English 4950

Frank McCourt 's memoir , Angela 's Ashes , tells the story of Frank 's childhood and adolescence in Limerick , Ireland . Born in New York to Irish immigrants Malachy and Angela Sheehan , Frank , together with his brothers Malachy and the twins , as well as their parents , return to live in their home country after the death of their baby daughter Margaret sends Angela and Malachy into a downward spiral . The hardships the family faced in New York were , however , nowhere compared to the poverty they faced in Limerick . According to Frank , what the children had

was a miserable childhood . [but] worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood , and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood (McCourt , 9

Back in Ireland , troubles continue to hound the family : Angela suffers a miscarriage , which winds her up in the charity ward of the hospital the twins Eugene and Oliver die from pneumonia , complicated by poor nutrition and unhealthy living conditions their father Malachy continues his drinking binge , spending the little money he has in the pub instead of buying food for his children . Driven by his wife 's ultimatum , Malachy leaves his family behind in the midst of World War II , with the intent of going to work in a British factory . He promises to send money back to Angela , yet his promises turn to dust . Week after week , Angela waits in vain for the promised money from England Eventually , crushing poverty forces her to move in with her cousin Laman Griffin , who treats both Angela and her sons cruelly

It is in such dire straits that Frank and his brothers reach adolescence . However , despite the bleakness that surrounded him , Frank nevertheless took up the challenge with humor and intelligence , allowing him to break through the barriers set up by poverty and to overcome the limitations imposed upon him by the larger society . The memoir even moves beyond the portrayal of a miserable Irish Catholic childhood embracing and celebrating in its pages the Irishman , seemingly downtrodden in his burden and plight , yet nevertheless emerging triumphant , a victorious individual in the midst of gloom . An important motif that gives a deep insight into this theme of glory is the deft and skillful use of Irish music and song throughout the novel . Frank McCourt 's use of music in the novel can be read in several ways . First the use of Irish music is an assertion of identity as they struggled with the threat of becoming faceless entities in both America and Ireland . Second , music , being an intellectual pursuit , is tantamount to private ownership . Finally , in the McCourt household , it is a ritualized act , an act that strives to make sense of the senseless brutality faced by Frank and his family

McCourt 's style of interweaving traditional Irish songs within the frame of the novel is explicit right from the opening chapter . Malachy the father is pictured staggering down the lane ' after a night of drinking porter in the pubs of Limerick...