I have read and understand the sections in the Student Handbook regarding Mason High School's Honesty/Cheating Policy. By affixing this statement to the title page of my paper, I am certifying that I have not cheated or plagiarized in the process of completing this assignment. If it is found that cheating and/or plagiarism did take place in the writing of this paper, I understand the possible consequences of the act, which could include a "0" on the paper, as well as an "F" as a final grade in the course.
-Addyson Miklos
Prompt: 1997. Novels and plays often include scenes of weddings, funerals, parties, and other social occasions. Such scenes may reveal the values of the characters and the society in which they live. Select a novel or play that includes such a scene and, in a focused essay, discuss the contribution the scene makes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
Addyson Miklos
Ms. Wilson
AP Literature
2 October 2013
Angela’s Ashes Prose Analysis
In “Angela’s Ashes,” by Frank McCourt, the selected passage accentuates the theme of betrayal caused by the Frankie’s father’s selfishness, but is juxtaposed by the guilt and depression the father feels, raising the question of whether or not depression can excuse destructive behavior.
In this passage, the father is binge drinking the family’s money away, as usual. This destructive behavior is a betrayal to the family, because they live in such poverty. The father disregards what’s best for the family because he is consumed in his own selfishness. He tells Frankie that he’ll leave the bar “in a minute” but instead he “takes a long swallow” (McCourt, 86) and Frankie hits a breaking point. He “pushes it away” (the pint) which is a pivotal moment in the book. Up until now, Frankie has never disrespected his father because it is not what their culture or religion allows. However, the betrayal of his father drinking away the dole money before the funeral for his own son, Eugene, is too hurtful to let slide by.
In addition to the alcoholism, this situation is even worse because the father sets his pint of beer, a symbol of the betrayal, on top of Eugene’s clean, white coffin. The act of drinking with the coffin, and having the “black pints […] resting “ on top of the coffin shows that the source of the father’s alcoholism is severe depression. He is drinking away the dole money because his family is dying and living in poverty, and the only thing that numbs his pain is drinking. This is paradoxical because if he would stop drinking and find a job, he could support his family and afford to take care of them so that they could avoid early death.
Mise En Scene Analysis Essay
Novels and plays often include scenes of weddings, funerals, parties, and other social occasions. Such scenes may reveal the values of the characters and the society in which they live. Select a novel or play that includes such a scene and, in a focused essay, discuss the contribution the scene makes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
Funerals have always been melancholy because they are a result of the epitome of devastation; death. Naturally, people grieve in their own ways. However, there is a fine line between grief and selfishness, and Malachy McCourt (Frank, the main character, and Eugene McCourt’s father) crosses that line in the scene right before Eugene McCourt’s funeral. In his film, Angela’s Ashes, Alan Parker uses specific film elements to capture ultimate betrayal in a family, a betrayal that stems from the depression of constant loss.
Directors typically use lighting to accentuate a certain mood; in this case, the mood is utter despair. At the beginning of the scene, Malachy and Frankie are praying in front of a picture of Jesus. The lighting is completely dark, and the characters appear to be blue. Blue represents depression, and making this light purposeful in that it represents the depression the characters feel. When Malachy is asking why God wants his children to die, this lighting emphasizes the woeful inner-struggle Malachy is facing (he loves God, but God keeps taking away the people he loves.) When the scene changes, Frankie is waiting outside a bar for his father, directly before the funeral, the lighting is bright and suggests that Frankie isn’t feeling too sorrowful. However, when he walks into the bar, the lighting immediately changes into a dim setting, foreshadowing that something bad is about to happen. The bartender points Frankie toward a room, in which he sees his father. The lighting is a bit brighter, to reign focus in on Malachy and the white coffin with a black pint sitting atop. This illumination helps to juxtapose the white coffin and black pint, unveiling Malachy’s ultimate betrayal.
Camera angles are essential to the meaning of this work because they express the character’s true emotion and helps capture the director’s theme. In the beginning of the scene, when the boys are praying to Jesus for the late Eugene, there is a point of view shot which makes the audience experience what the characters are experiencing, which is a lack of power and control. It looks as if Jesus is looking down on them, powerfully, yet all his does is take away Malachy’s children. This helps us understand how vulnerable Malachy feels, creating sympathy for his character. However, later in the scene when Frankie walks in on his father and notices the pint sitting on top of Eugene’s coffin, soiling it, the close up shot reveals a new emotion; anger. This expresses that this act of selfishness and betrayal by Malachy, spending the dole money on drink and then proceeding to soil Eugene’s coffin, is the last straw for Frankie, and he can no longer respect his father, though it is an obligatory part of his religion and society. The audience now feels conflicted, because they want to be empathetic toward Malachy, but they ultimately cannot tolerate his indecent and irresponsible behavior.
