Abstract A book report on Frank McCourt's "Angela's Ashes". Author Frank McCourt's present-tense narrative gives a glimpse of his trouble-ridden childhood years and through a first person perspective he weaves a real-life yarn of poverty, destitution, the abuses of alcoholism and the torment and anguish associated with it.
Abstract This paper examines the role of the British in Frank McCourt's popular autobiography "Angela's Ashes". While the British are often blamed for the conditions in Ireland, the series of tragedies that occur in "Angela's Ashes" can be attributed more to the decisions of the McCourt family and to the prejudice of the Irish than any other source.
Abstract A review of "The Angela Y. David Reader", edited by Joy James. It explains how these writings cover Davis's academic and political life from the 1960s to the present and serve to show young black women one path to achieving more for their people and for themselves.
From the Paper "The introduction by Joy James tells much of Davis's story and relates it to the political currents of the 1960s and after, including the many efforts by different governmental leaders to put down various movements seeking greater freedom of speech and other rights as promised in the Constitution yet denied to many, including blacks. The efforts by the government included a number of questionable and outright illegal actions to gather and keep intelligence on American citizens who dissented from the accepted political order of the time. Davis clearly fell into this group and was investigated for practicing her rights of political association and speech."
Abstract Angela Y. Davis was one of the founding mothers of the radical black feminist and civil rights movement. Her participation in these movements was not simply vocal and intellectual, but profoundly political as well. In particular, it examines how a different, more artistic side of her political interests comes to light regarding Davis? works in "Blues, Legacy and Black Feminism", in which she shows an interest in black feminist works beyond that of the purely verbal and prosaic.
From the Paper "Perhaps inevitably, the second half of the work and its project falls a bit short. The main problem with the methodology of emphasizing lyrics is that it tends to bring "the word" or a literary rather than a musical perspective to the forefront in understanding these performance artists. This bias may be inevitable, given Professor Davis? own background. But these women were not of the academy"their music was performed as a living text. However, although the inclusions of the lyrics and the lyrical analysis is not as strong as the first more historically oriented part of the book that seems to be more in line with Davis" abilities as an historian, the analysis of the lyrics does reveal that these artists did discuss issues of domestic violence and transgressing lesbian love in a way that is seldom given credit."
Abstract This paper explains that female characters in fairy tales are sometimes viewed as being helpless and innocent and at other times as being powerful. The author then summarizes and reviews Angela Carter's story, "The Company of Wolves", and relates that it embraces a new form of the commanding protagonist, who thwarts both man and wolf using her burgeoning sexuality. The paper underscores that Carter's protagonist , like some of the female characters in fairy tales, has "more power" than men because of her very presence as the hero of the story.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
The Company of Wolves
Conclusion
From the Paper "A young man appears before the girl on the path, a metaphorical sheep in wolf's clothing. Innocently trusting appearances, the girl is attracted to his obvious good looks and his attempts to woo her. Arranging a race to her grandmother's house whereby, if he wins, he will obtain from her a kiss, the man departs. By the time he has reached grandmother's house - earlier than the girl - it is clear to the reader he is a werewolf, or a "wolf-man". As in Little Red Riding Hood, the youth tricks his way into the grandmother's home and eats her up, as it were."
Abstract The paper is an overview of the history of Angela Davis, her biographical details, the type of childhood she experienced that may have contributed to her political views in adulthood, her role in organizations such as the Community and Black Panther parties, the Civil Rights movement, and her fateful encounter with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The paper concludes with an assessment of Davis' accomplishments, how her role is viewed by the public and an analysis of its relevance for African-American society.
Outline:
Introduction
Review and Discussion
Conclusion
From the Paper "This legacy, though, discounts Davis's wide range of contributions to the Civil Rights movement and her subsequent work to further the condition of black people throughout the country. For example, carefully citing the historical basis of how blacks were treated in the United States, Davis railed against the "terroristic use of rape in order to put black women in their place" and the need for African Americans to celebrate and embrace black culture as a means of sustaining their sense of community is a hostile land. According to Hart (1994), Davis's activism was scholarly in its approach and even her detractors found themselves at a loss when confronted with the facts. For example, this author reports that, "In 1981 Angela Davis looked at how the larger birth control movement, comprised mainly of white, middle class women, neglected to address the needs of African-American women. Davis also condemned the racist and 'classist' slant of the American birth control movement for its stress on eugenics"
Tags: civil rights movement, community, black panther, African American, racism
Abstract The paper analyzes the place of women in society, specifically that of Angela, the protagonist, in the novel "Chronicles of a Death Foretold". The paper discusses the death of Santiago Nasar and the story of Angela's pending wedding to Bayardo. The paper shows how women like Angela were oppressed by the patriarchal system in which they lived and the false moral values that infused this system.
