Journal: A Monk Swimming
Dialect is extremely important in any first person narrative. Yet, in first person narratives that deal with minorities in society, dialect is even more significant. In A Monk Swimming by Malachy McCourt, Malachy utilizes slang language and dialect that one would think was integrated into the language in Ireland. This form of language, no matter what style or nationality, and no matter what book, is consequential to the book and how the main character and his surroundings are perceived.
Appreciating the situations that a character, such as Malachy goes through is integral to the appreciation of the story. Malachy writes in the language that he is used to talking in, and by doing this, he gains the appreciation that he needs. While reading this, one feels more comfortable with Malachy because the language feels as if a story is being related to the reader, and Malachy is a "friend". Understanding Malachy, and his intricacies as a person, the reader can fully perceive who Malachy is, and why certain situations in the book occurred.
This language is also used to gain sympathy from the reader. If the reader feels sympathy toward Malachy, they can feel more comfortable reading the book, and feel more comfortable with who Malachy is. An Irish-American, Malachy, who, born in America, grown up in Ireland, and moved back to America for opportunity, is definitely a minority in American culture. An anomaly to the norm, through dialect, slang terms and his mannerisms through language, Malachy makes the reader know that, and feel comfortable with it, because he is proud that he is Irish, and demonstrates that through his form of language. This language is also demonstrated in Frank McCourt's book, Angela's Ashes. Frank thought so much of the Irish dialect, and thought so much of him being truly Irish, the last chapter of his Pulitzer prize winning novel is simply the word "‘tis". This one word, taking up an entire chapter, and that chapter being the last in the book fully demonstrates just how "Irish" Frank is, and how Irish that he has become throughout the novel.
The dialect allows the reader to feel more comfortable with Malachy's surroundings, and how the people around him, such as friends and acquaintances act. The reader, reading the book without the dialect woven into it, would not have truly been reading a memoir, because what they were reading would be a "polished" version of the story, and it would not be as if Malachy, the narrator was talking to them. This would impair all understandings of how Frank acted, and how others around him acted. The lack of dialect and "Irish" language would also mar the feeling of "friendship" between Malachy and the reader. Thus, language, dialect and slang terms are all influential in the writing, and perception of any first person narrative or memoir.