Angela’s Ashes Comparison and Contrast Essay
Funerals are melancholy because they are a result of the epitome of devastation; death. Naturally, people grieve in their own ways. However, there is a fine line between grief and selfishness, and Malachy McCourt (Frankie, the main character, and the late Eugene McCourt’s father) crosses that line in the scene right before Eugene McCourt’s funeral. In Alan Parker’s film, Angela’s Ashes, and Frank McCourt’s novel, Angela’s ashes, both men capture ultimate betrayal in a family, betrayal that stems from the depression of constant loss; however, they both use different techniques to prove their point.
In the novel, McCourt uses blunt sentences to convey the idea that Malachy has finally committed the ultimate act of betrayal. In this passage, Malachy is binge drinking the family’s dole money away, and this destructive behavior is hurtful to his impoverished family. The father disregards what’s best for the family because he is consumed in his own selfishness. He tells Frankie that he’ll leave the bar “in a minute” but instead he “takes a long swallow” (McCourt, 86) and Frankie hits a breaking point. He “pushes it away” (the pint) which is a pivotal moment in the book, expressing the lack of respect Frankie now has for his father. Up until now, Frankie has never disrespected his father because it is not what their culture or religion allows. Now, he openly tells his father “no” when told to leave, repetitiously. The blunt exchange between Frankie and his father expresses Frankie’s hurt and conflicted emotions. Though Frankie loves and wants to respect his father, the betrayal of Malachy drinking away the dole money before the funeral for his own son, Eugene, is too hurtful to let slide by. In contrast of these blunt sentence structures, Parker takes a more emotional and apparent route.
Parker uses lighting to express explicit, unambiguous emotions that create a conflicting sympathy and disdain for Malachy, ultimately conveying unforgivable betrayal. At the beginning of the scene, Malachy and Frankie are praying in front of a picture of Jesus. The lighting is completely dark, and the characters appear to be blue. Blue represents depression, and making this light purposeful in that it represents the depression the characters feel. When Malachy is asking why God wants his children to die, this lighting emphasizes the woeful inner-struggle Malachy is facing (he loves God, but God keeps taking away the people he loves.) When the scene changes, Frankie is waiting outside a bar for his father, directly before the funeral, the lighting is bright and suggests that Frankie isn’t feeling too sorrowful. However, when he walks into the bar, the lighting immediately changes into a dim setting, foreshadowing that something bad is about to happen. The bartender points Frankie toward a room, in which he sees his father. The lighting is a bit brighter, to reign focus in on Malachy and the white coffin with a black pint sitting atop. This illumination helps to juxtapose the white coffin and black pint, unveiling Malachy’s ultimate betrayal.
Parker also uses camera angles to convey strong, negative emotions, in order to reinforce the idea of Malachy hurting his family past the point of forgiveness. In the beginning of the scene, when the boys are praying to Jesus for the late Eugene, there is a point of view shot which makes the audience experience what the characters are experiencing, which is a lack of power and control. It looks as if Jesus is looking down on them, powerfully, yet all his does is take away Malachy’s children. This helps us understand how vulnerable Malachy feels, creating sympathy for his character. However, later in the scene when Frankie walks in on his father and notices the pint sitting on top of Eugene’s coffin, soiling it, the close up shot reveals a new emotion; anger. This expresses that this act of selfishness and betrayal by Malachy, spending the dole money on drink and then proceeding to soil Eugene’s coffin, is the last straw for Frankie, and he can no longer respect his father, though it is an obligatory part of his religion and society. The audience now feels conflicted, because they want to be sympathetic toward Malachy, but they ultimately cannot tolerate his indecent and irresponsible behavior. Unlike Parker’s straightforward approach, McCourt decides to take a paradoxical view on the story.
Using paradox, McCourt perplexes the situation, resulting in conflicting emotions toward Malachy, but ends in disappointment due to Malachy’s disloyalty to his family; betrayal that could have and should have been avoided. In this passage, Malachy sets his pint of beer, a symbol of betrayal, on top of Eugene’s clean, white coffin. The act of drinking with the coffin, and having the “black pints […] resting “ on top of the coffin shows that the source of the father’s alcoholism is severe depression due to constant loss. He is drinking away the dole money because his family is dying and living in poverty, and the only thing that numbs his pain is drinking. This is paradoxical because if he would stop drinking and find a job, he could support his family and afford to take care of them so that they could avoid early death. Though the audience feels sympathy for Malachy, his behavior is inexcusable because the only way his family will stop dying and living in poverty is if he uses the dole money to help them.
Overall, both Parker and McCourt express a theme of family oriented disloyalty. Parker took a powerful and unambiguous take on McCourt’s novel, while McCourt used subtlety and literary device since he was breaking societal rules by standing up to his father. Though Malachy has reason to be depressed and seek relief from grief through drink, his selfishness is intolerable because he is letting his family starve and die whenever he could have prevented it all.