From the Paper "The time of the novel is 1951, long before any feminist impact on the social order in America or in Latin America. The story of the novel is based on a real murder case that took place in that year, and the focus of the novel is made clear in the opening paragraph as the coming death of Santiago Nasar is announced at the outset. The story of Angela's pending wedding to Bayardo is a secondary storyline, but in this social order, women are secondary in any case."
Abstract In this paper the author looks at the main character, Frank McCourt's personal experiences as a young boy living in Ireland in poverty stricken conditions. The author analyzes the concerns this character had as a child growing up in these conditions.
From the Paper "Frank the child suffered a great deal, but eventually he escaped, returning to America and seeing the sight of the Statue of Liberty as it ought to be seen in the immigrant narrative, coming nearer to him, rather than farther away. As his memoir makes clear, the man suffered much to earn this privilege. One of the reasons the child Frank was so resilient was certainly his sense of humor. This sense of humor, first evidenced with the resilience of a child's incomprehension of the world, developed into a bleak, black Irish sense of humor about mortality, about drink, about sexuality, and about the lack of omnipresent knowledge in the head's of both of his parents. Although this hard-won humor was not the result of an easy life, it does make for a satisfying, heartbreaking, and ultimately rewarding memoir."
Tags: poor, food, suffer, freedom, family, escapetragic, sick, die
Abstract This paper presents an analysis of the book "Angela's Ashes". It is the memoir of Frank McCourt, from his birth in Brooklyn through his impoverished childhood in Ireland. It examines the meaning behind the book's title, namely the woman whose name it bears, McCourt's mother, and the influence she had on his growth and development.
From the Paper "Angela's Ashes had hit the best seller's lists. With this fame to his credit McCourt makes it plain for us to see that the memoirs are larger than life because they depict life below poverty line in a manner never done before. None of the cynicism of the writers who had touched upon this subject is to be seen in this particular work. Perhaps because the writer himself had grown mature to look back on life humorously or a better reason could be that he owed some amount of the truth to his mother, who had engrained a set of values in his children despite difficult circumstances. Therefore nothing is blown out of proportion."
A look at how the use of humor and poetry transforms an otherwise miserable childhood in "Angela's Ashes" by Frank McCourt and "The Liars? Club" by Mary Karr.
894 words (approx. 3.6 pages), 2 sources, 2002, $ 31.95
Abstract The paper discusses two memoirs of childhood, "Angela's Ashes" by Frank McCourt, set in Ireland, and "The Liar's Club" by Mary Karr about a girl's childhood in East Texas. The paper shows how these two memoirs share many common elements-- poetry, savage humor, great emotional pain, bad weather, the wonder of books, the joys and terrors of sex, and ultimately, the redemptive power of love. Above all, it shows that it is the humor that renders the unbearable both readable and even inspiring.
From the Paper "Liars? Club opens with a singularity rather than a mythic overview: ?My sharpest memory is of a single instant surrounded by dark.? That frozen instant only unfolds over time?"it took three decades"to unfreeze??so that we realize that seven-year-old Mary, nicknamed Pokey, has been raped by a neighbor and at that moment is being examined by the family doctor. And yet the details of this girl's upbringing in a swampy Texas town (which, like Ireland, is beset with hurricanes and bad weather), with a drinking, lying, fabulating, mad, loving family also takes on a quality of the mythic, and achieves its power through humor and poetry."
A comparative analysis of the autobiographical accounts of "The Education of Henry Adams" by Henry Adams, "Angela's Ashes" by Frank McCourt, and "The Liars' Club" by Mary Karr.
