Blog-Week 5

This week we started to read the book, “Angela’s Ashes”, and I have to admit this book is much better than “The Dubliners”. Although “The Dubliners” had a lot of valuable information, it just wasn’t my type of reading. These books have common themes involving Ireland, for instance; alcoholism is a major factor in both books, as well as characters acting in the same manner. Upon reading “Angela’s Ashes”, I feel that poverty is a major factor all over the world. This family in particular is in a very bad situation, and they literally have no money. I feel that Malachy, the father, is useless. He isn’t working, but when he does get a job he uses the majority of his money at the ‘pub’, or doesn’t show up to work, and gets fired. The mother, Angela, doesn’t care for her children properly, and as they continue to have children she gets more and more tired. Even though this family is in a bad circumstance, I still feel the parents could do more for their children. Frank, the oldest child of the family, seems to care for his brothers more than their own mother. As the story continues, they move back to Ireland, because they couldn’t stay where their beloved daughter died. The story goes downhill from here, and their twin boys, Oliver and Eugene die as well. This story is very depressing, but it has made me more appreciative for what I have.
-Ashley B