Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1930, McCourt is the eldest son of Malachy and Angela McCourt. He is joined by brother Malachy in 1931, twins Oliver and Eugene in 1932, and a sister, Margaret, in 1933. After the death of his sister Margaret when she was only a few weeks old, his parents move the family back to their native Ireland, where his younger twin brothers both die within a year of the family's arrival and where Frank's youngest brothers, Michael (b. 1936) and Alphie (b. 1940) are born.
Life in Ireland, and specifically life in Limerick City, in the 1930s and 1940s is described in all its grittiness. The family lives in a dilapidated lane of houses that regularly floods, and share one outdoor toilet with all their neighbours. Although his father teaches the children Irish stories and songs, he is an alcoholic and seldom finds work, and so they live on the dole (unemployment) or charity while the father spends days drinking in bars. For years the family subsists mostly on bread and tea. (Divorce was illegal in Ireland until 1997).
Frank's father finally gains employment during World War II at a defense plant in Coventry, England. In this situation, he finds it easy to drink away most of his wages, and only once does he send any money back to the struggling family in Ireland. Their mother is destitute, as there are not many jobs for women at the time. Angela's sister and her widowed mother begrudge any help they have to give her, because they disapprove of her husband, mostly because he hails from Northern Ireland and therefore he has a strange accent and what Angela's family calls 'the odd manner.' The McCourt family are continually afraid of going to hell if they do not pray or confess often enough as specified by the church.
In the damp, cold climate of Ireland, the children have only one set of ragged clothing each, patched shoes and no coats or boots. Frank develops typhoid and chronic conjunctivitis, and is hospitalized. Sometimes Frank and his brothers have to scavenge for lumps of coal or peat turf for fuel, or steal bread to survive. The family is finally evicted after Frank yanks out wall beams to burn for winter heat, causing the roof to collapse. The family is forced to move in with a distant relative who treats them poorly. Teenage Frank starts work for the Post Office as a telegram delivery boy, and also works for the local money lender writing threatening letters to the people who owed her money, as a means to save money and is finally able to realize his dream of returning to America. The story ends as he sails into Poughkeepsie, New York, to begin a new life at the age of nineteen.
2. How do you think he overcame his suffering?
3. Frank had a hard life growing up. What were some of the obstcles or challenges he had to overcome?
4. What did Frank enjoy doing as a child?
5. Why did Frank reinvent his past when he came to America?
19 comentarios:
1. How do you intrepet Frank's journey? It was a huge Journey, filled with sad events that madehim such a strong person.
2. How do you think he overcame his suffering?
I think the joy of following his dream and help his students overcome his suffering.
3. Frank had a hard life growing up. What were some of the obstcles or challenges he had to overcome?
The need of public services such as water and electricity. The need of a job to have food in the table.
4. What did Frank enjoy doing as a child?
He enjoyed playing with his brothers and the joy of having a work.
5. Why did Frank reinvent his past when he came to America?
Because his students gave him a second chance to think about his story.
1. How do you intrepet Frank's journey?
Full of questions nothing concrete.
Follow what he though it could be a good decision,expecting it will be a way for reaching his dream.
2. How do you think he overcame his suffering?
He is still sufering, but not to much.
3. Frank had a hard life growing up. What were some of the obstcles or challenges he had to overcome?
Extream poorness and the lack of help form his father.
4. What did Frank enjoy doing as a child?
Playing with his brothers.
5. Why did Frank reinvent his past when he came to America?
He was afraid ofthe way the students could think about him.
1. How do you intrepet Frank's journey?
He had a really difficult life when he was child and that made Frank to create a dream. He worked so hard to reach his dream that was going to America.
2. How do you think he overcame his suffering?
He always had a dream that he wanted to reach. He found the force to keep fighting.
3. Frank had a hard life growing up. What were some of the obstcles or challenges he had to overcome?
One obstacle could be that in that time, life in Ireland was very dificult. There were a lot of scarcity. Another one was that his father was an alcoholic person who couldn't find any job. And because of racism, his mother's side family didn't want to help.
4. What did Frank enjoy doing as a child?
He enjoyed to pass some time with their bros and friends and working. He writed some letters too.
5. Why did Frank reinvent his past when he came to America?
He thought that people will make fun of him becouse of his poorly life.
1. How do you intrepet Frank's journey?
He had such a bad journey, his father was an alcoholic and he had so many problems, and not a good life.
2. How do you think he overcame his suffering?
When he started to work at the post office, and he worked with the money lender writing letters to people who owed her money, and that is the way that he could realize his dream or going back to America.
3. Frank had a hard life growing up. What were some of the obstcles or challenges he had to overcome?
His father was an alcoholic and he seldom finds a job. He never had a whole meal, I mean his whole family subsists with bread and tea.
