Preview

Analysis of the character of Frank McCourt in the story "Angela's Ashes"

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
496 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Analysis of the character of Frank McCourt in the story "Angela's Ashes"
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."

--Mahatma Gandhi

An assertive statement from the late Mahatma Gandhi pertaining to a person's struggle that no matter how unfortunate a person's circumstances may become, in the long run, a deserving achievement awaits him. I do agree to this statement. Everyone experiences similar kinds of battle, no matter how small it can be each in our own different ways. Frank McCourt, being the main character in his own memoir Angela's Ashes, endeavors through his society and growing up.

Frank McCourt shared his own fight through his memoir Angela's Ashes. The setting was mostly during the 1930's in Ireland where inequalities among the rich and the poor were distinctively obvious. When he and his father, Malachy McCourt, went to a church and had him signed up to be an altar boy, the minister did not even bother to look at them and slammed the door right on their faces. Not only had other people treated them badly but their own relatives as well. His mother's relatives taunted him and his family in a different way although they were more supportive than his father's relatives were. The grandmother always made dreadful remarks about how his mother married a useless man from the North of Ireland and how he got those "odd manners" form his father. These events clearly stated how society tormented him and his family by class distinction and conflicts between relatives and families.

Frank McCourt's childhood was moved by a common factor--his eagerness to know the realities of life. He portrayed an Irish-American kid who lived in the Great Depression of the 1930's in America and in the agonizing poverty of Ireland. He wanted to help his family from the poverty they were in, at a very young age. He say three of his six siblings died during his childhood. He had a father who was most of the time drunk and does nothing, literally, to establish a family. He had to risk school in order to earn

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Frank McCourt’s memoir, Angela’s Ashes, depicts to role of the family in times of hardship and great desperation. Despite the fact that young Frankie’s family, who lives in Ireland half a world away from his home in New York, has been torn for several years, we see the McCourts turn to them in their time of need. By leaving New York and returning to Ireland, the McCourts placed themselves in an even more financially depressed state; though not without struggle, they were able to…

    • 1111 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Angelas Ashes

    • 625 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In chapter two the McCourt family travels back to Ireland to Malachy and Angela’s parents. When arriving to Franks father’s parents in Antrin, Northern Ireland they are greeted by Grandpa who is civilized to Angela but not overly friendly unlike Grandma who barely acknowledges her presence. Frank’s father is hoping to find a job in Ireland however Grandma tell him that it is difficult in Ireland too and he is better off going to the IRA to receive money for his service. However they have no record of his service. This is just the beginning of the hardship the McCourt’s faced upon their arrival. By the end of the chapter both the twins have died and now Angela is even more set in a neurotic state with the death of her three children and husbands drinking addiction. At the end of the chapter…

    • 625 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In this hard world where winning is more important than participating you would sometimes almost forget to be generous from time to time. But when I read Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt I got a completely different view on generosity and the importance of it. This memoir is about the miserable Irish Catholic childhood of the writer. And I think that after this essay you will see that acts of generosity can make the lives of the poor better and that those people afterwards can also help other poor people.…

    • 1230 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Frank McCourt’s memoir Angela’s Ashes follows McCourt through his life from youthfulness to maturity, from misfortune to comfort, and from family to independence. Throughout his memoir, McCourt’s experiences provide for a strong central message for his readers: although at times it may seem impossible for an individual to reach success, overcoming the obstacles and limitations imposed by society makes becoming successful an even greater accomplishment. During the course of his novel, McCourt shows how he found himself throughout his life. Even though it took a long time for Frank to come of age, this process is shown in three stages: regret, realization, and reassurance.…

    • 678 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Adversity can bring out the positive and negative sides in a person. In “The Proof of Worth,” Edgar Albert Guest demonstrates how challenges in life can help someone understand what he or she is capable of during a hardship. Similarly, “The Importance of Adversity in Growth and Development” written by Patrick Kohan exemplifies how children will never learn how to conquer an obstacle if they are always given assistance. Furthermore, Laura Hillenbrand’s novel, Unbroken, indicates that experiencing problems can affect the way a person’s body reacts and thinks about a difficult moment. Ultimately, the authors highlight that obstacles can be a complex or helpful task, as well as benefit people in the future when they need to know their true talents.…

