IRA#4

Angela's Ashes


Themes:

Religion
Hatred Toward Americans


Motif:
Temptation



Plot: Chapter 4-5

Frankie is getting ready for his first communion and first confession. These are two of the seven sacraments according to Catholicism. Catholic school is getting to be even more scarier because the teacher is starting to used punishment for those who do not know the answer or ask way too many questions. There is a lot of talk about dying for your faith, which makes him think about what did his brothers and sister die for faith or from starvation. The narrator talks about his childhood friends growing up and realizes that he and his friend Mikey both have an alcoholic dad that drinks away his wages instead of bringing them home to the family. Francis finally has his first confession and tells the priest his sins, but eventually comes back three times, confusing the priest.Then a few weeks later, he receives his first communion. A few weeks later, Grandma lets a man named Bill Galvin stay in her home. The narrator's mom asks him to take food to Mr. Galvin in exchange for sixpence. However, Frankie, famished, eats the meal. Grandma scolds him and tells him to not eat it this time. Then later, he is forced to join the Redemptorist church, and  the Arch Confraternity. Angela decides to ask the church if Francis could be an altar server.


Reflection/Journal


The major themes in these two chapters are Religion, Hatred Toward Americans, and Money vs. Temptation. You could definitely see religion playing a significant role in these two chapters because in the beginning of the chapter it talks about the preparation of receiving two of the seven sacraments: First Communion and Confession or Penance. The narrator points out the difficulty of getting ready for First Communion. For example, when the teacher gives the boys a piece of paper saying that it will dissolve in their mouth. That gives me the impression that the piece of paper is magic. The piece of paper is supposed to symbolize the bread and body. Their philosophy is that if you drop that bread you are going to Hell. The thing that really surprised me was that teachers used cruel and unusual punishment on students who asked lots of questions or didn't know anything. Of course you have to think that you are in Ireland, where the main religion is Catholicism.  We all know that Frankie also received the sacrament of Confession meaning he is able to ask for forgiveness of his sins. I find the scene of his first confession to be quite funny because he sees the same priest three times not even minutes apart, and the priest is just so befuddled wondering how he could sin so fast. Of course this was the grandmother's fault because she refrained Frankie from confessing the sin between him and God in the backyard. I'm not really sure what this means. Hopefully, I will find out.  I have a two characters that I need to talk about who play a negative role in these chapters. . First, Frankie's' teacher, who makes fun of Frankie being from America despite the fact that he is a very smart kid. The grandmother is the second character that we need to talk about. . The grandmother is definitely someone you could talk about with religion. She has this arrogant feel to her like she is the most religious person ever. I really don't like the grandmother because she like many other proud Irish make fun of the Yankees. Like any mother-in-law, she makes fun of her son-in-law, but because he is from the North and acts more like a Protestant than a Catholic. The quote that I like is  Angela's poem:

He came from the North so his words were few
But his voice was kind and his heart was true.
And I knew by his eyes that no guile had he,
So I married my man from the North Country (McCourt 134).

.
                    But there's not--and I say it with joy and way
                   A better man in all Munster wide
                   And Limerick town has no happier heart
                    Than mine has been with my man from the North (McCourt 134).

 I like the third line saying that she loves her man from the North and nobody can tell her what to do. So going on with the story. Angela makes Frankie take food to a man who is living under grandmothers roof without eating it. When you think about it, of course the boy is going to eat it. The family is poor because they barely get food on the table because the dad's a drunk. Of course he is getting paid to deliver the food and if he doesn't deliver no $.  So I guess temptation to eat the food overruled the amount of money. It is really sad that they are asking young children to help bring the money in. Another temptation could be when he heard the story of how Cuchulain (you may have seen this word in my other blogs) came to be and how he met his wife. This story is very inappropriate therefore making a sin to listen or tell the story. Pretty interesting.  So all in all, Religion plays a significant role, that correlates the idea of hatred towards Americans, and temptation.

