Ellen
ESL SACE Task 4: Argument Essay
Topic: It is difficult to succeed in life if you are poor

For poor people it is not only hard to live but also very difficult to succeed. There are four main factors effecting success: friends, education opportunities, appearance and status. They all directly or indirectly influence people’s ability to succeed. Poor people do not have these four factors. So it is difficult for poor people to success in theirs life. Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt (1996) is a memoir of the author’s childhood in 1930s Ireland. Frank’s father is an alcoholic and Frank has many brothers. His life is full of poverty. However he does succeed. His dream to go to America comes true.
Firstly, friends are one of the most important things to affect success. People around the poor are all poor people, so they can not learn something from others. Sometimes they may prevent others from study. Because all of them do not think education is important include their parents. Angela took Frank to post office to apply the telegram boy when he was near 14. An obvious example in this novel is that Frank’s best friend is a boy named Paddy. He is the poorest student in his class. The first time Frank bunked off school is with Paddy. Another example is Billy Campbell who is Frank’s friend came to Frank’s house and asked Frank to play football with him. But Frank should gone to have dancing lessons. Because Billy said,’ Dancing is for girls. You’ll forget how to play football or anything.’ (pg39) Frank never goes to have dancing lessons again. Although Frank was affected by his friends, he had his goal which is that going to America, so he worked harder than his friends.
Secondly, poor people do not have good education opportunities. Good education will give people enormous help toward success, but poor people do not have access to it. Poor people can not afford expensive tuition, and they have no enough money to buy books. They may not go to school. They just want to work so that they will have more money as Frank did. He left school when he was 14 years old, so it is early, and in his school time, he never thought about his study. He went to school in Limerick, but that school was very small. There were only seven teachers in that school. This led to Frank had not enough knowledge. So that he could not find good jobs. He just can use his physical power to earn money not knowledge. But Frank tries to learn more knowledge. He borrows books from the library. This let Frank to succeed easier than his friends.
Finally, poor people do not have a good appearance or high social status. This immediately affects success. The poor do not have enough money to buy good clothes. They just have very old clothes. Maybe their clothes are dirty and smelly like Frank’s clothes. He wore same clothes day and night. He thought his clothes like dead dogs. (Pg 68) Nobody wants to work with people like that. This is why Frank found it difficult to be a telegram boy with dirty clothes. However, when he wears his new clothes, he successfully gets this job. People all want to work with the people have high social status. Some place is attach importance to status like church. This is why the man in the church does not allow Frank to be an altar boy. Frank tries to change his appearance, this make him become different with his friends.
In conclusion, friends, education opportunities, appearance and low social status prevent poor people from succeeding. Poor people do not have access to these things at a high level. Although Frank is success, he is an individual example. This because Frank has his dream and does many things to help his dream comes true, such as work hard, makes education opportunities for himself and to change his appearance. So that Frank is different with the most of poor people, and become an individual example. The poverty made it difficult for the poor to succeed in life.