New experiences can lead to a number of obstacles which individuals must overcome in order to gain significant rewards. The movement into a new world can me emotional, physical or mentally and can be a personal change or be promoted by a mentor. In “Educating Rita” by Willy Russell, Frank promotes Rita to venture into his world of education in order for her for achieve the freedom and choice she desires, however Frank can also be a barrier for Rita at times. This change is not an easy change and comes at a cost. From early on in the play Willy Russell depicts the difference in class through the contrast of Rita and Frank.
Rita’s language can been seen as informal, loose and lots of swearing, typical images of a working class upbringing juxtaposed to the precise and formal educated language used by Frank. Rita longs to enter the world of education and escape her working class origins when she realises she is “slightly out of step” therefore she sees the Open University as a way of moving into a different world where she has “choice”. Rita asks Frank “God what’s it like to be free? ” but this question is seen as ironic, because Frank is not free and is restricted by his poky office and his unsatisfying job.
The office however, is a place where Rita one day wishes to move into. She is unaware and naive that the change she desires is superficial. This is contradicts what she says in scene 1; “But if you try to change y’ have to do it from the inside, don’t y’? ”. Rita becomes an obstacle for her self, she limits her thinking abilities and her thoughts become influenced by the those thoughts around her. For example Trish and Tyson are important for her movement into the world as she gains self confidence however she begins to lose her ‘rosy view’ of the world and starts to see them more realistically after Trish tries to take her own life.
The Essay on How the world has changed
The essay “Use Your Own Words” by Anne Trubek argues a great point that technology is changing the way we read and write and that spell must change also. Should the world let technology take over? What is the purpose of a map if you can easily find it on your phone and get directions? Think about it, what is the purpose of having a book or newspaper in modern times if you can easily go on the ...
This is an eye opener for Rita and she realises that class, education and knowing “what clothes to wear, what wine to buy, what plays to see, what papers and books to read” are no guarantee of a fulfilling life. Rita’s first attempt to enter the world of education is a struggle, she is faced with the physical obstacle of the door. She struggles with opening the door to Frank’s office; “it’s that stupid bleeding handle on the door” which is stoping her from venturing into the new experience of open university. The door is a symbol for Rita’s struggle and a obstacle which Rita over comes to gain entrance into the academic world.
As Rita progresses she shows she is determined to gain an education. Willy Russell does this by using comedy and humour through Rita at the door with an oil can to symbolise she is pro-active and is determined to over come any barriers. She offers the can to Frank which is suggestive of Franks need to change and try new things. Frank is unhappy with he world he is in and he uses alcohol as an escape. “The great thing about the booze is that it makes one believe that under all the talk, one is actually saying something” illustrates Franks low self esteem.
Frank is unable to overcome the barriers, causing his drinking to escalate until the university ‘advise’ him to take time in Australian or face being sacked, he is being forced to move into a new world. Rita’s barrier of social expectations are harder to overcome than any other obstacle. The dialogue between Frank and Rita; “I should have had a baby by now; everyone expects” illustrates the restriction placed on Rita by her husband, family and friends. She however “don’t wanna baby yet. See, I wanna discover myself first”. Denny, her husband does not agree with Rita’s choice to gain an education, however he expects her to have a baby.
Her attempt to move into the new world of education causes tension and conflict between the couple. Denny takes matters into his own hands and creates a physical obstacle for Rita by burning her books, he also give her an ultimatum to, “stop comin’ here an’ come off the pill or get out altogether. ” Staying true to herself, she continues to venture in the new world her determination to achieve and education grows, this is shown through the dialogue, “I couldn’t betray myself”. Rita also quickly changes the topic of conversation to her Macbeth essay, now swaying from the path of education.
The Essay on Educating Rita Into the World Speech
“Explain how Educating Rita and Step Brothers portray the consequences of moving into the world” When a person moves into the world, they are often met with consequences for seeking this change. Willy Russell’s “Educating Rita” and Judd Apatow’s “Step Brothers” portray both positive and negative consequences of this change. Both protagonists experience the change of moving into a new life; however ...
Rita’s quest for change came at the cost of her relationship between her and her husband Denny. Rita gained a significant rewards as well as significant self discovery, after her journey through new experiences. However her journey into the new world involved obstacles and challenges which needed to be overcome in order to change. The characters, Rita, created by Willy Russell showed great determination and will power to fight for what they strongly desired, at times their views were challenged but in the end the joy of a significant reward was reached.