Introduction About Me

Katie Keitges


My name is Katie Keitges and I am a senior at West Monona High School. Some people say I have way too much on my plate.  I am involved in many school and outside school activities including Key Club,  FCCLA, Band (clarinet and bass clarinet), Speech,  National Honor Society, Girl Scouts, 4-H, and American Legion Auxiliary. I work as a library assistant part-time for the Onawa Public Library. Some of the major books and plays that I have read for AP English include Things Fall Apart, Oedipus the King, Macbeth, Love's Labor's Lost, The Kite Runner, Grapes of Wrath, Beowulf, Pygmalion, My `Antonia, and I am currently reading Angela's Ashes for my IRA (Independent Reading Assessment).  So far I like the story, but I find it a bit depressing. It makes me sad knowing that this family has suffered so much hardship. I bet I could relate this to the book we are reading in class called The Grapes of Wrath.  I believe that would work because they are basically in the same historical era, and they both suffer from loss, poverty, death, and hunger. After graduation, I am attending University of South Dakota in Vermilion, South Dakota, where I will study Secondary Education/ English and psychology. I hope to purse a degree in School psychology or Educational psychology.  In college, I hope to play my clarinet and bass clarinet in the band, make the Dean's List, and get into the University's Psychology Honor Society. After getting my undergraduate degree, I hope to get into a master's program,  graduate, get married, and have kids. My one long-term goal in life is to write a novel, have it published, and made into a movie.

Angela's Ashes IRA #3

Angela's Ashes


Setting:  Limerick, Ireland


Vocabulary:
Perfidious- deliberately faithless, treacherous


Terms to know:


St. Vincent de Paul Society--voluntary Catholic Christian organization that helps out people who are living in poverty. It has been an organization since 1844 and has networks of 9500 volunteers who here to help.


Themes:


Alcoholism
Poverty
Apprehension


Plot Summary: Chapter 3


Angela is having trouble coping with the loss of her third child. After a few months, Angela and Malachy are blessed with a new baby boy named Michael.  Mom is starting to get extremely worried that she might lose her new baby. They have thought about moving, but not when Francis and little Malachy are starting school. The mom goes to the Saint Vincent Society in order to pick up some furniture and so other necessary items. The father starts looking for work, but there is a pattern where he finds a job, and then hangs around the bar, spending his money earned on a job's work. Therefore the themes are Poverty and Alcoholism. 


Since the McCourts are so poor they must be evaluated by the St. Vincent Society. They are surprised by the society, and they do not like what they see. The horrible living conditions and the shortage of supplies are a huge surprise to them. Francis and Malachy need new boots, but their father doesn't believe in charity. Malachy Sr. tries to fix the boots by cutting up a tire and gluing it on the thread of the shoe. There was lots of bulling about the boys shoes, even though everyone is penniless in Ireland and they just don't want to show it.  The father finally gets a job at the cement factory, and the family is so excited.  They hope to see him at home for dinner, but he comes home late and he is drunk. (Big Surprise)


Journal Friday January 20, 2012


The themes are Apprehension, Alcoholism and Poverty. The term apprehension refers to the worried mother (Angela). She has this terrible feeling that her baby won't survive. Angela is not the only one who is scared. The entire family is scared something terrible is going to happen. For example the father is out of a job, but when he does find employment they are worried that his temper and smart aleck attitude will cost him his job. That is why when you are working at a job, you need to make sure you listen and do everything your boss tells you to because they can fire you in a split second.


The theme Alcoholism comes to mind because Malachy Sr. has this compulsion to drink. This theme connects with Poverty because as we all know when you are in poverty you are most likely to become depressed. Which brings to a question. What is the most common depressant in the United States? Alcohol! Booze! What ever you call it.  Malachy was thinking more about how to ease his depression than come home to his family "bringing home the bacon" (except on Fridays). While reading I  have discovered that Alcoholism and Poverty are the highlighted themes of this memoir. They are never going to change because Malachy will always be the alcoholic father leaving his family and himself in poverty. Nothing is going to change in this novel.


Now lets elaborate more on poverty and how it affects others. We know that people don't want to be poor, so that is why they try to forget about it. They pretend it doesn't exist. The perfect example is when Francis and Malachy go to school and they are bullied because of their improper footwear. I find this ironic considering that a majority of the children come to school barefoot. The truth is that these children who are bulling others, are also poor. Isn't that a huge contradiction?

