact on him and he is more of a mellow guy. Based on observations and readings, drinking excessively and then trying to be sober for a long time must be extremely hard. I never really liked McCourt's father very much. I disproved of how irresponsible he was and that there was not one mature bone in his body. From the beginning of the book, it seemed like the chances of him stepping up and taking responsibility for his family was slim. When I read that the birth of his daughter put a stop to his alcoholism, I was like "Wow! So it is possible."It just comes to show that people who have hard habits to break, all they need is for someone to touch their heart in a special way to completely change them. It is a wonderful miracle and miracles don't happen that often, and that's what makes them special. It worked for my Grandad and it worked for Margaret's father too.
Personal Response 1
Why do I like the book so much?
I am a very diverse reader and I will read just about anything that will pertain to my interest. However, I ususally tend to go for the kind of books that have emotion, a story that touches the heart, a story that is full of sorrows, but has a glimmer of hope for the suffering protagonist. Fortunately, I came across Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt. As far as I can remember, I have never read a memoir before and I thought this would be a nice change for me.
I was pulled into the story from the very first page. I know that probably most readers would say that about any wonderful book they have read, but it is true. It was mostly the second and third paragraph that got to me from the beginning:
"When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I survived at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while. Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood.
"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." (11)
After reading the passage above, I tried to imagine what a young child would think, say or feel in that kind of state of living. I have always believed that childhood should always be a wonderful happy time in a person's life. A time where he or she can look back fondly on and think that the only thing they had to worry about back in their youth was having fun. To have Frank McCourt's kind of childhood were there was constant hunger, little money to take care of themselves, and deal with being treated harshly just because they were poor, must be absolutely horrible. So I read on, wondering to see where this story would go. It is so easy to get caught up in this kind of story of poverty and hardships through the eyes of a little boy. The details were very vivid and I was able to imagine clearly in my mind of what was happening, such as the details of where they would live and how it was always wet and buggy and his father coming home drunk and singing Ireland songs.
This truly was a fantastic book to read. Yes, it is a sad book and people are suffering in it, but that is what makes it a good book to read; because there is depth and meaning to it. I'm definitely glad that I chose this book and it is now on my long list of favorite books.
I am a very diverse reader and I will read just about anything that will pertain to my interest. However, I ususally tend to go for the kind of books that have emotion, a story that touches the heart, a story that is full of sorrows, but has a glimmer of hope for the suffering protagonist. Fortunately, I came across Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt. As far as I can remember, I have never read a memoir before and I thought this would be a nice change for me.
I was pulled into the story from the very first page. I know that probably most readers would say that about any wonderful book they have read, but it is true. It was mostly the second and third paragraph that got to me from the beginning:
"When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I survived at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while. Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood.
"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." (11)
After reading the passage above, I tried to imagine what a young child would think, say or feel in that kind of state of living. I have always believed that childhood should always be a wonderful happy time in a person's life. A time where he or she can look back fondly on and think that the only thing they had to worry about back in their youth was having fun. To have Frank McCourt's kind of childhood were there was constant hunger, little money to take care of themselves, and deal with being treated harshly just because they were poor, must be absolutely horrible. So I read on, wondering to see where this story would go. It is so easy to get caught up in this kind of story of poverty and hardships through the eyes of a little boy. The details were very vivid and I was able to imagine clearly in my mind of what was happening, such as the details of where they would live and how it was always wet and buggy and his father coming home drunk and singing Ireland songs.
This truly was a fantastic book to read. Yes, it is a sad book and people are suffering in it, but that is what makes it a good book to read; because there is depth and meaning to it. I'm definitely glad that I chose this book and it is now on my long list of favorite books.
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