Angela's Ashes Analysis

Ireland before, during, and after World War II was a very hostile place. During the early 1900s, Northern Ireland separated from the Irish Republic because of the different religious opinions. The North was generally classified as “Protestant”, and the South, “Catholic”. Angela’s Ashes is an autobiography about the childhood of Frank McCourt, who grew up in Limerick, Ireland, and all of the struggling his family had to experience. There is two conflicts in Angela’s Ashes, first, poverty because of the ongoing struggle in Frank’s childhood, and second, religion because of the discrimination between the Protestants and Catholics that went on for years and affected his life. The first main conflict in Angela’s Ashes is poverty. An example of

An example of this conflict in Angela’s Ashes is, “Bosses and foreman always show him respect and say they’re ready to hire him, but when he opens his mouth and they hear the North of Ireland accent, they take a Limerickman instead.” This quote is talking about Frank’s father, and his Northern Ireland accent. When business owners heard him talk, they automatically assumed that he was a Protestant. This made it extremely difficult for Frank’s father to get a job in Limerick. This shows how religious discrimination made it difficult for Frank’s family to live. Religion was directly linked to the poverty that they had to suffer. Other than Frank’s troubles with his father not being able to support the family because of being classified as a protestant, religion was not a conflict for the most part. Frank had a Catholic upbringing in school and in his family life, and it was never a problem to him. Religious discrimination was just present throughout the whole country, and it was present in his childhood. In conclusion, Angela’s Ashes had to main conflicts, poverty and religion. Poverty basically controlled Frank’s childhood, and religion was present and ad linked to the poverty that Frank suffered. Angela’s Ashes is an uplifting book about the experiences that Frank McCourt had, and went through. The book really shows the reader about the state of Ireland during the early 1900s, and how they had battles over religion with England and the separated state of Northern Ireland. Frank McCourt became a successful teacher and novelist in New York City, after all he had to go