IRA #2 Angela's Ashes

Angela's Ashes


New Characters Featuring:


Grandma and Grandpa McCourt- relatives of Malachy.
Aunt Aggie- Angela's aunt wants children, but feels terrible for her sister's loss.
Uncle Pat- Aggie's husband
Grandma Sheehan- Angela's grandmother and a very pious individual

Themes: Sorrow


Motif:  Story of Cuchulain, Religion


Terms from Ireland That I learned:

Guard- policeman
Fags (terrible name) - cigarettes 


Plot Summary: Chapter 2


The chapter starts out in Moville County, Donegal, Ireland where the family has moved. Malachy and his family go visit his family in Toome County, where his relatives tell him that finding a job in Ireland is as hard as finding a job in America during this time. The next morning, the family decides to take a train to Dublin where Malachy tries to find a job, but ends up convincing a bank to loan him money. They find out that they don't have enough money to go back, but luckily a policeman gives them a ride and provides them with food. Later, Angela, Malachy, and their family, take a train to Limerick to spend time with Angela's grandmother. Everyone finds out that there is very little room for them and there is very little food available. They all sleep on one bed, which they found out was covered with fleas. Times start to get bad, where they can't find food, and they have to find coal off the streets in order to stay warm. The kids start catholic school and find out that it is going to be a little hard to get to.

After a few weeks, Oliver started to get sick and they needed milk and onions in order to help him. After getting milk and an onion from a good Samaritan, they start to boil the milk and the onions for a cure. Unfortunately, Oliver didn't eat the onions, and eventually he passed away in his sleep, most likely from pneumonia and hunger. The entire family gathered for the funeral the next day. After a few months, Eugene starts to wonder the whereabouts of his twin brother. Then six months later, Eugene dies from hunger and pneumonia. There is another funeral and Angela is wondering why God has taken three children away from her. Malachy Sr. is handling his grief by abusing alcohol. While this is going on, Aunt Aggie is always moping around because she wants to get married and have a family.


Journal Friday January 13, 2011


I said I was going to find out a little more information on the author last week. Here is a little info his book. First of all if you didn't figure this out, this is a retelling of what he had to endure while growing up as a kid during the rough times of the depression. He was born in Brooklyn, New York to Irish Immigrants. At the age of nineteen he was drafted into the Korean War and went back to school thanks to the GI bill to pursue a degree in education, where he taught at the public school system in New York for many years. In 2009, he passed away. There were four million copies published in twenty-seven countries. There is another book called "Tis" that talks more about his later life.  There is also another book out called "Teacher Man".

Frank McCourt achievement.org  29 Jul. 29 2009. 13  January   2012.<http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/mcc1bio-1> 

Lets go to our theme. The major theme that I felt was used so much in this chapter was sorrow. I just feel so bad for this family having to move someplace different in hope of escaping their rough surroundings, to going to Ireland where it is worse. The McCourt family suffered so much. The inability to pay for necessities is just so terrible. When Oliver passes away because he does not have the right food and supplies to get through the night, it just makes me feel so sad. The little boy is about two years old and he has has to die because of the depression going on. The same for Eugene, being that little wondering where his brother is, and then several months later, your other baby boy is gone. I don't understand how the older children Francis and Malachy deal with this. It just seems like they are handling it easier than their parents. The mom is always barricaded in her room crying, and the father is dealing with his sadness by doing the only thing he knows how to do, get drunk. I felt that before the twin boys passed away, I was seeing a different side of Malachy Sr. He didn't drink at all, he helped Angela with the children, and he brought money back to his family. I 'd like to think that sorrow is the main trigger in this chapter.

The motifs that I would like to talk about are how religion plays a role and how the story of Cuchulain plays a role in this chapter.  First of all religion is very important in Ireland. you are most likely to be a Catholic or Protestant. When these kids were taken to Ireland, they were taken to someplace that is very pious in their religion.

