"Mam turns toward the dead ashes in the fire...Michael who is only five... wants to know if we’re having fish and chips tonight because he’s hungry. Mam says, Next week, love, and he goes back out to play in the lane."
- Place yourself in Angela's shoes; how would you feel having to force the restraint of food going into your child? Turning your child away- saying they will eat, next week.
- Is Malachy fully to blame? Should their have been actions prior, to prevent the deep hole the Frank family is now buried in?
- Angela's intelligence: marrying Malachy; having children?
- OTHER IDEAS:
- After Angela threatens to go to England herself to find work, Frank’s father decides to leave for England and find work in a factory. The family has very high hopes to finally be released from the general feeling of poverty. -- Responsibility shown in Malachy's character -- Has he taken this action for his family, or to escape?
- Serious situations: As I predicted towards the beginning of the novel, several common themes are now taking a serious stand; in which we began to see forming during the first few chapters...
- Hunger: An egg a week seems as an unrealistic dream to Frank.
- With high hopes that possibly, the near future may show a peaceful lifestyle for the McCourt's (no longer living in poverty), Malachy is expected to bring money home from England. Later, it is discovered that Malachy has "gone mad with the drink," as he spends all of his money in bars.
- Malachy is continuously letting is own family down; Why doesn't he care? Is this addiction serious enough to overpower the health of Malachy's family? At this point in time, the "wants" of the McCourt family are no longer seen; however, it is the "needs" that are unrealistically "needed."
Going Further:
- No money = No food = Non- survival.
- This, is the endpoint in which Malachy will cause if his responsibilities continue to under-seek his addictions.
Jenna S.
If I were put in Angela's shoes, it would be extremely difficult to force myself to deprive my children of food. As well, I don't believe the entire blame should be put on Malachy even though self-control is difficult to maintain, but which he should have at least attempted to keep a job. The blame could also be put on Angela because it seemed to me that she took a lot of time to herself because she was over-whelmed, sad, etc. I think that if anyone had [the most] responsibility, it was Frank because he was being forced to mature at a very young age in order to help his parents take care of his siblings in their time of need.
ReplyDeleteFor the last bullet under "Other Ideas," I think that it is very hard for Malachy to stop his old ways and there way be the possibility that he does not want to stop. It is possible that Malachy doesn't care for his family and has the mindset to continue wasting "their" money.
I feel as though Angela is partly to blame; I often question her intelligence regarding the marriage between her and Malachy. However, as you stated, Angela takes time off due to her feeling of sadness, overwhelmed... I must not question Angela for this. After placing myself in her shoes, I would find it hard to complete basic tasks on a day-to-day basis. Without an income, what is a person to do? In this case, entering a stage of depression is what "comforted" Angela.
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