Ashes of Roses Post # 1 :

Quote # 1:  Margaret Rose  "Please, Ma," I said, pressin' my cheek against hers. " Nothing can be done. Ye're only makin' it worse fer all of us." I knew I was doin' the right thing, but it felt as if I was breakin' apart all the links that held our family together. 

Significance : To get into America you can't have any disease, and what is happening here is the mother had just lost her baby Joseph. The mother's baby Joseph won't be coming to America with the family because he has trachoma, and anybody who has that disease cannot come into the country. So the father is taking a trip back to Ireland with the baby. The family is now split up and the mother and the rest of the children our finding a place to stay at their Uncles house.

Connections: I don't know if I really have any connections to what is going on, but my moms family have experienced immigration. I guess another connection is with my little brother. When we were trying to get into an elementary school everyone such as my brother,  sister and I were excepted to the elementary school, but my little brother was not because there wasn't a spot available. The someone dropped out and my little brother got to attend the school. The connection here is that in the book the baby Joseph couldn't got to America with the rest of the family because he had a disease. So my little brother couldn't get in because there wasn't a spot available. So the baby wasn't excepted to America because he had a disease, and brother wasn't excepted to the school because there wasn't a spot available. 

Question: My question is why did the baby get chalk writing on his jacket, and what does it mean? 

Quote # 2:  " Yer husband is waitin' for ye in that city, Da said grinnin' 

Significance: The significance to this quote is why the family came to America. The Nolen  family traveled to America for more opportunities. The father and mother wanted their children to get married to someone and have kids, have a nice job, and have a good life in America. The Nolen Family  also came to America to make some money to support themselves. 

Connection: My connection to this quote is with my mom family because her family immigrated from Holland to America for more opportunities job wise, and to get away from the cold weather. This connects to the quote, because the Nolen Family wanted to come to America to give their kids better opportunities. My moms family came for the same reason, to give their children more opportunities. 

Question: The question I have relating to my quote is, why does the father of Margaret Rose want Margaret to get married so soon?