1
Kristin Donadio
1. Countless Memoirs have been published recently, yet Angela’s Ashes stands out. What
makes this memoir so unique and compelling?
Angela’s Ashes is a unique and compelling memoir. This memoir stands out due to both the
author’s writing style and the story line. The author is very forward with his writing. With this,
the reader is captured by the memoir’s truth and honesty. Also, the impoverished McCourt
Family’s story makes the memoir one of a kind. This family starves daily, with little to no food.
They live a nomadic lifestyle, moving from one house to the next, as their struggles to pay rent
always seem to catch up to them. The “father” of the family does not truly live up to his duties as
father. He is almost never present in the families lives. He spends nights drinking away the
wages for the family, and comes home drunk. When he is sober, he has a special relationship
with his sons and wife, but this relationship is obliterated by his carelessness. The family also
suffers the death of more than one children/siblings. Not many people have the heartbreaking
and horrific experience of losing a family member, and this memoir helps portray how it can be a
difficult time to get through, but it goes by eventually and all moves on. The culture portrayed
throughout this memoir also makes it unique. To read about the Irish Catholic church is
interesting. The author also takes a new perspective on how the church works and how Irish
families are involved with the church. Readers also learn about life in Ireland. This compelling
story of the poverty, death, and culture is what makes this story so unique. The family’s situation
has the ability to make the reader more aware and grateful of his or her own life.
2
Kristin Donadio
4. McCourt writes… Was this your first impression of Frank McCourt’s father? How can
Frank write about his father without bitterness? What part did Malachy play in creating
the person that Frank eventually became?
I think this quote sums up Frank’s father’s existence in Frank’s life perfectly. Frank’s father,
Malacky portrayed himself in many different ways to his sons. He loved them with all his heart,
told them stories, and cared for them. However, he also treated them unfairly. He was a selfish
man. He spent nights spending the family’s wages on drinks, coming home drunk numerous
evenings; this left his family starving and without proper living arrangements or clothing. I
always had hope in the back of my head that when the family was going through the toughest of
times, that Malacky would realize his wrong doings, come back home to his family, and fix his
broken ways; however, this never happened, and that is upsetting. One day when Malacky comes
home drunk, Angela says, “leave those boys alone. They’re gone to bed half hungry because you
have to fill your belly with whiskey” (25). Despite Malacky’s broken ways, he was still Frank’s
father. Frank writes about his father without bitterness, because a child always has a special love
towards him or her parents, no matter what decisions they make. Frank was able to forgive his
father for his negative actions and accept him for mostly the good things he did. Forgiveness is a
higher power to accomplish, and Frank accomplished it towards his father, which is beautiful. In
the end, Malachy helps Frank become the tough, good-willed person he turned out to be. His
father’s flaws just made Frank stronger. Frank had to learn how to fend for his family on his
own. In his father’s absence, he learned to please his mother while also caring for his children.
His father’s absence caused Frank to mature faster that he would if he had a father present all the
time. Frank had to become independent and find a job on his own, so he could provide for his
family while his father was not.
3
Kristin Donadio
5. Women—in particular mothers—play a significant role in Angela's Ashes. Recall the
scenes between Angela and her children; the MacNamara sisters (Delia and Philomena)
and Malachy; Aunt Aggie and young Frank; Angela and her own mother. In what ways
do these interactions reflect the roles of women within their families? Discuss the ways in
which Angela struggles to keep her family together in the most desperate of
circumstances.
Women have extremely important roles within families. When I am facing a challenge that I
can’t solve on my own, I go directly to my mother for advice. When I need comfort, my mother
is always ready. Mothers are caring, gentle, and helpful people who hold a special place in
families’ lives. When the McCourt Family couldn’t live in America anymore, they traveled to
Ireland, where they stayed with Angela’s mother for some time. Angela’s mother, although not
the nicest person in the world, was there for her daughter. Angela believes her family is
extremely important. When they are sick, she does everything she can to get proper medicine.
When they are hungry, she makes a way to supply food. If they have no clothes, she finds some.
When Angela’s husband spends all the wages on alcohol, Angela takes matters into her own
hands. Angela takes the children to where her husband and their father works and tries to get his
wages herself. Frank explains, “She wants to know if she can go inside to where the men are paid
and maybe they’d give her some of Dad’s wages so he wouldn’t spend it in the bars” (26).
Angela makes every effort to provide for her family. When Frank becomes sick and is sent to the
hospital, Angela visits whenever she can. Angela also finds a way for her children to have an
education.
4
Kristin Donadio
7. Despite the McCourts' horrid poverty, mind-numbing starvation, and devastating
losses,Angela's Ashes is not a tragic memoir. In fact, it is uplifting, triumphant even. How
does McCourt accomplish this?
Tragedy is present throughout the memoir of the McCourt’s life. Sicknesses, death, and
poverty create a difficult life for the McCourt’s. However, the memoir is not completely
depressing. The McCourt family lived an adventure, rather than a tragedy. The family seems to
make the best of certain situations. For example, when the downstairs in their house flooded,
they turned it into fun by calling upstairs “Ireland” and downstairs “Italy.” Going to the movies,
playing with friends, and spending time with family all made life for the McCourt children
happier. Poverty for the McCourts made receiving little things more special, even having full
hard boiled eggs. * When Frank became sick, overcoming his sickness made life even more
meaningful. Losing McCourt siblings/children made Frank and Malacky more special.
Frank’s had a desire to go to America through the whole book. This was his dream. He worked
towards this goal and eventually it came true. Having Frank accomplish his goals gave the book
a happier, more hopeful tone. Before he leaves for America he thinks, “I want to get pictures of
Limerick stuck in my head in case I never come back.” He remembers all the times he had in
Limerick, good or bad. Overall, a sense of “contentness” is felt by the reader. A sense of
accomplishment, that Frank’s life was good, and all the negative moments never happened. A
sense of childhood, where the reader remembers his or her own life, in comparison with Franks.
The conclusion of the book gives off a feeling that all the McCourt Family went through did
happen for a reason, and was meant to be.