Angela

"" Pap is from the north and is of no use to the family. He does nothing to make them happy or to make life easier on them, so this poem does not work with the situation Mam is in. Another situation that may not be considered to be fortunate in these days is the wake. Wakes are considered to be good because there is food and warm shelter while one is mourning the dead. It is once commented that, "there is nothing like a wake for having a good time."" .
             Telling this story from the point of view of a child makes for much more interesting possibilities than if it were told from the point of view of an adult. Adults worry about money, food, coal for the fire, and clothing for the children. The children will spend any spare nickel on a movie at the cinema. Frank misinterprets many things that he is told because the adults in his life won't take the time to explain them to him. This makes for some interesting scenarios, such as when he asks what the strange creatures in the field are; he is told they are cows. When he asks what a cow is, he is told, "Cows are cows, son."" Pap is a major source of the confusion throughout the story. He convinces Frank that he must die for Ireland, and he believes it until he leaves Ireland for America. .
             I think the theme of this story is mainly about hunger and poverty. Hunger is something that plague McCourt throughout the story most of the time, or indeed, all the time. The McCourt never have enough food to eat. Hunger is mentioned over and over again in the story. Frank doesn't want to praise anyone for money to help his hunger. In fact, he would rather steal than beg in order to survive. Poverty, analogous to hunger; show up almost in every part of the story. Some of the poverty that McCourt had experienced was his alcoholic father, his mother is moaning by the fire, and the bullying schoolmasters.
             McCourt did a great job on explaining the main theme of the story.