Blog Post 270-End

Dear Reader, 

I really don’t know what to think now that it’s done.  I liked it.  It was sad and miserable, but I liked it.  I like the way he writes.  It was nice to take a break from the boring old quotation marks.  Like I said in my first response; it’s like he’s telling us a story.  I got used to it, and grew to actually enjoy that style.  And as I wonder as I do with every school-assigned book, would I have enjoyed it more if I had read it on my own?  The answer is usually yes, and this book is no exception.  Still this book wasn’t as harmed as others were.  Over-analyzing bits of it is usually what makes me sick of it, but we didn’t do that here.  Instead, every time ¼ of the book passed, I got to rant about it.  I love to do that!!!  I don’t shut up if I’m reading a book I enjoy; I talk about it to everyone!  Nonetheless, I have spent a good deal of time stressing over it, so that somewhat diminishes the ease of this section of the project. 

            I want to talk about the priest that forgave Frank.  I feel like it’s a sort of reoccurring thing throughout the novel where the family members come into contact with charitable people who change the courses of their lives.  They’re really fortunate in these scenarios.  What if he had never met that priest?  He would have never forgiven himself for supposedly sending Theresa into Hell.  I really do think it changed the rest of his life, Frank recalled the priest telling him that, “God forgives me and I must forgive myself, that God loves me and I must love myself for only when you love God in yourself can you love all God’s creatures.” (344).  After that, he was able to get up and move on from Theresa.  He was also able to move on from Ireland. 

            What does, “Never smoke another man’s pipe,” (353) mean?  I feel like McCourt wouldn’t have mentioned it if it hadn’t had some value to it.  Is it a theme?  I can’t tell unless I understand what the old man means.  Is it, “Never live another man’s dreams”?  Or is it “Don’t smoke kid”?  Or maybe, “Do things yourself, and prosper from your own hard work and effort”?  I can’t make up my mind; they all seem to fit the story so well.  Perhaps it means nothing at all.  Maybe McCourt put it in there to show that some things that should be full of meaning, aren’t.  What’s your opinion?

            I understand exactly how Frank feels right before he leaves Ireland.  It’s the fear of regretting his decisions that causes him to wander about Ireland, wondering if he’ll ever see it again.  He wanted, “to get pictures of Limerick stuck in my head in case I never come back.”  (357).  Moving to America was a massive, life-altering experience for him.  Did he ever see his mother or brothers again?  I wouldn’t be able to do that at 19, not permanently at least.  Still, my great-grandmother did the same thing at 18, and never saw Ireland again.  It made Frank’s parting for America so bittersweet, and my heart broke to think of all of the immigrants who've gone through the same experience.  But still, I hope Frank enjoyed America.  I hope that he got to see at least Malachy, that they all wrote, and that his mother never had to empty another chamber pot ever again, just as he dreamed. 

Sincerely, 

Emily Botelho

Blog Post 180-270

Dear Reader,

I’ve had it with the dad.  I’m done.  I quit.  I’m sick of trying to defend him mentally, to think of it from his perspective.  The poor family would be better off with him dead.  It’s against the rules to divorce, but if he died, then surely she could remarry!!  I just find it so unfair!  She didn’t even want to marry the old bum; she was forced to!  He needs to get his alcohol addiction under control.  It’s ruining him, and it’s ruining the people around him.  I’m sorry if this paragraph lacks structure, or anything like that.  This is just more of a rant.  It made me sick when he went off to England and drank the money.  I felt even worse, however, when he drank the money for the new baby.  That was too much.  My heart broke when he was in confession and told the priest, “‘Because she sent me out looking for my father in the pubs, Father, and I couldn’t find him and she hasn’t a scrap in the house because he’s drinking the five pounds Grandpa sent from the North for the new baby and she’s raging by the fire because I can’t find my father.’”  (185).  It’s the worst.  I hope it somehow gets better for them, but I doubt it will. 

