Sunday, May 9, 2010

Angela's Ashes

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?

2. 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?

4 comments:

  1. In the book there are two sources of fire. First is the fire in the household of the McCourt family. Due to the fact that they live in poverty the fire is rarely more than a small flame or embers. The ashes floating up from the fire could represent the withering away of any dreams she had at living a happy life. Anything the family is able to buy when Malachy is working, and anything they receive from charity always seems to go away too fast, which can be symbolized in the burning of the ashes. The other ashes in the book are the ashes from Angela’s woodbine cigarettes. All she really has to enjoy are her woodbines, which burn away to nothing. Frank McCourt repeatedly mentions Angela and how she would sit alone or with another female, burning away at them.

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  2. (This is for question #2)
    I think Frank McCourt is able to accomplish an uplifting memoir despite his horrible childhood because he does not take pity himself throughout the book. He states the problems faced as a child, but he almost has a matter-of-fact tone, and never dwells on a problem for too long. When he speaks of treacherous times he is telling it from a confused or naïve child’s view. When he starts understanding more as he is growing up, he starts being more concerned with the severity of different issues in his life. However, he still manages to stay upbeat because by that time he has decided that he wants to return to America. He has a motivation and a drive to keep going with his life, trying to succeed. He proves everyone wrong who said he was just like his father. While Malachy McCourt became a slave to the pint, Frank kept holding onto the reigns of his life and future, and ultimately succeeded in returning to the U.S.

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  3. 1. I think that the phrase Angela's Ashes represents her family. Her whole family is destroyed, there is no home, and her sons and husband are gone. The term may also represent all of her hopes that have been destroyed throughout the novel. She wanted a family, a home and a husband, but all of that has been lost. Everything in her life was ruined and all that was left was ashes.

    2. Frank McCourt was able to make it uplifting because he never gave up and quit through his harsh childhood, before he came to the US. He never expected people to feel bad for him, and he never sat around feeling bad for himself. His friends and family were part of his motivation to eventually get a better life, and eventually he does suceed.

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  4. I like Zach's ideas on the significance of the title. I think the ashes, however, would be more related to her reality after she her family falls apart, due to Malachy's alcoholism and the deaths of numerous children in the family. I think the family and the happy moments they shared were the flame. Then, as a result, her memories of her family and the sadness of her situation as the book proceeds are the ashes.

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