Frank McCourt was a child with dreams "Day and night I dream of America", who acquired the strength and determination to make them come true. He grew up in a poverty stricken environment yet managed against all odds to break free from the physical and emotional struggle he was experiencing and make a life for himself. He was encouraged and influenced by a world he had never seen, with this overwhelming desire for knowledge and a love for things above his station. Regardless of the hardships he faced, he never gave up hope, soldiering on to become a successful author and teacher.

It would be fair to say that Frank's life was a constant strain. His family were always suffering from poverty, and even when they had money coming in, such as the dole, Frank's father would go down to the pub for pints. Even when Malachy (Frank's father) got a job in England he never sent money home, and his family was left to fend for themselves. Frank loved his father dearly and looked up to him, but he never wanted to be like him, he never wanted to leave his family with nothing, "When I start that job at the post office I'l

Throughout his childhood Frank was encouraged to get out of Ireland. His father was a major influence, and always gave Frank support and confidence to make his way to America, "He says you can do anything in America, it's the land of opportunity." Ideals about America were always being forced and absorbed into his head, and he believed in his heart that he had to make it to America, and that everything would happen for him there it was just a matter of time, "...I want to be in America with you and all that music, where no one has bad teeth, people leave food on their plates, every family has a lavatory, and everyone lies happily ever after." He would listen to the radio of this old woman that lived on his street, he'd listen to the news, and the music of Billy Holiday. When he was in hospital for typhoid, he met a girl named Patricia Madigan who introduced him to the likes of Shakespeare, from that time on his desire for knowledge grew deeper and more intense. He was so interested by the rest of the world and history that he'd use his mother's library card, or Laman Griffin's to borrow books and read. Frank ideals about how American life was happened to be greatly influenced by the movies he'd see at the Lyric Cinema, "...if I were in America I could say, I love you, Dad, the way they do in the films..." His teacher and headmaster Mr. O'Halloran who "loved America" had a great faith in Frank, he could see that Frank was an intelligent boy and that he was wasting his life at Leamy's school. He encouraged his students to learn and strive for the best, "He says, You have to study and learn so that you can make up your own minds about history and everything else....stock your mind. Stock your mind." He would specifically push Frank towards striving for America, and to get his hands and grab on to that American dream he could achieve, as he is a smart boy that deserves an education, "He tells her (Angela) that her son Frank must continue school.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1317
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)