            So to go with their father being pointless, I was really happy when he got the job working with Mr. Hannon.  He finally felt like a grown man.  But more than this, he was making money, some of which he gave to his mother.  They desperately needed money.  He felt like a man, bringing home the day’s salary.  I don’t know how to describe how I felt when he did this.  It seemed to me that in the absence of a decent father, he felt as though there was extra weight needed for him to pull.  To him, there was a deed to be done that needed doing, and he did it.   Or at least, he was starting to.  And the pathetic bit is, it’s true.  They needed money, and their father wasn’t going to do anything about it.  When he lost it, he cried, and thought to himself, “…This was my one chance to be a man and bring home the money the telegram boy never brought from my father.”  (265).  I feel sad to think of that poor boy and his poor eyes.  I’ve had pink eye (no where near as severely as he did) and it’s not any fun.  It’s miserable.  They’re miserable. 

            The medical advances that we’ve made astound me.  It is WWII in the book, and it took him months to recover from typhoid.  It takes about a week to one month now, with antibiotics.  That’s only 70 years, that’s crazy!  Yet, I think he’s lucky to have spent so much time in the hospital.  I think that it was his being in there that inspired his writing career.  He read books to pass the time.  With nothing else to do, he grew to love it.  In order to write, you need to be able to read.  Without that, poor Frank may have not become the writer he is today.  It gave him a sense of hope and protection, “I can dream about the red-lipped landlord’s daughter and the highwayman, and the nurses and nuns can do nothing about it.  It’s lovely to know the world can’t interfere with the inside of your head.”  (202).  In my opinion, he deserved it.  Do you think that it helped him love writing?  Or that it expanded his imagination?  The stories his dad used to tell when sober, those probably helped too.  All of these things, without them, he would have been in a much different (probably worse) situation. 

Sincerely, 
Emily

Pages 181-270 Post -Adam

Dear Reader,

            I think that the fact that Frank got sick and went to the hospital was a good thing. I know that it sounds like I am being a complete jerk here but it is true. When he was at the hospital he met Patricia. If he never got sick and had to go to the hospital that never would have happened. I think of that as a pretty crucial part of the book. His father also kissed him on the forehead when he was at the hospital. This was the first time that his father has ever done this. This made Frank feel “so happy I feel like I’m floating out of the bed.” (193) This is one of those moments where you hate and at the same time kind of like the father at the same time (more on the hate side of course)

            I am so happy that the father finally decided to go off to England to get a job. It took him long enough. It still makes me mad though, that the fact the mother had to threaten that she was going to go find a job in England just to get the father to get up and actual take control of his life and family. He will finally “go to England” (218) to finally get a job. Things are starting to look a bit brighter for Frank and the rest of his family. I hope the story line continues in this kind of direction.

            I feel so bad for Frank. He has such mixed feelings about his father. Sometimes he loves his father, while at other times he hates his guts. For example, when his father kissed him on the forehead, he was one of the happiest kids I have ever seen. He also hates him in the way that he comes home almost every day drunk out of his mind. He wishes he could say “I love you, Dad,” (210). He doesn’t know what to think of his dad, whether it is in a good way or a bad.

            Sincerely,

                        Adam

2nd Blog Post

         Dear Reader,

Their devotion to the Catholic Church surprises me.  I knew that the Irish were typically very Catholic, but I never knew that it was to this extent!  It seems to me that only a few of them are really into it (like their grandmother and Fintan).  I think they do it out of pride.  They don’t want to be ridiculed by their neighbors.  It’s like a contest, to see who can be the best church-going Catholic out there.  They want respect for their family name, like when their mom got Frank all ready to go and ask to be an altar boy, and she told him, “‘’Tis a great pity you grew out of your First Communion suit but you have nothing to be ashamed of, you come from good blood, McCourts, Sheehans, or my mother’s family the Guilfoyles that owned acre after acre in County Limerick before the English took it away and gave it to footpads from London.’” (149). It’s so much more different today!

