Mauricio Herrera Camacho

Angela’s Ashes

WRITTEN ANALYSIS OF THE FILM “ANGELA’S ASHES”

1. Explore the issues:

 Political:
The perception of politics in the film is a very hard and difficult topic. With
the lower class in a very poor economic state, on their words because of an
extremely corrupt government, who make poor people poorer and rich people
richer.
There is of course a religious-political conflicts between catholics and
protestants, we can see for example the hatred towards the protestants English
men portrayed in frank’s work where he is ordered to start an English
magazine’s page.

 Religious: in this particular time of history religion meant great deal to our
characters. Being a protestant and having different morals and ways to see the
faith was seen as an offense by the community where the story goes. This is
mentioned several times in the movie due to the origin of the father who is
from Northern Ireland what makes him a protestant, this developed situations
where, as an example, Angela’s friends and family reproaches her many times
because of the origin of Frankie’s father. Frankie and his brothers suffered
from discrimination in their community and school, even the teacher who was
extremely against of everything outside Catholicism.

2. Write about the IRA:

The Irish republican army (IRA) is a paramilitary movement from the 20th and 21st
centuries in Ireland. They defend the Irish republicanism, the belief that all of Ireland
should be an independent republic. They were characterized by the belief that political
violence is needed or necessary to achieve their political goals. We see the relation in
the movie because the father lent service in the IRA. When they returned to Ireland
looking for a better life, they look for a financial help which the father deserved for
his service. But this help is denied to them because the father’s name was not in the
records.
3. Discuss:

 Family ties: this is one of the strongest factor in the family situation that
allows the story to develop itself. This can be seen in many factors during the
movie. We can see how relevant the ties between the family affects their
situation as in Frankie and his father’ relationship. Or the fact that Frankie
goes out looking for a job because he does not want to see his mother and his
siblings to suffer. Another important point is Angela’s family who is there
only to judge, but they really never help to do anything.

 Death: death seems to follow the family everywhere they go, they loss several
children to different reasons, this being the cause to Malachy’s alcoholism
which leads the family to the economic ruin. Also the economic situation of
Ireland let its people without a good medical care or access to medicine which
makes lots of people die to the flu including Angela’s children.

 Northern Ireland and republic of Ireland: Northern Ireland is part of the United
Kingdom, while the republic of Ireland is an independent nation. Situation
that leads to a hard discrimination and hatred between sides.

 Personal opinion of the film: in al senses, the movie is, for me, close to being
a master piece. The way it shows us a cruel cold world that goes side by side
with the grey sceneries and all the movie’s environment. As all the poor
neighborhood with flooded houses and streets where is difficult to walk. I
loved the way the movie shows us how difficult life was for them, and how
despite this they find some times a way to be happy and play in the streets.
Another high point of the movie is the performance of the actors that play the
children. The plot in general tell us that life is not easy, but you can survive it
and find happiness in little moments, as Frankie and his family do. The movie
makes u think in a deep way about poverty, hunger, discrimination and how
all of these affected that Irish society, but we can relate very closely these
events to our daily lives.

 Education (agree, disagree, why?) total and capital disagreement! There is

nothing good coming out from an education system that comes from
authoritarian cathedra based in religion. That is not the way great minds are
cultivated, that is the way you indoctrinate and castrate children’s minds. In
fact, it seems to me extremely absurd that this kind of education still exists
nowadays, it is simply absurd. An educational system that prioritizes absolute
obedience over creativity, even where the obedience is to an inferior mind
(taking “inferior mind” as an adult that lets a religion or any nonsense mind
control device leads its life) this kind of education can only lead us to
catastrophe and stupidity.