Angela's ashes door Frank McCourt

Primaire gegevens: - Author: Frank McCourt - Title: Angela’s Ashes - Published by Wolters-Noordhoff 2001 - By Harper Collins Publishers 1996 Samenvatting: Frank McCourt was born in Brooklyn. One year later he gets a brother, who’s named after his father: Malachy. They lived happily, but they haven’t money enough for food and clothes. Their father, a very nice, gentle man has one big problem: his alcoholism. He doesn’t take his earned money home at the end of the week, but he spends it all at the pub. And then he comes
home: drunk. So Frank and his brother were very poor and they worn dirty old clothes. His father and his mother have raw often, because of the alcoholism of his father. But they really love each other. On a day Frank’s mother becomes pregnant. His two brothers, Eugene and Oliver were born 9 months later. His father doesn’t bring his money home yet. And the whole family is hungry, poor and dirty. But after a few months, his mother is pregnant again! This time she bears a girl: Margaret. The whole family is very pleased about her. His father has a special relation with the little Margaret, he buys her little presents and take care very well of her. When Margaret dies after a few weeks, his mother is becoming crazy and his father is very sad. When Frank was only 4 years old, the family moves back to Ireland, to Limerick to build on a new live. Frank says in the book: ‘My father and mother should have stay in New-York….’ In Limerick it’s very bad. They have a bad house, which is flood at the first floor in the wintertimes. They have to live at the second floor, where the fireplace is. And they haven’t got money to eat and buy clothes. That’s why his mother is going to beg by a charitable institution for poor people. After a few months, his mother is pregnant again. Frank is getting a brother: Mikey. But one of the twins is getting ill. He dies because of pneumonia. The left one of the twins is in a shock. Every time he’s calling his twin-brother, but he doesn’t come back... Then the lonely one of the twins dies too. And his mother is in a deep mourning. In the meantime, between all the death and doom, Frank goes to school and experiences a lot of things, as getting his first Communion and play hooky. For the last time, his mother becomes pregnant. She gets a boy again, Alphie. This time, nobody dies in his family. He grows up and wants to go back to America, where he was born. When Malachy (his brother) is old enough, he goes to England to join the army. And his father is going to England too, because of the war. He can help to make weapons. But also this time, he doesn’t send the money for his family. Frank, Angela (his mother), Mikey and Alphie are going to live by a cousin of his grandma. Frank hates that man. He gets work and keeps money in secret for his journey to America. Finally, he gets the money, and leaves to America. That’s where the story ends.
The 10 questions 1. The title is Angela’s Ashes. Ashes mean the remains of a human body. With the human bodies is meant all the dead children in the family. The deaths are Margaret, Eugene and Oliver. They are the ashes of Angela. 2. This book is a psychological novel because there is very much sadness and grief in it. It can also be an autobiography of Frank McCourt because he is telling his own life in it. But he tells only the period of his life when he was 4 to 19. 3.- Frank McCourt: He’s the oldest son of Angela and Malachy. He’s born in New York, America. He is a boy with lot of brothers and one sister. He must do everything at home, because his father is always drunk. On a moment they go to Ireland. He is very good at school. He wants to go back to America when he is old enough and when he has enough money. At the end of the story, when he is 19, he has enough money and he goes to America. - Angela Sheehan: Angela is the mother of Frank McCourt. She’s born on Sylvester in Limerick. She never saw her father. She is married with Malachy McCourt in New York. When Margaret dies the whole family returns to Ireland. Angela is mother of seven children, but three of her children are dead. - Malachy (father): Malachy is the father of Frank McCourt. He’s married with Angela Sheehan in New York. Malachy is born in Toome, Country Antrim. He fought with the Old IRA. He smokes and he is an alcoholic. Malachy never had a job, because he was always drunk. But if he had a job he would spend all his earned money immediately in the pub. At the end of the story he goes to England to find a job, and he will send money to the family. But he never sends money and he never comes back. - Malachy (brother): Malachy is the oldest brother of Frank. He is one year younger than Frank - Oliver: Oliver is a brother of Frank. Oliver is a twin with Eugene. Oliver dies of pneumonia. - Eugene: Eugene is also a brother of Frank. Eugene is a twin with Oliver. Oliver’s death leaves Eugene in shock. Shortly after that, Eugene dies too. When he was dead said Angela: ‘it’s terrible to lose him but he is in heaven now with his brother and his sister and isn’t that a reassuring to us, knowing Oliver is no longer lonesome for his twin?’ - Margaret: Margaret is the only sister of Frank. But when she was seven weeks old she became sick and died. When Margaret was born everybody was happy in the family. The father of Frank stopped drinking since she was born. But when she was dead he start again with drinking and everybody was sad. - Michael: Michael is a little brother of Frank, Michael did not die in this book. - Alphonsus: Alphonsus is the youngest brother of Frank. Alphonsus didn’t die in this book. He is a very lovely boy. - Grandma: She is the mother of Angela and the grandmother of Frank and his brothers and sisters. Grandma doesn’t like the father of Frank. Frank has the same look as his father and that’s why Grandma doesn’t like Frank too much. He had terrible hair, eyes and smile. Grandma died when she was trying to find a place to live for Frank, his parents and his brothers. 4. The theme in Angela’s Ashes is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood. Catholicism plays an important role in the book, because the whole family and all the other people of Limerick too, are very religious. The book is written from Frank’s point of view, and he only begins to realise his poverty when he’s already in school and learns it’s not normal. The fact that Frank’s not very aware of how bad things are makes the book funny in a really strange sort of way (the things that happen aren’t funny at all). Frank sees everything in his own unique point of view: careless and gullible. I think a second theme could be that people can survive anything. Starvation, death of children, the rain, Limerick and even the Catholic Church. 5. In this book is the lapse of time from 1930, when Frank was born until 1949, when he’s going to America. Frank was born in 1930 in Brooklyn, America. The family moves to Limerick, Ireland in 1934. In 1949 he goes back to America. 6. The book is divided into 3 parts: the 1st part is in New York, the 2nd part is in Limerick, and the 3rd part is on the way to America. The story ends on the ship, Frank sees the lights of America. The parts are related to each other. It’s simply the youth of Frank McCourt. 7. There are no flashbacks in the book. Actually, the whole book is one big flashback. So there are no flashbacks in a flashback! There is an open ending to the book. 8. The narrator in this book is Frank McCourt himself. It’s the 1st person-view because it’s an autobiography. 9. Born in Brooklyn, Frank moved to Ireland at age four with his parents and brothers. As tough as life had been for the McCourt's in New York, it doesn't compare to the hardships they encounter in their native country. Penniless and destitute, the McCourt’s finally make it to Limerick where Frank is introduced to a collection of relatives, some as miserly as it is possible to imagine; some, as generous. Frank's father, Malachy, rarely has a job and when he does, spends his wages in the pubs, leaving Frank's mother, Angela, to beg from churches and charity organisations. Despite the tragedy of his drinking, Frank's dad is as charming as a "shiftless l aquacious alcoholic" could be, and he shares a special bond with Frank, revealed through moments of heartrending tenderness. Near death from typhoid fever, Frank spends several months in quarantine in the hospital where he has steady meals, clean sheets, and best of all, books. 10. I really loved reading Angela’s Ashes. Terrible things happen in the book. Little Frank McCourt’s view of the world he lives in is sometimes hilarious. He goes to the bottom of things, because he wants to understand everything. I think everybody has to read this book. If that is done, people can talk about the terrible things witch happened there. I had to choose between several books but I choose this one, because I expected a very good but bad story. I’m happy I’ve chosen this book, because al my expectations were right. The book seems more interesting than other books. The story was very realistic. I like stories like that. Kopie van een bladzijde: The ending of this story fit perfectly in the story “Angela’s ashes”, because Frank wants to go to America his whole life. He is born in America, but when he was a few years old he goes to Ireland. He thinks that everything will go well when he goes to America. But he hasn’t enough money, and that’s why he has to have a job. When he has finally enough money he goes to America. That is the end of the story when Frank goes to America, his dream… I like the last sentence the most of all. When the wireless officer says: “Isn’t a great country altogether?” The end is a good end according to the rest of the book. De verwerkingsopdracht: i. Mr Shone
The London Express
61 Dublinroad
London 156288
England
April 10th, 2002, Kilder Dear Mr Shone, I have read the book “Angela’s ashes” and I think it’s it a very impressive book. It was a very touching book. Too touching. Because how the way the people lived in Limerick, the people are too poor. They have not a normal house; the houses are so small and old. The most people haven’t enough food. This book is a shame. It’s really happened, that’s true. But I can imagine that people are getting a shock of reading a story like this. There’s too much sadness and grief in it. That’s my opinion. I hope you will cancel the selling of these books. People don’t have to know how it was for Mr. McCourt & Co. Thank you. Yours faithfully, Trina Sulliver.