Degree Name

MA (Master of Arts)

Program

English

Date of Award

5-2001

Committee Chair or Co-Chairs

Frederick O. Waage

Committee Members

Thomas A. Holmes, Sonya H. Cashdan

Abstract

In his story, “The Commitments,” Roddy Doyle identifies the Irish as "the blacks of Europe" (148). This sentiment typifies the oppression of the two cultures. The overwhelmingly oppressive society of the two aforementioned groups creates an atmosphere of failure, particularly for the fathers, who, for the most part, are supposed to be the heads of their families. Through Alice Walker’s The Color Purple and Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes, the reader discovers the effects of these failures of the fathers due to tyrannical societies that impose dominance over such groups as the African-Americans and the Irish. The main characters, Celie and Frank, are adversely affected by the absent or failing fathers, and must search for means to transcend the failure and oppression.

Document Type

Thesis - unrestricted

Copyright

Copyright by the authors.

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