How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
Mr. O'Halloran tells the class it's a disgrace that boys like McCourt, Clarke, Kennedy, have to hew wood and draw water. He is disgusted by this free and independent Ireland that keeps a class system foisted on us by the English, that we are throwing our talented children on the dungheap. (13.58)
Mr. O'Halloran sees the injustice here. All of his good pupils just aren't "good" enough in the eyes of the system. He can't bear to see his promising students going nowhere. He blames the situation on centuries of English discrimination against the Irish Catholics. Even though in this book it's other Irish who are doing the discriminating, Mr. O'Halloran knows that the patterns of history are hard to change.
Quote #8
Little Barrington Street. That's a lane. Why are you calling it a street? You live in a lane, not a street.
They call it a street, Mr. McCaffrey.
Don't be getting above yourself, boy.
Oh, I wouldn't, Mr. McCaffrey.
You live in a lane and that means you have nowhere to go but up. (16.96-100)
The lane is another term for the ghetto, the slums, skid row. We don't think that Mr. McCaffrey is being mean to Frank; he's just telling Frank to become Zen with where he's from because that means he's only got one way to go: up and out of the lanes.
Quote #9
Mrs. O'Connell has the tight mouth and she won't look at me. She says to Miss Barry, I hear a certain upstart from the lanes walked away from the post office exam. Too good for it, I suppose.
Mrs. O'Connell talks past me to the boys waiting on the bench for their telegrams. This is Frankie McCourt who thinks he's too good for the post office.
I don't think that, Mrs. O'Connell.
And who asked you to open your gob, Mr. High and Mighty? Too grand for us, isn't he boys? (16.120; 133-135)
It's not just the upper classes that that clamp down on the poor kids who want to aim higher. There's plenty of discouragement from the working classes, too, who try to shame Frankie into giving up his dreams. Kind of reminds us of that scene in Superbad when Seth tries to shame Evan about going to an elite college, but then they make up because he realizes he loves his buddy and really wants what's best for him and they say, "I love you man," and…sorry, give us a minute to pull ourselves together.