4. What did Frank enjoy doing as a child?
Having a good time with his brothers and sisters.
5. Why did Frank reinvent his past when he came to America?
Because he had such a sad and bad past, that he didn’t want to remember.
1. How do you intrepet Frank's journey?
He had a really sad journey, he had so many problems and worked so hard to reach his dream.
2. How do you think he overcame his suffering?
I think he overcame it following his dream and thinking he is going to reach that goal.
3. Frank had a hard life growing up. What were some of the obstcles or challenges he had to overcome?
His father was alcoholic and he rarely finds a job. He had food problems(only bread and tea). Lack of help.
4. What did Frank enjoy doing as a child?
Having fun with his brothers and sisters
5. Why did Frank reinvent his past when he came to America?
He had a second chance, and have a better life.
1.How do you intrepet Frank's journey?
I think that his journey was really difficult, full of sad events, but after all the bad things he lived he finally was able to write about his life and teach to others, making that all that events valuable for him and for the people around him.
2. How do you think he overcame his suffering?
I think that he always stay positive, trying to see the good side of the bad stuff.
3. Frank had a hard life growing up. What were some of the obstcles or challenges he had to overcome?
First his insecurities, he had to remember that he is important and that he has so many things to teach.
He had also money problems; he didn’t have some of the primordial resources, like running water or electricity .
4. What did Frank enjoy doing as a child?
One of the best things of Frank’s childhood was playing with his brothers, they were really important to them.
5. Why did Frank reinvent his past when he came to America?
Because he was able to see his life with another view, they discover that all that experiences make him especial, and he saw that because of his students, who found Frank’s life really interesting.
1. How do you intrepet Frank's journey?
I think that Frank’s Life was too difficult because he suffer a lot with his family. I think that when he and his family traveled their misfortune began. The journey was a bad idea because for that reason his brothers died and the situation with his family got worst.
2. How do you think he overcame his suffering?
I think that Frank’s overcame his suffering moved to another place, in this case to America. I think that when you went to a new place, you star a new life too. When he left Ireland, he also left it the bad things that happened there.
3. 3. Frank had a hard life growing up. What were some of the obstcles or challenges he had to overcome?
He had to overcome the alcoholism problem of his father. Also he had to overcome their parent’s unemployment because he had to work for support his family. He had to overcome his brothers dead. He had to overcome the problems about his Ireland’s accent.
4. What did Frank enjoy doing as a child?
He enjoyed playing his brothers and made mischief. I think that Frank didn’t enjoy his childhood because it was very difficult for him because he had to star working very young.
5. Why did Frank reinvent his past when he came to America?
I think that he reinvented his life because he started a new life. Also he because when he returned was like a second chance for do his life there again. I think that returned to America was the best idea because there his life was happy.
1. How do you intrepet Frank's journey?
Frank's had a bad past; he suffered to much with his family. Bad things happened during his young life.
2. How do you think he overcame his suffering?
Well, Frank's overcome his suffering when he moved to America. He turned in to a new man.
3. Frank had a hard life growing up. What were some of the obstcles or challenges he had to overcome?
He had to overcome his father's sicknees, poverty and the death of his brothers.
4. What did Frank enjoy doing as a child?
He enjoyed spending good times with his brothers and friends.
5. Why did Frank reinvent his past when he came to America?
Because being far away from the place where he had bad days, motivates him to start a new life, to get a job and be happy.
1. How do you intrepet Frank's journey?
His life has been a bit diffcult because of all the troubles that he has been involved in, specially familiar problems. He suffered all his life and he had to give an extra effort to everything he wanted to do.
2. How do you think he overcame his suffering?
He started to work in a post office and it helped him to pay his debts and being more reponsible with his family.
3. Frank had a hard life growing up. What were some of the obstcles or challenges he had to overcome?
His father drunk a lot, and he had to teach himself beacause his father didnt help him. Also the death of his brothers.
4. What did Frank enjoy doing as a child?
Nothing because he had a lot of troubles since he was an innocent child.
5. Why did Frank reinvent his past when he came to America?
Because this was a kind of a second chance to him to have a better life and also becase remembering his past was not a good idea.
1. How do you intrepet Frank's journey?I think that Frank’s Life was too difficult but in the same time all the difficulties helped him to become a stronger person.
2. How do you think he overcame his suffering? Ithink that he overcame his suffering because he had a dream and alwasy was a possitive person.
3. Frank had a hard life growing up. What were some of the obstcles or challenges he had to overcome?
He lived with a problematic family, his father was alcoholic. He had to overcome his brothers dead and his accent.
4. What did Frank enjoy doing as a child?
He enjoyed playing with his brothers although since he was teenager he began to work
5. Why did Frank reinvent his past when he came to America?
Because he had a bad past and he did not want to remember.
1. How do you intrepet Frank's journey?
Very difficult, he has been struggling since he was very young, he had a lot of family problems, due to money issues.