    • 278 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    The three most important scenes in my opinion were life changing not only to Francis but to his family also. The first scene is the death of baby Margaret. Francis' parents get sad and the two cousins of Angela step in and send them away to Ireland to suffer even more. The next scene I chose is when Malachy Sr. went to England (the second time) and disappears from their lives. Francis really did become the man of the house after that. The third scene I thought was important was when Francis decided not to take the exam to become a permanent messenger boy. He thought that would stop him from doing what he wanted. Two of the scenes made Francis' life harder, while the other one probably changed his life in a good way forever. There are other important scenes along with these but these are some that paved Francis’ life onto what they are.…

    • 1176 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    List two main points discussed in “The Education of Frank McCourt.” What was the piece about? What should a reader take from the article?…

    • 6800 Words
    • 28 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Angela's Ashes Analysis

    • 465 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Frank McCourt’s memoir, Angela’s Ashes, details his miserable childhood with honesty and humor. McCourt suffers through poverty, damaging effects of alcohol, and religious morals. Despite all the hardships he faces while growing up, he still achieves his dream of traveling to America. Thus, readers sympathize with McCourt’s message of “this too shall pass” because of his unique writing style and engaging storyline.…

    • 465 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ruther-Fraud B. Hayes

    • 659 Words
    • 3 Pages

    “the honor of success is increased by the obstacles which are to be surmounted. Let me triumph as a man or not at all.”…

    • 659 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “The battles we fight within ourselves are the ones which ultimately define who we are’’…

    • 848 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Frederick Douglas one said, “If there is no struggle there is no progress”. Douglas is expressing how people have to go through a lot of hard work. People have to get through obstacles to move forward with their life starting with school, tragedies, jobs and other things to achieve their goals. Certain people don’t get through things as easy as others so it’s a harder struggle but if you keep moving forward and doing what is best to stay on track you will get progress and be where you need to be in order to do what you want to do in your life.…

    • 880 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Night Reflection Essay

    • 634 Words
    • 3 Pages

    When we think we can't push anymore, we can push a little harder. When we think we're done, we're not. Our society has grown up under the impression that we aren't good enough, we're not strong enough, or we're not fast enough. So ever since I've heard that, I have pushed harder than I thought was possible, pushed past the limit. However at the same time it also personally impacts me because in the concentration camps they had to persevere, a lot. And I can relate a lot to perseverance because I have grown up swimming and the hard practices take a lot of perseverance. “Night” by Elie Wiesel teaches us all to persevere through the hard times and push ourselves past the limit. This is why I chose this…

    • 634 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Adversity is either chosen or brought upon someone; either way, the obstacle is either overcome or not. No matter wealth, age, or location, all people face adversity for it is synonymous with life. Life is the struggle for survival and success and order, while adversity is the representation of disorder and failure. Without either, it would be impossible to differentiate one’s achievements from one’s failures. Overcoming adversity is the basis of all great, successful people similarly to how concrete and steel is the foundation of all astonishing architectural structures.…

    • 731 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Kevin Conroy once said, “Everyone is handed adversity in life. No one’s journey is easy. It’s how they handle it that makes people unique.” Dictionary.com defines adversity as “adversity n. adverse or unfavorable fortune or fate; a condition marked by misfortune, calamity, or distress.” Adversity is something that everyone will experience at some point in his life; however, some people face greater adversities than others. Morrie Schwartz and Elie Wiesel are two men that faced two of the greatest adversities that this world knows. Elie is a survivor of Adolf Hitler’s destruction of the Holocaust, and Morrie Schwartz was a simple man who lost a battle to Lou Gehrig’s disease, or ALS. Both of these men’s lives have been captured in best-selling…

    • 1039 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As everyday life goes on, human beings are constantly faced with challenges that require sacrifices. In Frank McCourt’s memoir titled Angela’s Ashes, he talks about the constant battles his family has with life. He faces issues that no child should have to deal with leading up to his adolescent years: deaths, poverty, hunger, and toil. McCourt titled this memoir as a tribute to remember his mother’s unremarkable suffering. His purpose demonstrates that regardless of the experiences one goes through, it is critical to understand that life must go on and recuperation is part of life. McCourt’s use of tone in the memoir is a perfect combination of bitter, but quite inviting to keep the reader absorbed. McCourt uses tactile, olfactory, and visual imagery to identify the challenges his family goes through; his purpose is for the readers to identify themselves in similar situations and to let them know everything will work out for the better in the end.…

    • 1012 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays