A Critique of Angela's Ashes
Uploaded by slimshady on Jul 24, 2002
Mrs. Singletary
It is a frequent view that times for the Irish majority in the 1930’s and 40’s were very hard. Especially for the Irish Catholic families with the stereotypical drunken father, emotionally ruined mother, kids running around her with her a sore back from the next child to be born. In Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt examines his childhood experiences, the tragedies, hardships, and learning involved with growing up.
One of the most interesting aspects of the writing in Angela’s Ashes is how the text is written, from McCourt’s interpretation of the situation at his age that he was at the time, the spelling and grammar also indicate that the child is writing, not the adult. This contributes greatly to the emotions and enjoyment evoked from reading the book. It also better describes how a child actually sees the things that are going on around them, and what they may be thinking. Personally, sometimes it has made me think for a while about how I interpreted things I saw when I was that age, and the fun I had being a kid. McCourt describes his brothers and sister, even the ones that died, and how much he enjoyed growing up with them, how they cared and loved for each other. Because of the appalling quarters they lived in and the lack of money and food there was terminal illnesses in the family, which proved fatal to some of his siblings. McCourt in his childlike writing style describes how his siblings and he, interpret what’s happened and how they see their parents reacting. McCourt also analyzes how his young brother Malachy looks up to him, and how much he takes Malachy under his wing and takes care of him.
Parenting is said to be one of the hardest tasks out there today, especially sole parenting. McCourt carefully examines his mother, how she copes with her drunken husband, how her cousins who married gentlemen are constantly trying to run her life, and how she acts as a woman. His father, The Irish drunk who is constantly making him and his brother swear their lives for Ireland and singing Roddy McCorley and Kevin Barry after a night at the pub, and how he will tell him stories about Old Irish folklore and get sacked from job after job. As Frank progresses into...