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Meine Frage:
Angela´s Ashes

AUTHOR

Frank McCourt, the book?s author, narrator and protagonist tells us about his miserable childhood and own life story.

IRELAND
Ireland, officially the Republic of Ireland is an island nation in the North Atlantic Ocean. Almost 85% are total land-mass and Northern Ireland which is part of the United Kingdom. Religion and religious practice have a high esteem in Ireland. The majority of the populations are Roman Catholics. Irish and English are the most widely spoken languages in Ireland. Typically is that pubs and bars are important meeting places. This is one of the reasons why the Irish people have alcohol problems.
ALCOHOL PROBLEMS in IRELAND
Alcohol is a common disorder in the world today. Ireland is one of the 26 nation in the European Union with high alcohol consume. The Irish people drink more as the average and Binge-drinking is popular. Drinking is almost a part of the culture in Ireland? People will like feel good, no realize something, reduce stress, to be cool.... Every seven hours, someone in Ireland dies from an alcohol-related illness. Still the cancer rate, suicide rate.... under the population are high from alcohol. This problems costs Ireland estimated ?3.7 billion.
SUMMARY
Angela's Ashes is a history from a young man called Frank McCourt. He has a miserable childhood and was the breadwinner from the family. His mother Angela grew up in a slum in Limerick with her family . She marries despite her family a man from the North, without a job, money and who is an alcoholic.
Angela and Malachy marries in New York and they son Frankie is born. After Angela get twins (Oliver and Eugene). Malachy is always looking for a job. When he gets a job after a short time he lost it. So he can´t work, smells after alcohol and sings Ireland songs as Kevin Barry.
The family has a very poverty-stricken life: children have no more to eat, the babies get a bottle with sugar.... Malachy drinks only the little money he has in the pubs.
Since Margrethe is born, Malachy don´t drink alcohol and he is very happy to have a nice girl. But Margrethe is sick and dies by poor living conditions. This was a reason why Malachy starts again with alcohol. He comes home with an alcohol smell and wakes the children up. They must promise that they would die for Ireland. Still Angela suffers from depression. The children have not to eat, the rooms are unclean....
Subsequently family Mc Court will start a new life in Limerick/Ireland. Angela's mother pays the rent of their house and they get from the charity at the St. Vincent de Paul Society secondhand furniture ... The money from the charity is very little for the family. In Limerick it always rains. However the family has not a better life there. Malachy accent is a problem in Limerick. This is not only the problem. He has always alcohol problems. Six months after Margreth the twins die from pneumonia. So Malachy drinks more and more. Angela cries and is worry that her other children could die. Sometimes the children must ask the shops for food.
The family move out to a cheap house but there is a lavatory for everyone in the neighborhood. The kitchen floods and they must live upstairs in winter and called it Italy. In summer there are flies and rats in front of the door.
At Christmas the families get a sheep's or pig head from the St. Vincent. However Angela shames of her life. Even at Christmas Frankie and his brother Malachy must seek coals for the fire along the street. The children see from the window that other children, families are happy eating Christmas meals in their warm house.
Finally Malachy gets his first job in a cement factory. He doesn't leave the house without collar, cap and tie. He says that he will never sink low. The family dreams from cups, saucers', furniture's. But he lost his job after 3 weeks and the family wouldn´t speak with him. He drinks his pints from Friday to Monday. Angela gets a son who calls Alphansus (Alphie). But the family hasn´t milk for the new baby or coal for a warm house. After all Malachy drinks the money he has in a pub.
Frankie tells that his father has 3 peoples in him. In the morning he is a man who reads the newspaper, at night a man with stories, prays something and the last that smells of whiskey. Frankie tells that communion was the happiest day in Frankie's life. He gets new clothes, a lot of sweets and good meals.
But Frankie is sick and has typhoid. He must for a long time to (in a) the hospital. He is sad because his father hasn´t a job but happy that he get meals in the hospital.
Furthermore is Frankie a natural ability in writing and reading. In the school many boys are without shoes. But Frankie shames for his stick rubber (Gummi) tires (Reifen) boots. So he dreams from a job in America, warm place, shoes ... America is for him a land of opportunity.
During the World War II Malachy leaves the family to work in England and promise to send money. So the family dreams from a better life, a house with electric light... but the McCourt's sinks deeper into poverty. The charity will stop help the family because Angela has a man in England who works in a factory. But Malachy never sends money back to his family. Even Angela is sick and has pneumonia. So Frankie must care for the family and steal food and milk from a shop.
He is working for his neighbour Mr. Hannon who has bad legs by delivering coal. Subsequently Frankie suffers from conjunctivitis but he wouldn´t lost his job. He reads the newspaper for the Buddhist Mr. Timoney, deliver newspapers, writes nasty letters for the mean-spirited Mr. Finucand. Some days he helps himself and takes money from her pocket. Frankie feels like a man and helps his family for a time. He loves Shakespeare. At Christmas Malachy comes back to Limerick for 2 days without money and smells after alcohol. He says that the war in England makes all difficult and go back to England. But the family is angry and never hears something about Malachy.
Angela is forced to live with her cousin Laman Griffin. She hasn´t money and can't pay the rent. Frankie is angry of his mother because she sleeps with Laman G. Also Frankie and Laman wrangle and he begins to live with his uncle Ab. They arranged Frankie a job as telegram boy. During delivery newspapers Frankie begins a sexual relationship with Theresa Carmody. She is sick and a few times later Frankie's first love dies. He goes to the church to pray for her and for his dark doings with her. His brother Malachy goes to the army to be a soldier. But after he comes back and waiting of the day he can go to America. Frankie wouldn´t do an exam for the post office to be a post officer for a lifetime.
Frankie is 19 and takes a ticket in a travel agency to live his dream in America.

CHARAKTER: Frank McCourt
Frankie is born in NY and is the eldest child. His siblings are: Malachy, Michael, Alphie. The twin Eugene, Oliver and Margareth dies by poor living conditions.
Frankie grows in (by) poverty and plagued by hunger. His mother Angela suffers from depression and shames for her life. The father Malachy is an alcoholic. So he can't work and drinks the money his has away.
But Frankie is a very sensitive, thoughtful, streetwise, intelligent person and he loves reading, listening to the radio, hearing Shakespeare stories and dreams from a better life with electric light. Frankie is optimistic about the future and wants to America. He will not stay in Limerick and get a job lifelong in the post office. So he refuses a life as his parents. Frankie's is a person with ambition. His target is to save money and get a better life in America. He starts to spend money for a ticket and has some jobs. Finally, he has the money for a ticket and goes to America to live his Dreams.
My opinion of the book:
I liked the book, because it´s a really history. The history is about a family (life from the author) who has a bad life. They live in poverty, lack of food, has an alcoholic father, illness and despite all many children. In the history you can see how a family can and must live so a life. The darks sides from a culture, alcohol problems, depression and a life in poverty. Even you can see the ethnic and religious background. It´s a wonderful history but it makes me sad.

Meine Ideen:
Es ist ziemlich viel, kann mir vielleicht diesen Text korregieren