Chapters 23 and 24

Chapter 23 revolves around Monagan's worries for the children's well-being.

On the one hand, the family has managed to lead nothing if not a fulfilled life in Ireland. On the other hand, truth be told, their kids used to have much more wholesome pastimes in America as well as the parent's full attention. Guilt started to creep in Monagan as he desperately tried to re-create the family life they indulged in in America.

At this point let me leave my impressions of the main storyline behind and focus on a question which ties in just perfectly with what I was just writing about. I found it in our script (page 12) and it goes like this:

Moving abroad is well and good for young people with no dependants. Parents on the other hand...( the rest you can imagine)

The assertion that parents should not move abroad is not in accordance with my personal view. The way I see it, anyone can move abroad (young, old etc) as long as all the pros and cons of this major decision had been weighed up. Children are, accordingly, no hindrance whatsoever in moving. On the contrary, they are the one's who usually breath life into a new home.

At the end of the day, I think I'm justified in stating that moving to a foreign country with your children in tow won't certainly be a piece of cake, but it will enrich the lives of the children and make the parents happy. After all, only satisified parents are good parents.

Chapter 24 saw the Monagans' returning to America for the summer holidays. While the children had a whale of a time, the parents were proven right in their decision that America wasn't a place to live in anymore. Everywhere they looked they were besieged by the same isolation and indifference as ever.

It was high time to return to year two in Cork.

The vocab quiz (features vocab I owe from the last chapters)

1. steep
a)too high
b)too much
c)too fast

2.unflappable
a)unaffected
b)uncooperative
c)stalwart

3.scant
a)very little
b)hypocrisy
c)very much

4. glossy
a)a magazine
b)a cake
c)a drink