Name:
Date:
AP English Language Summer Assignment
Over the summer, you will be asked to read Frank McCourt’s
memoir, Angela’s Ashes. Everyone will receive a book, and you
will be expected to:
1. Read it carefully
2. Keep a journal about your progress
3. Post your responses to an online discussion board
4. Write TWO essays that are due during the first week of
school.
Reading Journal
 Obtain a notebook, and make TWO entries per chapter.
 Be sure to mark or indicate page numbers as you need them.
Response Journal Guidelines for Students
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Take time to write down anything in relation to the text. If you're intrigued by certain
statements or if you're attracted to characters or issues or problems, write your response. Try
to take at least five minutes to write when you've finished an assignment or when you've put
your book down for a break. You may want to write something that strikes you then.
Make connections with your own experience. What does the reading make you think of?
Does it remind you of anything or anyone?
Make connections with other texts or concepts or events. Do you see any similarities
between this text (concepts, events) and other texts (concepts, events)? Does it bring to mind
other related issues?
Ask yourself questions about the text: What perplexes you about a particular passage? Try
beginning, "I wonder why..." or "I'm having trouble understanding how...' or "It perplexes
me that..." or "I was surprised when ...."
Try agreeing with the writer. Write down the supporting ideas. Try arguing with the writer.
On what points, or about what issues, do you disagree? Think of your journal as a place to
carry on a dialogue with the writer or with the text in which you actually speak with him or
her. Ask questions; have the writer respond. What happens when you imagine yourself in
his/her shoes?
Write down striking words, images, phrases, or details. Speculate about them. Why did the
author choose them? What do they add to the story? Why did you notice them? Divide your
notebook page in half and copy words from the text onto the left side; write your responses
on the right. On a first reading you might put checks in the margin where the passages
intrigue you; on the second reading, choose the most interesting ideas, then write about
them.
Describe the author's point of view. How does the author's attitude shape the way the writer
presents the material?
Online Discussion
 Every week or so over the summer I will post a question to our class blog.
 You should post your response or comment.
 The question will be related to the section that you should be reading in the text.
Essay Questions
 Choose two of the following questions and write a 2-3 page, typed, double-spaced
essay.
1. Ever present in Angela's Ashes is the Catholic Church. In what ways does the Catholic Church of
McCourt's Ireland hurt its members and limit their experience? How does the Church protect and
nurture its followers? What is Frank's attitude toward the Church?
2. McCourt writes: "I think my father is like the Holy Trinity with three people in him, the one in the
morning with the paper, the one at night with the stories and prayers, and then the one who does the
bad thing and comes home with the smell of whiskey and wants us to die for Ireland." Was this your
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?
3. 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.
4. McCourt titles his memoir Angela's Ashes, after his mother. What significance does the phrase
"Angela's Ashes" acquire by the end of the book?
5. 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?
6. Irish songs and lyrics are prominently featured in Angela's Ashes. How do these lyrics contribute to
the unique voice of this memoir? How does music affect Frank's experiences? How do you think it
continues to influence his memories of his childhood?
7. Frank spent the first four years of his life in the United States. How do his experiences in America
affect Frank's years in Ireland?
8. What techniques does McCourt use to create a distinct voice? How would you describe his voice in
Angela's Ashes?
9.Discuss McCourt's experiences in school. Are you surprised to learn he became a teacher? How do
you think his experiences influenced him?
10. How would you describe McCourt's father, Malachy? What are the different ways Frank McCourt
views his father in the book?