Typhoid Fever

The Irish and the English

• Originally Ireland existed as a country in its own right with its own language. The vast majority of its people were Catholic.

• Around 1170, Henry II of England declared himself king of Ireland as well as the rest of Great Britain. Ireland was brought under British control with much bloodshed.

• Over the following centuries, Ireland was colonized by the British (as was America) and the Irish were ruled by them against their will.

• In the 1600s, King James I offered land in Ireland to Protestant settlers from Scotland if they would farm it and control the country.

• This land was forcibly seized from the Irish who were now not allowed (by law) to own land anymore. Catholics were also no longer allowed to vote, be elected to public office, work for the government, practice their religion or even speak their own language.

• If you were an Irish Catholic at this time, how would you feel about the English (British) and Protestants in general?

“Typhoid Fever” from Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt

Learning objective: To review and develop understanding of setting, mood and tone in a narrative. Tasks:1. Answer questions 1 – 5 on page 204 before summarizing the piece in one or two

sentences. (2 points per question/summary. 12 points total)2. The setting of a story refers to time and place. Where does Typhoid Fever take place

and when? (2 points)3. The setting in turn affects the lives and behavior of the characters. Think of at least

three words that describe the background of Frankie’s early life? Refer to the background on page 193. For example, poverty, degradation etc. Give reasons for your word choices by putting them into full sentences. (6 points total: 2 points per observation)

For example:Frankie would have lived in poverty in the slums of Limerick where few

people had jobs and no-one had any money.

4. Think of at least two words that describe what life in the fever hospital would have been like for Frankie and Patricia and put these words into full sentences. Extract evidence from the text to support your inferences and cite it appropriately. (8 points total. 4 points per observation. Descriptive word or phrase/intro to quote/quote(properly cited)/explanation of quote)For example:The hospital sounds incredibly strict. For example, Sister Rita forbids Frankie and Patricia to talk to each other and when she catches them in conversation, she berates them by saying, “Now, now what’s this? There’s to be no talking between two rooms especially when it’s a boy and a girl” (McCourt 195). Considering they are the only patients and there is nothing else to do in the hospital, this seems very harsh indeed.

Mood and toneThrough his/her writing an author tries to make you feel a certain way.5. How does Frank McCourt make you feel in the excerpt and why? Extract evidence from the text to support how you feel. Use a direct quote and, again, remember to cite it appropriately. You should give at least two different feelings that McCourt evokes in you. (8 points total. 4 points per observation. Feeling/intro to quote/quote(properly cited)/explanation of quote)For example:At times I felt extreme anger when reading this piece. I find it incredibly cruel that Sister Rita has him isolated in the ward where so many people had died from the potato famine and forbids him from having visitors – even his mother - because of his “bad behavior with Patricia Madigan and that poem ” (McCourt 199). This act is particularly despicable if you bear in mind that Frankie is only 10 years-old and that Patricia is expected to die very soon.

Literary techniques

Literary techniquesFrank McCourt uses three major literary techniques to engage his audience and bring his writing to life. • Flashback – telling a story from the past in the present. • Foreshadowing – giving clues about what is going to happen.• Use of imagery – descriptive words to paint pictures in the reader’s mind. 6. How does Frank McCourt bring a story from the past into the present? Hint: Look at the very first sentence on page 194. (2 points)7. There are two very good examples of foreshadowing in the piece. What are they? Hint: look at paragraph 8 on page 195 and paragraph two on page 198. (2 points per observation)8. Look at the second paragraph on page 199. In your own words, describe what the ward looks like and what Frankie sees in his nightmares. (4 points. 2 points for descriptions of the ward/2 points for descriptions of the nightmares)Extension (Optional for extra credit. 4 point maximum). What did you think of the piece, Typhoid Fever and why?

Work cited

McCourt, F. Typhoid Fever from Angela’s Ashes. Elements of Literature: Fourth Course. Eds. Holt, Reinhart and Winston.

Austin, Texas: Beers Odell, 2005. 193 – 199. Print (1 point)

What is wrong with the following answers about life in Frankie’s fever hospital and a modern day one?

• Well, life in a modern hospital is like very different to the hospital in which Frankie stayed. It was like scummy and nasty, while ours are really cool.

• Frankie’s hospital was full of mean nuns. “Don’t let me come back and find you talking” (McCourt 195).

• Life in Frankie’s hospital would have been very boring. “Patricia says she has two books by her bed” (McCourt 195).

What is wrong with the following answers about how the author makes us feel through his writing?

• I had alot of anger when reading this piece. Sister Rita could of treated Frankie much better than she did. I think she is a scumbag.

• There were some moments of comedy and light relief for me, however. The piece made me feel really sad. “She got out of the bed when she was supposed to use a bedpan and collapsed and died in the lavatory” (McCourt 198).