         School is so much more different than I expected it to be too.  I’ve never been to Catholic school before, so it took a while for me to not be totally shocked by the teacher enforcing religion in the classroom.  Their teacher, Mr. O’Neill, seems very odd.  He’s apparently not even teaching his students the right things, as we saw when Mr. O’Dea said, “‘Well then, Mr. O’Halloran, tell him to stop teaching the geometry.  The geometry is for the fifth form and not the fourth.  The geometry is mine.  Tell him to teach the long division and leave Euclid to me.’” (154).  They’ve got a loopy teacher who’s awfully emotional about a Greek mathematician teaching them.  That would never pass today, even if it was in Ireland and not America.  He was simply scolded and sent back to his room.  He didn’t lose his job or anything!  I was shocked! 

         Mr. Timoney is my new favorite character.  This man is great and I think that Frank is very fortunate to have met him.  Frank doesn’t even realize it, but he’s replacing his bum of a dad as the fatherly figure.  He though to himself, “Mr. Timoney is an old man but he talks like a friend and I can say what I feel.  Dad would never talk to me like Mr. Timoney.  He’d say, ‘Och, aye,’ and go for long walk.” (178).  I feel like that’s a sort of repeating thing throughout the novel, where kind people do a simple thing, yet it has a great impact on Frank’s life.  I feel like meeting Mr. Timoney, even if just for a short time, gave him faith in adults again.  They don’t need to be so cranky.  Do you think that he was like this because of his religion?  Perhaps it made him less uptight?  Frank really liked him; he tried to read to him even when he was locked away at the mental hospital.  That poor kid really liked him; I wish that the guard who laughed at him would have had more heart. 

Sincerely,
Emily Botelho

Pages 91-180 Post - Adam

Dear Reader,

            In this part of the book, the main thing that I was always thinking about was the father. He is making me so angry. He keeps on dragging the family and holding them back from the simple task of living a normal life. He just keeps on blowing all of his money on drinks at the pub. I know that he does love his family and kids, but he doesn’t show it very well. There was one point in chapter three where “he has his mouth on the little nose and he’s sucking the bad stuff out of Michael’s head” (103). He saved Michaels life in the panic of when he couldn’t breathe. Clearly he loved his kid, yet he also shows that he doesn’t love the kid, any of the kids. His addiction is causing that to happen, and put the rest of his family at risk.

            In chapter five I started to like Frank as a character a lot more than before. I think that he is rebellious and doesn’t exactly care for what he is told to do if he doesn’t like it. He felt uncomfortable   at first when he was given Irish Dance lessons every Saturday. After the first lesson he did not want to do it anymore. Because he does whatever he wants he decided to go “to the Lyric Cinema instead” (143). He blows all of the money that he was given for dance lessons on going to the movies and getting sweets instead. He does not care what his parents want him to do, or what they think if they find out. He does it anyway because he would rather do that then take dance lessons. This made me think of him as a more favored character than before in my opinion.

            In chapter five I have also realized that the father isn’t the only one to blame for what they are missing out on in everyday life. They all have small addictions or things that they use to help them with what they are going through. Frank’s mother has to beg just for a cigarette to help her get away from what else is going on in her life. Frank’s dad obviously uses a majority of their money just to get a drink at the bar. Even Frank often steals his mother’s money and uses it to go to the movies. They use what they have and what they can get to enjoy the things that make them happy in life. Whether it is a cigarette, a drink, or a movie, they all use it to aid themselves.

            I found it pretty funny when Malachy got his dad’s teeth stuck in his mouth. I know “he can choke on the teeth” (139), but I couldn’t take it seriously. I imagined a little kid with extremely huge teeth. They eventually take him to the hospital and get them out so it is fine by the end.

            I think that this book is getting a little less sad and depressed as it goes along and I hope it stays going in this direction.

