Angela's Ashes Blog # 2

10 LOADED WORDS



1. Fright. page 47. This word is loaded because it shows the extent of how scared the boy was when the dad snapped at him. The author is using this word to show that the child wasn't just a little scared, but very frightened by the tone of voice and context his father was using.



2 Grown- Ups. Page 50. This is a loaded word because it shows that the people in the story were older than the other characters in this story, as well as having mature conversations about serious issues. The author used this word to express that these people were older and viewed as GROWN UP children , who no longer liked to do child things.



3. Free. Page 52. Free is a loaded word because it means taht a country has freedoms, and the people are allowed to do what they want, but it is not always controlled as well as it was when another country had control of it, and some people liked it better that way. The author used it the way he did in this story because he needed to show the level of thought that was going through these characters heads, and how they expressed them.



4. American. Page 57. This is a loaded word because people in other countries tend to dislike American people. They think that they are rich, and wealthy, as well as stuck up and rude. The author used this word because he wanted to show the reaction of people to the American people.



5. Ancient Ireland. Page 60. This is loaded because to different people ancient can mean different things. To an elderly person, ancient may mean something completely differerent than what a younger person may believe. The author used this word to show what ancient meant to Malachy.



6. Child. Page 62. This is a loaded word because adults always look at kids as children, but kids always view themselves as young adults, or something along those lines. The author uses this term to show how the adults are viewing the kids' behavior and being during this chapter.



7. Immortal. Page 65. This is a loaded word because people think they are immortal, but really everybody dies at some point. The author uses this word to show how people are thinking during a part of this story.



8. Poor. Page 66. This is a loaded word because people that are poor do think of themselves as less fortunate as others, but do not dwell on it because they need to find ways to manage and come up with food for the week, etc. Frank McCourt (The author) uses this word to describe how the family was feeling and was viewed as when they moved to Ireland, and had a hard time coming up with food, and money, from day to day.



9. Millionaire. Page 67. This word is loaded because people who are millionaires still want to have more money, and the people who have less money want to become millionaires. This term was used by the author to show that just like all over the world, people in Ireland have varied salaries based on jobs, as well as how many people in the family need to be provided for, etc.



10. Lunatic Asylum. This is a loaded word because this word has other meanings which could be less offensive to people. Frank uses this term in the book because he wants to show the language that was used in those times, as well as showing how people were feeling when they said that somebody should be thrown in a Lunatic Asylum, or when they felt that with everything going on, they would need to be admitted.





SUMMARY



When the family arrives in Ireland, they stay with Malachy's parents. They are told that there is no work in Ireland, so they are advised to go talk with the IRA to set something up where they could recieve money to support the family until a real job offer comes along. In Dublin, Malachy tells the IRA that he was in the service, but the man cannot find record of this, and refuses to give them any money. The family then goes to a local police station, and spends the night there. The family then goes to Limerick to stay with Angela's family, for a night. Her family then helps them find a room to stay in, with only one mattress, that ends up being infested with fleas. A few days later, Angela wakes up with a white face, and blood spots on the floor, indicating that she had a miscarriage, and must go to the hospital for a few days. They find out that they will only be getting 19 schillings a week, which will hardly keep them living. Oliver then becomes ill, and dies. The day after the funeral, Malachy spends all of his money on drinks. The family moves again, and the boys begin school. 6 months later, Eugene dies from Pnemonia. Malachy once again copes with the loss by drinking.

Personal Reaction.
My reaction to this section was that this family has had a very unfortunate life thus far. They have had to deal with many losses, including many of their children. The father still has a drinking problem and sometimes fails to support his family. The other members of the family seem to cope fairly well to all of these tragedies, considering how many their have been. Thus far, Frank seems to be the strongest memeber of the family.