"Good Morning Father, said Malachy   
Dad, Is he your father, said young Malachy
He is a priest (McCourt 48).

I picked this quote especially because it shows that these kids had no idea about their faith. Then when they hit their father and mother land, they learn they need to get on track with their religion. When I was little,  going to church with my parents,not knowing really what was going on, my mom said hello to the priest and called him  "Father" and I asked her the same question as young Malachy

Now for the second motif the story of Cuchulain. I know that Malachy tells this story to his sons, but I still have know idea what it is about.  I guess I will just have to research more on that subject. I know it has something to do with WWI.

            

Angel's Ashes IRA#1

Angel's Ashes by Frank McCourt


Genre: Memoir (true story)


Settings- New York in the neighborhood of Limerick. . 


Time Period: Early 1900's (Roosevelt Era) and (Great Depression)


Character List:


Angela Sheehan- The narrator's mother (full-time mom)


Malachi McCourt- The narrator's father (drunk and provider)


Philomena Flynn and Delia Fortune- Angela's cousins that like to butt in her life.


Francis- first born son (most likely the narrator of this story)


Young Malachy- middle child


Oliver and Eugene- surprise twins


Margaret- only baby girl


Themes:


Religion- The Roman Catholic Church is mentioned more than ever in this story. People talk about praying to various saints for certain purposes. Angel's cousins talk about how religious they are versus  Malachy, who is from Northern Ireland and more likely to be a Protestant. 


Alcoholism- This all started with alcohol. Francis, their first born, was conceived because of the consumption of alcohol. The father has a drinking problem and tends to spend more of his money on booze than his family. 


Poverty- This theme goes with the alcoholism because the father is the provider and yet he spends his money on alcohol, so his family will get barely anything. They are low on food and clothing. 


Symbols:


Margaret (Baby Girl)- After Margaret was born, McCourt dropped his drinking and became the best provider for his entire family. Margaret was his little miracle. He absolutely loves his little girl and spends more time with her than any of his other children. When she dies unexpectedly, Malachy returns to his old self.


Depression- This theme can also go with Margaret because before she passed away, everyone was happy. Then when she didn't wake up and was taken from them, the mother and the father just went down in a deep depression. Malachy went back to drinking, and Angela stopped eating and started to blame herself for the premature death. 


Motif:


Generosity- Everyone tries to help this family whether it is a storekeeper giving away free food, or the neighbor feed them and clothing them for no price at all. 


Plot Summary: Chapter 1


The story starts out talking about the origins of the narrator's mother and how she met the father. Angela was born in New York and came from a neighborhood called Limerick, while the  Malachy was born in Northern Ireland and later moved to New York.  Angela and Malachi both meet in a bar, and he gets her pregnant. Angela's cousins scold Malachy and force him to marry her. He marries Angela and they have a baby boy named Francis. After promising her cousins that she will not have anymore children, later she has another son named after his father. Then soon a miracle happens and Angela gives birth to twin boys. The father always tries to find a job, but every bit of money he earns, he uses it to buy booze. This family suffers much poverty because the father is the only one working.  Eventually they have a baby girl named Margaret and everything changes in their lives.


 This little baby girl changes Malachy. He went to work, brought home money for food, and stopped drinking. This little bundle of joy changed his life. However, the neighbors were getting worried about the children and that they were not getting enough of food and they have very few resources. So they start to help Angela by bringing food and helping take care of the kids. Unfortunately, little Margaret did not live past seven weeks old, and the father regressed back to his drinking. He didn't show up for a long time and Angela started to fall down into a deep depression, leaving the neighbors to take care of all of them. Whenever Malachy comes back, he is usually drunk and wakes up his sons, and makes them say stupid things like "Will you die for Ireland?" Angela tries to look for Malachy, but then he loses his job. Later, the cousin's make a visit telling her Angela how worried they are. One of her cousins, Philomena writes to Aunt Margaret, hoping to get tickets so  that Angela and her children can go to her homeland and make a better life for themselves.