            Sincerely,

                        Adam 

p. 91-180 Response

Dear Reader,
    In the next 90 Angela's Ashes I think I might have come to the conclusion that to me this book is just alright. I'm not a huge fan only because of the way he does not put quotes around dialogue. It makes it a bit more difficult to understand and I have too keep re reading some times.
      What I like about this book so far comes from the very beginning of the section we were supposed to read. I like when one of the man gives them coal, "the man leads us to the coal hole under the stairs and tells us to take what we can carry" (p. 100). I like this because it showed that not all people were complete jerks. It seems that a lot of the people in and around their town are rude. This man have them what they needed and it sort of made me smile a bit.
       I do not understand why the mother keeps having kids. Frank in the story says, "The angel that brought Margaret and the twins comes again and brings us another baby" (p. 102). It reminds me of those shows like 19 Kids and Counting. On that show the mother almost dies yet still tries to have more kids. Why? Why would you do that to yourself and family? I think that if the baby girl and twins passed away don't you think that's a sign that maybe you shouldn't have anymore kids? Plus the father can't even bring home enough money for the kids before this one; why would you jeopardize your families chances of having any food or money by adding another human being to the mix.
       When drank says, "I wish I had something to cry about so that I'd get a piece, too" (p. 104) I laughed. It reminds of me and my sister. I wanted what she got and I can guess that she wanted what I got. It's just common sibling rivalry.
       "Dad gets his first job in Limerick at the cement factory..." (p. 108). This made me think "will he actually keep this job?" The answer was obvious that he was not. This man is a drunk and in reality doesn't give a crap about his job. At the end of this chapter it even says that he loses his job. It upsets me that he doesn't care. I know what it's like for a family to have some one unemployed. But it must have been even worse back then, especially in Ireland.
       I like the part where it says, "(Mikey) Knocks on doors all over limerick to see if there are people who want coal or turf delivered... If he earns a little money he hands it over to his mother..." (p. 114). I thought that was a sweet thing. A boy helping his family out. I felt like maybe everyone should do that. Maybe we don't have to give the money (if we got any) to our parents but just help out. Of course it is not like it was back then but there are so many ways people can help and I think that community service should be a bigger part of peoples lives.
      One part  did not like at all was a lot of when the kids were at school. At one point he says, "He flogs Question across the shoulders, the bottom, the legs" (p. 119). I only could imagine what that would be like, especially in a class room full of your peers. It also frightened me that that was actually done to kids. I don't know how anyone could ever think that was alright.
     I thought that when Frank went to the dance school he had to put his money in a black boys mouth? Am I understanding it right? I didn't get that part one bit! It seemed a bit odd to me in every way possible.
       When Frank said, "I don't want to be Cyril Benson. I want to be Fred Astaire" (p. 143) I felt like I could relate in a way. I have when people compare me to people in my class or my friends. I want to be my own person. That's what I think he means. Frank doesn't want to be just like one of his peers. Though he does want to be like someone that inspires him. I believe a lot of people feel the same way.
     This though goes along with my thoughts on the flogging. When one of the teachers calls Clohessy an idiot I was a bit appalled. I could only imagine what would happen today if a teacher called one of their students an idiot. It makes me realize the difference  between the two time periods. It makes me wonder how Clohessy feels. I wonder if they are used to teachers talking to them in that manner.
      On page 166 I laughed a little when Clohessy's little sister says she's going to tell on him. I can't even count the number of times I've yelled at my sister saying "I'M TELLING MOMMY!" I think for many it brings back that sort of memory. She is like every sibling that has ever been on this earth. It just made me smile when I read that part.
      My most favorite part of these 90 pages was when Frank says, "Mr. Timoney is an old man but he talks to me like a friend and I can say why feel. Dad will never talk to me like Mr. Timoney" (p. 178). I liked that he has someone to talk to.i believe everyone should have at least one person they can talk to about what is going on in their heads. Let me make sort of sad was when Frank says "Dad will never talk to me like Mr. Timoney". Everyone should feel like they can talk to their parents. The fact that Frank can't because of his that drinking problem and attitude towards things is kind of sad.

               Sincerely,
                     Perry

Pages 0-90 Post - Adam

Dear Reader,

                So far, the book has been pretty confusing for me. It gets annoying at points because there are no quotation marks around any of the dialogue. Sometime I need to stop and go over what I had just read because I was not sure if it was dialogue or not.