2. How do you think he overcame his suffering?
when he started working at the post office he overcame some money problems, making his life easier.
3. Frank had a hard life growing up. What were some of the obstcles or challenges he had to overcome?
Not having a parental image of a great father or at least one who would be at his home. He grew up without any support. He had to teach himself most of the things to survive.
4. What did Frank enjoy doing as a child?
All his life he has been suffering due to mey issues the only thing he could enjoy were his true feeling and playing games with his brothers.
5. Why did Frank reinvent his past when he came to America? Because he didn`t want to remember his past, and he was afraid of what his students could think.
1. How do you intrepet Frank's journey?
I think it was a journey with a lot of strong emotions and with big obstacles. That make him better man in many ways.
2. How do you think he overcame his suffering?
Since he was a children he had to pass obstacles, so I think that he was really strong, and he had a dream so that may be inspired him to keep going till his dream come true
3. Frank had a hard life growing up. What were some of the obstcles or challenges he had to overcome?
The first obstacle je ever had I thing that was the lost of his brother, that must be very difficult at that age. Then things like he hasn't public services, and the need of job to get food to the table.
4. What did Frank enjoy doing as a child?
He enjoy like all of us to play with his brother and also the proud to have a work
5. Why did Frank reinvent his past when he came to America?
Because his past was really sad, and I think that he wanted to star a new life without think in his past
1. How do you intrepet Frank's journey? he pass a lot of difficult moments but all of this make him a stronger person.
2. How do you think he overcame his suffering?
the suffering its hard but he will pass it
3. Frank had a hard life growing up. What were some of the obstcles or challenges he had to overcome?
the scarcity, his was father was an alcoholic and he never can find a job and dont have money for food.
4. What did Frank enjoy doing as a child? he like to play with his brother.
5. Why did Frank reinvent his past when he came to America? beacuse he was afraid that people with fun about hers past problems
1. How do you intrepet Frank's journey? he pass a lot of difficult moments but all of this make him a stronger person.
2. How do you think he overcame his suffering?
the suffering its hard but he will pass it
3. Frank had a hard life growing up. What were some of the obstcles or challenges he had to overcome?
the scarcity, his was father was an alcoholic and he never can find a job and dont have money for food.
4. What did Frank enjoy doing as a child? he like to play with his brother.
5. Why did Frank reinvent his past when he came to America? beacuse he was afraid that people with fun about hers past problems
1. How do you intrepet Frank's journey? he pass a lot of difficult moments but all of this make him a stronger person.
2. How do you think he overcame his suffering?
the suffering its hard but he will pass it
3. Frank had a hard life growing up. What were some of the obstcles or challenges he had to overcome?
the scarcity, his was father was an alcoholic and he never can find a job and dont have money for food.
4. What did Frank enjoy doing as a child? he like to play with his brother.
5. Why did Frank reinvent his past when he came to America? beacuse he was afraid that people with fun about hers past problems
ARIANNA MARIELLA CRUZ MORALES
How do you intrepet Frank's journey?
Even he had lots of difficults, finally he fight against everything to reach his dream.
How do you think he overcame his suffering?
using in an intelligent way all the courage he feels about the events.
Frank had a hard life growing up. What were some of the obstcles or challenges he had to overcome?
to subsist with a minimal nourishment and to overcome the death of his relatives.
What did Frank enjoy doing as a child?
when he was playing with his brothers and when he got a job.
Why did Frank reinvent his past when he came to America?
because he thought that people will joke him, because his unfortunately past
1. How do you intrepet Frank's journey?
He had a lot of problems and he fight and work hard becaus he really wants to reach his dream.
2. How do you think he overcame his suffering?
he moved to a new place for a fresh start this help him and having happy ideas and courage
3. Frank had a hard life growing up. What were some of the obstcles or challenges he had to overcome?
Money problems, including the food, he doesn`t have the basic things like water, and problems with his family
4. What did Frank enjoy doing as a child? having a good time with his brothers, playing with them
Why did Frank reinvent his past when he came to America?
because he was not proud about his past and moved to America was the best idea to have a new life and a second chance.
1. How do you intrepet Frank's journey?
He had such a bad story, his father was an alcoholic and he suffer all this kind of things in his life.
2. How do you think he overcame his suffering?
maybe because he started to work at the post office and making responsable of his family .
he fallow his dreams going to america and starting a new life.
3. Frank had a hard life growing up. What were some of the obstcles or challenges he had to overcome?
His father was an alcoholic and he seldom finds a job, the war problems, the lost of his little brothers and the life of his mom.
4. What did Frank enjoy doing as a child?
Having a good time playing with his brothers.
5. Why did Frank reinvent his past when he came to America?
Because he had such a sad past and maybe going to America was the way to start a new life.
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