Dear Patrick and Caitlyn,
After reading chapters one and two of Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt, I have begun to understand the hardships that so many people face in our world. Before reading this story, I complained about school, running and other things I thought of as burdens in my life, but then was changed. This heartbreaking story made me realize just how I blessed I was to have such things in my life; they aren't burdens, but are actually gifts! When reading what McCourt said about his miserable childhood, I began to empathize him and be very thankful for what I have. My childhood was blessed with plentiful food, warm shelter, clean clothes, lots of friends, and good health, while his childhood was completely different. McCourt describes his miserable Irish childhood, and says, "...but nothing can compare with the Irish version: the poverty; the shiftless loquacious alcoholic father; the pious defeated mother moaning by the fire; pompous priests; bullying schoolmasters; the English and the terrible things they did to us for eight hundred long years" (McCourt 11). I did not encounter anything close to a struggle like this during my childhood- did either of you two have struggles similar to these?
Another huge problem that the family and children face is hunger. The family consists of five kids at one point- Frank the oldest, Malachy next, the two twins Oliver and Eugene, and finally the lone girl, Margaret. These days, five kids is a lot to feed for a family. But can you imagine feeding five kids when both parents are jobless and the family is receiving to welfare? The young children could have died because of starvation and weakness, for they hardly ever had more than one small meal per day. Frank recalls one day when he was hungry looking for a snack, and says, "I wish I had something to eat but there's nothing in the icebox (refrigerator) but cabbage leaves floating in the melted ice" (McCourt 20). Can you simply imagine opening up you fridge and finding it completely empty? A lot of the time, we all complain that the cupboards and fridge are "empty" and that we are sooooo hungry, but they never are completely empty, rather we see nothing that we like. With the McCourt family, the cupboards and fridge were literally empty. And when they did get food, it didn't matter whether they liked it or not- they were going to eat it anyways, because they never knew when they would be eating next.
The family's issue of hunger is mainly because of the father's drinking problem; when he does have a job, he usually spends the money on alcohol. When his father returns home late one night drunk, Frank's mother says, "Leave these boys alone. They've gone to bed half hungry because you have to fill your belly with whisky" (McCourt 25). This happens most of the time, if the father even has a job. Throughout the story, Frank explains how his father, being an Irishman, has a serious drinking problem and is a very heavy drinker. Irishmen have accustomed the stereotype of being "heavy drinkers" throughout the years because of many men like Frank's father. However, my father is Irish and hardly ever drinks, and never has drank much, showing this stereotype is false yet common. If Frank's father held a job and stayed sober, the family would have been much more financially secure, had plenty to eat, could have been warmer, and could have stayed healthier, and maybe all five children could have been alive rather than just two. I have noticed that this is one way in which culture shapes our identity today, yet unfortunately in a negative way for many Irish-Americans.
I feel terrible about the family losing baby Margaret and the two twins, Oliver and Eugene, in a span of a year. Sickness, poverty and hunger have killed the children. The deaths have torn the family to pieces and have caused Frank's father the drink even more. Frank tells the reader that his mother wants a girl in the family because four boys is so much. He says, "She wishes for one little girl all for herself. She'd give up anything for one little girl" (McCourt 22). Weeks after they get the little bundle of joy, they lose it, and soon after both the twins. I can't even imagine how horrible the family must feel right now- losing three children in a span of a year would make me kill myself. However, they push on, showing that they may have many faults, but are a strong, tough Irish family. I am lucky enough to have only lost two grandparents, one of which I never knew because she died before I was born. Losing my grandfather was hard enough. When I see stories of how a child was murdered, one had died, I couldn't imagine myself surviving without them as a sibling or parent. Would you be able to manage just as the McCourt family is doing? Have you ever lost a few relatives in a short period of time? If so, what did it feel like?
I am also beginning to understand how culture shapes our identity today. As I mentioned before, many Irishmen are seen stereo-typically as heavy drinkers. Also, the family uses different dialect than most Americans do and their lifestyle is more Irish than Americans. For example, what we call a pub or bar, the Irish call a speakeasy. Also, Frank calls his mother Angela "Mam" rather than "Mom" which is more traditional for Americans. I also noticed that culture shapes our identity when Frank is with Freddie Leibowitz, and says,"Papa. That is what Freddie calls his father and Dad is what I call my father" (McCourt 35). Freddie Leibowitz is most likely Polish or Eastern European judging by his last name, which is why there is a difference in the way the two children speak. In my own family today, my uncle still says "the little buggers" when he's talking about a nuisance or annoyance he encounters, which was used commonly by Irish back then. Is there anything that your family does or says that helps show how culture shapes our identity today?
As sad as this story is, I am thoroughly enjoying and can't wait to keep reading! Hope you feel the same!
Yours truly,
Neil J.
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