                From the start of the book I like how he doesn’t try to make his childhood sound like a happy time. He comes straight out right away and says “It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while” (11). He knows that fact and doesn’t try to change it or make himself think differently. That is one of my favorite characteristics about Frank; he doesn’t lie, or change the facts that others might. From the very first page I realized that this book won’t be a very happy and exciting book. He life is horrible, “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).  He says that other people complain, but no one has it as bad as him.

                This definitely made me think differently about my life, and how I am living currently. I get aggravated and/or annoyed with simple things. Like if we don’t have food in the house, I am most likely going to complain. After reading chapters 1 and 2, I thought differently. I shouldn’t be complaining if there are people out there, like Frank, who has it so much worse than I do. He had to sit through his whole life with his family and other factors falling apart and he doesn’t complain nearly as much as I would if I had to go do a chore. This makes me feel a lot more grateful and glad I have the things that I do.

                He is not the only character in this story that I feel bad for; I feel bad for his whole family. No one is living happily in that family, and each one is a different reason. I feel so bad for his mother because of the fact that Frank’s sister died. After that his mother got very depressed. I also feel bad for his father. I feel bad for him because “Malachy got drunk” (17) all the time. Most other people probably wouldn’t feel bad because they would say that it was his fault, or he can quit whenever. I do feel bad because once he does start, it is an addiction, therefore is hard to stop. I also feel bad for the kids, because they cannot help with any of this, all they can do Is live with it.

                I am hoping that as the book goes on, things will turn out okay, but I’ll just have to wait until then.

Sincerely,

                Adam

Reader Response Pages 11-90

Dear Reader,

I love the book so far!  At first it really aggravated me because the dialogue had no quotation marks around it.  When I read a story, I can hear the dialogue in my head in the person’s voice, as clear as it would have been if they were speaking.  I can add accents, pitches, or anything else that would add to the character.  Without them, I hear Frank McCourt reading what they’re saying.  He’s reading the story to me.  But I’ve gotten used to it; I actually enjoy it.  It’s a different method of listening and I enjoy it.  I know it bothered some people, have you guys gotten used to it yet?

            I felt awful after Margret’s death.  I mean, we knew she was going to die, but it still hits hard.  For some reason, the pure fact that she was a girl brought so much joy to this rather pitiful family.  Take, for example, their dad.  He was a bum.  He made me mad at some parts.  He was an awful influence on the children, and humiliating.  This was all because of his drinking.  As soon as the baby was born, he stopped.  He was sober, and the family had food.  They were happy.  Their father was happy, and he was pulling himself out of the devastating hole he had dug.  Sometimes he told Margret that, “He’ll get a job soon, so he will, and she’ll have dresses of silk and shoes with silver buckles.” (30).  But then she was wrenched away from them!  How unfair!  They didn’t deserve that at all!  But this is real life, so why should it be fair?  I wanted to reach through the book and hug Angela.  I wanted her to hug her remaining children. 

            That also goes with the deaths of Oliver and Eugene.  I had forgotten, at this point, the beginning bit where he spoiled it all, so it surprised me when they passed.  He was sick, but it seemed so small, and I honestly expected him to live.  I also didn’t think she would be so unfortunate as to lose a second child.  No, a third, poor Angela had a child who died while being born.  I don’t think she deserved it, do you?  And it broke my heart to see little Eugene wandering about, wondering where his twin was.  For example, “When he wakes in the morning he says, Ollie, Ollie, and toddles around the room…” (81).  It reminded me of the Weasley twins (sorry if you haven’t read Harry Potter yet).  They were obviously much closer to each other than the other siblings.  So it was almost as though I was expecting Eugene to pass as well.  As twins, they were almost always mentioned together, so in the mind they form into what resembles one character.  It made sense, in an awful way, for Eugene to die as well.  I’ll miss them as the book progresses. 

