Dear Caitlyn and Patrick,
In chapters three through seven, I am again noticing that the McCourt family can't catch a break, and they are continuously being weakened by the many hardships they have. However, there are once again small miracles and the occasional joyful moment that makes their hard lives a bit more bearable. I feel horrible for Angela who is undergoing post-traumatic stress syndrome when she hallucinates seeing Oliver and Eugene talking with each other. This causes the family to move once again to a small home on Roden Lane. Frank explains to the reader, saying, "She sees him (Eugene) climbing the bed to look out at the street for Oliver and sometimes she sees Oliver outside and Eugene inside, the two of them chatting away" (McCourt 91). I think that Angela has seen too many of her children die, and she is most likely filled with guilt and sadness which are driving her near insanity. She recognizes this problem and knows she must move out before she needs to seek mental treatment, which is a smart idea. If I were in Angela's position, I think I would be even worse off than she is- Angela is an incredibly strong woman, which Frank is obviously trying to get across to the reader. After all, the book is called Angela's Ashes. How do you think you would react to the death of three of your children in a short span of time?
The McCourt family is also undergoing many hardships because of their poverty. Just as they finish moving their secondhand furniture from all the way across Limerick and become satisfied with their home, they find that the lavoratory in their backyard is for eleven families which will smell bloody awful. They can't clean it either because they are too poor to afford coal to boil water needed to wash it. Can you imagine the smell you'd have to endure from a bathroom that is never cleaned and is used by over fourty people? These days, we complain about foul smells- yet these are temporary and usually stay in the bathroom. The McCourts had to smell this all day long; I don't know how they would be able to function. Breathing would be nauseating and they probably would not even want to eat with a smell like that in the air; I know I wouldn't! And as soon as he gets a job, Malachy Sr. returns to drinking his money away, which makes it much harder than it should be for the family. Frank said, "If he sings Roddy McCorley, it means he had only the price of a pint or two. If he sings Kevin Barry, it means he had a good day, that he is now falling down drunk and ready to get us out of bed..." (McCourt 95). The last paragraph on page 95 also gives horrifying imagery for the reader that also shows the family's poverty. Then, the boys are made fun of at school because they are so poor, which they obviously cannot help. Can you imagine being made fun of because your father is a drunk who can't support the family and you've lost three siblings in the past year?
Through the text, I am able to relate the McCourt's religious life to my own. The "angel of the seventh step" gives Frank and his family faith and trust in what is to happen. In fact, Frank believes this angel is always there and waiting to help him. He says, "I sit on the seventh step a long time and I'm sure the angel is there. I tell him all the things you can't tell your mother or father for fear of being hit on the head or told go out and play" (McCourt 106). This angel, whether real or imagined, helps Frank in his times of need. I think of the angel as a friend, a loved one, that you can trust through thick and thin. In my religion, Roman Catholicism, we also believe in angels like these; Frank is also Roman Catholic. Angels and saints watch over us, protect us, help us, and bless throughout our daily lives. Different saints and angels serve for different purposes. The McCourt's angel of the seventh step is like the angels and saints I pray to for guidance and other purposes, just as Frank does. When I pray, I also pray to the guardian angel, saying:
Angel of God,
my guardian dear,
to whom God's love commits me here,
ever this night,
be at my side
to light and guard,
to rule and guide.
Amen.
Frank may say a similar pray, but because of cultural differences, it may not be exactly the same. Do you have a religious figure(s) or human that you go to for help? Why can you trust them?
I also remember my First Communion like Frank did, but again there were differences because of how culture shapes us. During preparation, I learned more about my faith, who I was called to be, and how I should act, just as Frank was. However, Frank says, "The master says it's a glorious thing to die for the Faith and Dad says it's a glorious thing to die for Ireland..." (McCourt 113). I was not taught this until I was much older and much mature, which shows how culture shapes our identity. Ireland was more crude and blunt than today's America; we are not hit when we make mistakes, and it is okay to mess up. Okay, now getting back to religion. I also looked forward to getting money and presents on the day of my First Communion and almost missed the entire point of it. You both made your First Communion, I know that much. What can you recall from that day? I also made my First Reconciliation before my First Communion, yet in Ireland, they had that flip-flopped. Do you notice any other main differences between your faith experience and Franks? Happy reading!
Yours truly,
Neil J.
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