Abstract This paper reviews "The Education of Henry Adams", "Angela's Ashes" and "The Liars' Club", distinct works that all offer powerful glimpses into the personal journeys of their interesting and engaging authors. It discusses how they all differ in the type of narration that they employ, as well as in the scope of their content and how all three books focus on the empowering effect of early education and the role of the family in personal development. Different use of the first- and third-person narratives combined with the choice of memoir or autobiography impact the novels? abilities to impact the audience.
From the Paper "In contrast, Henry Adam's use of the autobiographical format in his novel allows him a much more omniscient and reflective point of view. Adams can more easily compare his childhood experiences to experiences and events in his adult life, allowing him to editorialize and draw conclusions across his lifespan. However, the autobiographical format results in a much more emotionally distant tale than either McCourt's or Karr's novel. As such, while the autobiographical format allows for a more reflective point of view, it necessarily limits the vividness of childhood experiences and recollections when seen through the eyes of the adult Henry Adams."
Tags: family, childhood, experiences, recollections, first, third, person
Abstract This paper looks at how the relationship between the main character, Frank, and his father, Malachy, proves to be one of the influential and significant relationships portrayed by the novel, yet it is not a father-son relationship in the traditional sense. Malachy is destitute, he is an alcoholic, and he is the main reason why the family struggles, both in America and Ireland, yet he earns Frank's trust and loyalty. It shows how the novel goes to show that there are intrinsic ties between the father and son, that no matter how ?far-stretched,? cannot be broken.
From the Paper "Frank's story, essentially an account of his childhood, is written in the first person, present tense. He chronicles his childhood, focussing on the struggles of the family. Through these struggles, the environment, and his family, we see Frank's character development. He seems to repel all the negatives around him, and focus his energy at succeeding and rising above the poverty line.
Naturally, Frank's character development is primarily due to the influence of his parents. Frank's parents are not bad people, but they do very little to help his, and his siblings? situation. His mother, Angela, tries to raise them as a "normal" family, but struggles to provide for them. Her troubles are primarily due to disregard of her husband, Malachy."
Abstract This paper summarizes and compares the memoirs of Frank McCourt and Maxine Hong Kingston. The paper looks at how each of the authors expresses him/herself and the motivation for writing their stories.
From the Paper "In their memoirs, The Woman Warrior and Angela's Ashes, Maxine Hong Kingston and Frank McCourt, respectively, present unique and complete views of worlds that widely diverge from the sort of lifestyles and experiences that are enjoyed by the average citizens of the United States of America. Part of the most simple reason for this is their "outsider" statues. As an immigrant, in Frank McCourt's case, and as the child of immigrant parents, in Maxine Hong Kingston's case, both memoirs are narratives of lives marked by travel, travail, and cultural differences that have an enormous and massive impact upon their authors? lives."
Abstract Good communication is one of the most important features of a successful company. This paper shows that, as discussed in "Communicating is Not Optional" by Angela Sinickas, President of Sinickas Communications, Inc., communication can mean the difference between profit and loss, between good management/employee relations and bad, and between a business having a positive or a negative public image.
From the Paper "Angela Sinickas makes reference to a situation in which Blue Cross of California promoted a new program of guaranteed coverage. All the newspapers carried the story, and customer service workers at Blue Cross were deluged with calls about the new policy. Unfortunately, management forgot to inform customer service of the changes. As a result, Blue Cross's image was seriously damaged. This communications debacle affected only one company, in one state. But, imagine if this had been an international blunder."
Abstract This paper explains that in Carter's short story, "The Company of Wolves", displays her feminist point of view by comparing men to beasts who crave sexual encounter and by explaining women's role in society. The author points out that the women in her story are stereotypical; the young girl is pretty, the mother is a housewife who cooks and cleans. The paper relates that another issue, which Carter expresses, is discrimination: Women are discriminated against because of their sex and because of their looks everyday in America.
From the Paper "The idea of men being compared to wolves is shown throughout her story by anecdotes where men are turned into wolves, either by a witch's spell or the devils potion. These anecdotes assume that every wolf was once a man. In the first pages of her short story, an anecdote explains how wolves are something to fear, an animal that is cunning, ferocious and out to kill. Toward the end of this anecdote Carter explains, "Fear and Flee the wolf; for, worst of all, the wolf may be more than he seems." In many instances, men are something to fear and flee because of their manipulative ways, and often men are more than they seem."