            A portion of my enjoyment for this book comes from the fact that I’m of Irish descent.  At one point, they mention Cork (the sergeant’s wife was from there).  I have relatives there!  My mom read this book, and so did my Nana.  Actually, my mom came home and saw it lying on the kitchen table, and she asked why I was reading it.  She said it was a good book, but terribly sad and she wouldn’t recommend it.  She said the family was just too poor.  Despite this, I’m still really enjoying it.  J

            I have mixed feelings towards the father, and I’m almost ashamed of it.  As I mentioned earlier, he’s a bum.  She wasn’t wise to marry him.  He can never find a job, and when he does, it’s for a very low pay.  And then, he drinks away all of the money! As Frank stated, his dad, “often comes home with the whiskey smell on him…” (28).  Shortly after that, the job is lost, and the family is lost and without any money.  He knows what he’s doing.  He knows very well that buying that pint will cost the family money that they don’t have.  He knows that it’s embarrassing for his wife, and the rest of his family.  He knows that he’s going to derive a reputation that lacks dignity.  Yet, he goes anyways!!  This drives me crazy!!  And on top of that, he loves them!  He loves them very very much!  He loves his wife, and he loves his sons.  He’s proud of them.  He would have made a very good father if he would just refrain from drinking.  Oh well, I can’t change it.  The book’s only just begun. I don’t think it becomes any easier for that poor family. 

Sincerely,

Emily Botelho

Testing

Just seeing if I can post :)

Pages 11-90 Response

Dear Reader,

     In the first 90 pages of Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt many different things happen. In the very first pages the mothers personality, to me, is showcased. She doesn't sugar coat the truth from her husband. Especially when she says, "They get their appetite because they're starving half the time" (p. 23). This is important to me for many reasons. The mother could be passive and not fight with her husband and let everyone starve. Or she could do what she actually does and that is stand up for her family. She doesn't not want to see her kids in a bad condition and she will not let anyone have them stay that way. She wants her husband to know that he needs to get off of his but and get them food.
     I was sort of surprised at one point in the novel when the father is at the pub with Francis. At one point a man says, "Here kid have a sip" (p. 27). This fascinated me in an interesting way. I know that back in these times some did give kids alcohol. What surprised me the most was that this man offered a strangers child a pint. I didn't know that actually happened! (I thought it was just fib). It was interesting to see how the bartender reacted. I was glad he reacted in an angry matter because no matter what, a young child should not be given any sort of alcohol in my opinion. That was not the biggest of the issues for me when reading this section but I did feel that it was important to share my own reaction on this matter.
     There is always that stereotype, even in today's generation about the Irish and their drinking habits. Many say that they are all drunks and blah, blah, blah. I was sort of surprised when reading that a man said, "well, ya know, he's got the problem, the Irish thing" (p. 32). It made me realize that these stereotypes have been going on forever. I've come to the conclusion that maybe they are actually true.
      At one point Mrs. Leibowitz said to Frankie, "and your poor mother and her sick baby" (p. 34). I gasped at this point. My first thoughts were "how does she know she is sick?!" I then thought about what was going to happen when this young boy finds out his little baby sister is sick. Another thing I wondered is would she be alright. I thought about the time period and the medicine they had back then. I did not think this baby would survive and sure enough I was correct in the end.
      I thought about myself and other little kids when Malachy says, "what's a-?" (P. 48), every time his father points something out. I know that I have done this so many times. Little kids are just full of questions and they just want an answer for everyone of them. For me this whole "scene" just brings up experiences of mine and almost every little kids early life.
      While reading through these 90 pages I got very upset with the father. Especially when he says, "You could ass to that and make the price of a pint." (P. 52). First he begs for money for his family and then he is selfish enough to ask for beer money. The sad thing is, is that this occurs even now. People waste the money they are supposed to use to keep their families alive yet they use it really for selfish reasons whether that is gambling or even drinking.
     Towards the end of  this section we see Eugene also get sick. That made me question somethings. First it was Margaret, then Oliver, and now Eugene. Does anyone else think that maybe Malachy is next? Or maybe even one of the parents? What I also wonder is how come one child is getting sick right after another? Is there some virus going around at that time? Or is it just a coincidence?
       This book was more interesting than I thought I would be. I was expecting some book that I would dread reading! I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, the beginning was tough and confusing for me but I pushed through. I've ended up happy with getting this book. Is anyone else enjoying it as well? Maybe even more?

 Sincerely,

Perry Joubert

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