Journal Friday January 6, 2012


I remember someone talking about this book in AP English. I saw that I had this book at home and I decided to read it. In this story, I have pointed out some major themes including: Religion, Alcoholism, and Poverty. The major symbols were Margaret (death of baby girl) and Depression, we have one motif which is Generosity. 


Religion is talked about frequently in this book or referred to on  every other page. In the beginning there is talk about saints. I am a Catholic and I learned more about saints in this book than I do at Catechism. I learned that Saint Anne is the patron of difficult labor, and St. Jude is the patron saint of desperate causes. The cousins who think they are all that, talk about  Catholicism versus Protestants. They talk about how low Malachy's morals are, and how he drinks too much. I actually think of this as more of a contradiction because Catholics are more likely to drink, but that is just my opinion.


 Alcohol is expressed as the anti-depressant in this story. It is the reason for all the problems in the story. Malachy has this drinking problem and he tends to not think when he's drinking. Some things that happen because of his poor choices are getting a girl pregnant, having to get married, and try to support a family. He spends more money on his booze than his family. Of course you have to know that this was Prohibition and everyone was drinking alcohol illegally. The reason alcohol was forbidden because everyone was thinking about the crime rates, family abuse rates, and the violence rates. If you pay attention to the beginning, Malachy was getting involved in some dangerous things because he was in the  IRA, always had trouble getting along with Englishmen, and was always wanted by someone for doing something illegal or misconduct. Today, alcohol is legal everywhere for ages 21 and over, but some families face the problem of a binge drinker or a young drinker. 


I know there had to be some reason why Malachy started drinking. He probably started drinking as more of a conforming issue and then he started doing it for fun. The symbol I would like to point out to you is the tragic death of his baby girl Margaret. Before this little girl was born, he was an alcoholic and spent more of his time at the bar, than with his own family. Then after she comes into the world, everything changes. It is amazing how one little thing baby can change the way the person acts. This little girl was a miracle to this family. Margaret, even though a baby, made her father rethink his life and devote more of his time providing for the family and spending time with her. Then after she died, everything went downhill.


Poverty is well known in this novel. This theme goes with the consumption of alcohol because he is spending more money than taking in more money. The husband's binge drinking leaves his family of five kids and a wife penniless. That money should be used to pay for food including milk for the children so they don't have to drink sugar and water because that is not healthy for them. Angela can only buy food if she has enough money. The children are not getting enough food and most of the time go to bed hungry. They also live in poor conditions and their clothes and diapers are in terrible shape. These diapers were cloth and they had to washed every night.The way it was described washing those clothes was not very pretty. 


This reminds me of the UNICEF commercials and the Christian Children's Fund commercials.You always see a sad child walking on dirt with no shoes, raggedy clothes, and no food. It just warms your heart to know that there are people out there giving money to these organizations to help.The one and only Motif for this chapter is Generosity. It seems that there have been people watching this family. The neighbors bring food to the children, they clothe them, and they take care of them. The neighbors are so nice to the kids that they fascinate about having these ladies as their own mother. That is very sad. Another thing that caught my eye was when Frank stole bananas food stand for his brother. He worries that he will get in trouble with the owner, but it turns out that the guy does have a soft spot inside and he gives Francis a bag a fruit for his family. 


The major themes in this story were Religion, Alcoholism, and Poverty, The symbols were Margaret and Depression, and the motif was Generosity. The Religion part of this story just basically shouts "Catholic". It talks about the religious ceremonies such as baptisms, Holy days of obligation,not eating fish on Fridays. This is a negative message towards protestants. Most of all to Malachy because the cousins believe that he ruined Angela's life. The Alcoholism  and Poverty themes also speak for themselves because it is like the reason you are poor is because you spend your money on booze and not food for your family. The symbols show more of the meaning behind Malachy's ability to drink and not drink. Margaret was his reason to stop drinking and then when she was gone, he started again. She was his non-substance anti-depressant. Depression could combine with the death of Margaret because she caused the mom and the dad to lose themselves. The only motif was Generosity and I believe that was the best thing because many people were helping these kids, It was like almost the entire community started making their life a little bit easier. 


Next Week:

I am thinking of talking a little more about this author because I am not quite familiar with his works.