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Hyperbole
Definition of Idiom
An idiom is a phrase that conveys a figurative meaning that is difficult or impossible to understand based solely on a literal interpretation of the words in the phrase. For... read full definition
An idiom is a phrase that conveys a figurative meaning that is difficult or impossible to understand based solely on a literal interpretation of the... read full definition
An idiom is a phrase that conveys a figurative meaning that is difficult or impossible to understand based solely on... read full definition
Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—A Holiday in Heaven:
Near the beginning of the novel Frank introduces his baby sister Margaret to the reader with great tenderness, using idiom and simile to explain why she affects everyone so strongly:
There’s a new baby soon, a little girl, and they call her Margaret. We all love Margaret. She has black curly hair and blue eyes like Mam and she waves her little hands and chirps like any little bird in the trees along Classon Avenue. Minnie says there was a holiday in heaven the day this child was made.
The simile the narrator uses here compares baby Margaret to a “little bird,” as if instead of crying she tweets and trills. Unlike a typical baby’s cries or fussing, Margaret’s quiet “chirping” is one of the many things that make her seem so adorable she’s almost angelic. Instead of being disruptive and noisy like most newborns, she’s a soothing presence in the McCourt household. Everyone loves her; Malachy Sr. even stops drinking and holds down a steady job for a short while after the time described in this passage.
The idiom “a holiday in heaven” implies that Margaret is a gift from God, made with extra care and happiness. The period-specific phrase comes from Frank’s deeply Catholic environment, in which babies were often seen as blessings directly from heaven. By framing her birth in this way, McCourt emphasizes how special Margaret is to the family. Rather than being another hungry mouth to feed like Frank and his brothers, Margaret is a source of pure joy.
Related Themes:
Chapter 2
Explanation and Analysis—Did His Bit:
McCourt uses idiom and hyperbole to emphasize the frustration and bitterness felt by Irish veterans like Malachy Sr. over the meager pensions the IRA offers. This dialogue between Malachy Sr. and a fellow veteran takes place in an IRA office in Dublin, where they lament the meager rewards the Irish Free State offers for the sacrifices they made:
The man tells Dad, I can see you’re a man that did his bit. Dad says, Och, I did my bit, and the man says, I did me bit, too, and what did it get me but one eye less and a pension that wouldn’t feed a canary.
The idiom “did his bit” here refers to Malachy Sr. having fought in the Irish War of Independence. Phrases like “did his bit” and “did me bit” as they appear here rely on a shared understanding that a man’s “bit” refers to his personal contributions to the end of English rule in Ireland. The idiomatic language here establishes a sense of commonality between Malachy Sr. and the unknown soldier he's commiserating with. By saying they “did their bit,” each confirms that they participated in the war against the English without having to go into further detail.
However, it seems that “doing one’s bit” is not sufficient to provide a livelihood after the war. The unnamed veteran that Malachy Sr. is speaking to describes his pay from the IRA office as “a pension that wouldn’t feed a canary.” By suggesting that their veteran's pensions are so low they couldn’t sustain even a tiny bird, McCourt illustrates how unfairly men like Malachy Sr. felt they were treated after the war ended. This exaggerated statement also shows the casual bitterness the other veteran feels, as he’s lost an eye only to be met with this “reward.” Malachy Sr. feels the sting of unfairness even more intensely after this exchange, however, as without proof of his having fought, he is unable to collect any pension at all.
Related Themes:
