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.