an american question

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carrieluvv

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for an irish person.

I was watching angela's ashes today
when Oliver dies and they take the carriage down the road to the funeral....what is the deal with the ladies throwing buckets of water in the road?
whats the story behind this tradition?
 
Hmm i've read that book and seen the movie a few times, but can't remember that part very well either. only thing i can think of though is are you sure that it was water? any chance they were emptying a bucket of waste? i dunno just a thought :shrug:
 
From what I remember the McCourts didn't have much in the way of indoor plumbing at one point. Perhaps their neighbors didn't either.

I never get sick of reading Angela's Ashes.
 
Not familiar with the movie but I do have a very vague, foggy recollection of hearing about this custom in some other context. As I recall, the water is thrown in front of the carriage as it moves forward, symbolically cleansing the path ahead as a final gesture of honor and respect for the deceased.

:hmm: This is not the most appropriate thread title...
 
Actually from what I have read, it was kind of a tradition, The water being thrown was the water that was used to bathe the corpse in the coffin , then they would throw it in front of the horse carraige. Mostly the peoples neighbors did it.
 
dreadful movie. good book. never read tis, though. should i? heard it wasn't as good.
 
TIS was really good too........ funny stuff,

Yolland..i think yours is probably the best explanation

yes the title of the thread sucks big butt

im very surprised no irish chimed in with the answer...how disappointing
 
I don't know the answer but Frank McCourt's new book comes out today -Teacher Man, A Memoir..he taught high school English in NYC for 30 years

I went to a lecture he gave a couple of years back, he did a book signing too. He is so sweet and funny, he read some passages from Teacher Man.
 
MrsSpringsteen said:
I don't know the answer but Frank McCourt's new book comes out today -Teacher Man, A Memoir..he taught high school English in NYC for 30 years

I went to a lecture he gave a couple of years back, he did a book signing too. He is so sweet and funny, he read some passages from Teacher Man.

Things to buy today:

*U2 DVD
*New Frank McCourt book

Thanks for the info!
 
i hadn't even heard about it yet.

did you know malachy mccourt is a pretty well known actor in NYC? I spot him in the weirdest movies.
he wrote a book called " a monk swimming" which i never read.

woo hoo !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

we should start the book club thread
that would be nerdy but cool
get the same book and then discuss
 
I read the prologue during my plan period today. :up: :up: I don't see how I'm not going to enjoy this book about a public school teacher. The Today show interview was good too. But as a teacher, I'm biased. :wink:
 
UberBeaver said:
I've had Tis for bout 5 years now. I've yet to open it up. No idea why.

same. (only had it for about a year though.)

i don't really like the picture on the cover...and i get the feeling the amazing humor in the first book was mostly based on the funny perceptions of an unjaded child, i just don't want to read about him as an adult. and if he used the same style i don't think it would work for an adult.

anyone agree that the movie completely missed the dark humor of the book? the book made me laughand cry...movie just made me want to commit suicide. :banghead:
 
cant judge a book by its cover!

the second one is funny too.

in one part he writes about trying to eat his pie and drink his soda while seeing a movie , and hes hiding them under his coat
and some guy chases him out of the theatre calling him a pervert
hehe
 
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