Nicole Somma
Angela's Ashes
Outside Reading 2
Last semester I took an English class that revolved around food.
One book that we read was Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt. The true story explains an Irish families struggle for survival in American and then in
Ireland. One of the main themes in the book is starvation. Throughout the book,
Frank McCourt describes every little aspect of the food he is given or sees. During, the height of his starvation he
watches one of his friends flaunt a ham sandwich and cookies. Frank describes how the ham sandwich is the perfect size and how his friend's mother even cut off the crusts. The cookies were baked perfectly, a nice golden brown. Frank
states that there is nothing more beautiful than a plate of food. Even the sandwich crust that were thrown to the side were beautiful. This got me
thinking about what food means to me. When I am about to eat, I do not think
that my food is beautiful. I am eating to survive and nothing more. Why does
food look “beautiful” to Frank McCourt? Well, I think it is beautiful to him because
he would be so happy and satisfied if he could eat any kind of food. When a person is starving,
food embodies more. Something so tiny like a sandwich is beautiful and symbolizes health. Frank McCourt finds the beauty in food because it is something he can not attain.
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