‘Educating Rita’ by Willy Russell
Themes
Class, Culture
This is a play that makes us think about class and culture- how different they are for people and also their impact on people’s lives and opportunities.
Rita comes from an uneducated working class background.. Frank belongs to the educated middle classes with a totally different culture. Actually, when Rita says that her background has no culture she is wrong – but it is a different culture. Rita’s culture is based on pulp fiction, popular songs and television whereas Frank’s culture is based on quality literature and academic knowledge. They really come from very different worlds and cultures yet the strange thing is that each envies the other and sees the other as being more ‘free’ Rita sees her class as a trap, holding her back from knowing what the world has to offer and believes that through education she will ‘dicover herself’ and gain happiness.
Speaking of her culture she says ‘ I just see everyone pissed or on the valium, tryin’ to get from one day to the next’ She believes that the working class is encouraged to pursue money and possessions to divert them from what their lives lack. ‘ The Unions tell them to go out an’ get more money’ Basically, Rita wants something that will give her life meaning. Through education she believes she will find it.This is really asking a lot of education – to give your life meaning.
The Essay on How Does Popular Culture Mirror America Life
How does popular culture mirror America life? What does it mean to be an American? It is hard question and there may be many answers. Each American has his own point of vies about this question. You can say that being American means to be a citizen of US. Of course, it is true, but it is just a formal answer. The understanding on being American is much more deeper. Mostly it depends on human ...
Denny fears her involvement in education –probably because deep down he senses – correctly – that it will separate them in many senses. It is made clear that it is difficult for Rita to be educated and still be working class as we see increasingly her new understanding moves her away from what family and friends think is all- important in life. In Denny’s case this is a baby and a nice home.
Therefore in Act 1 in culture, language and accent it is as if Rita and Frank belong to different worlds. This is a play about a character’s journey from one class and culture to another – but very much it is about all that Rita learns by the end about life and happiness.
Education, Literature and Snobbery
This is also a play about the snobbishness that often surrounds education and literature. The play is set in the 80’s so it is very possible that education now is very different – it being far more widely available to all from every class. Perhaps everyone may not see it like this. What do you think?
The insight Rita gives us into her school years is very telling. Education was seen by her peers as being unimportant and peer pressure meant that to be interested excluded you from your friends. The same really happens to Rita as an adult struggling for education. She is forced by Denny to choose between his world and the world of education and a different culture.
Frank is no snob but has come to see that his poetry was snobbish or elitist, appealing only to people with a depth of literary knowledge. Frank feels that that kind of writing is inferior and he values what he sees in Rita when he first met her – honesty, sincerity, a naturalness,passion. He sees these qualities in Rita and that is why he is so drawn to her. ( However, this was also why he was so reluctant to teach her as he feared that these qualities would disappear.)
Russell, himself, said that a play should be able to be understood as it stood without having to be educated or looking up reference books. Yet let us not forget the reference to ‘Howard’s End’ – a reference not probably accessible to an uneducated person and a reader of only popular fiction such as Rita’s ‘Rubyfruit Jungle’. ‘Howard’s End’ is about the inability of people from different backgrounds to ‘connect’.
The Term Paper on Mortiz Schlick: the Meaning of Life in Play
I do not agree with Schlick’s contention that the meaning of life is grounded in the act of play and not work. I disagree for three main reasons. First, I find Schlicks account of forgetting the purpose of activities to be somewhat flawed. He demonstrates how the purpose of an activity does not yield meaning and that work is a means to a goal. I find a discrepancy in this in regards to his ...
However, eventually, Rita does ‘ connect’ and comes to realise that education is not everything and that education by itself does not guarantee happiness and she comes to a realisation that her ‘old’ culture is different – not valueless.
The play rejects some snobbish attitudes that surround literature and education but we see that education – if used wisely – is of value. This we see in Rita at the end of the play.
Unlike the central character in ‘Howard’s End’ Rita is not destroyed by her pursuit of education but she comes to see that it is not an end in itself. It is just something that should give pleasure and power over one’s life. It gives you knowledge and freedom – and choice in life. It did not make her a new person or give her a better culture but gave her choice because she now knows what choices exist.
At the end Rita says ‘ I’ll make a decision, I’ll choose’ – choose what she wants to do with her life. The obvious difference in her is that now she knows what options there are in life – what possibilities exist. Really, what Frank gave Rita was not a new life but skills to take into life – skills that would give her choices!
|Going Through the Play As a Remimder| | |
| |Rita – Character and Development |Events + Frank |
|QUOTES | | |
| |She is full of energy and curiosity. Is about her a |Frank not keen on Open University student . Doing it just for the |
|‘It’s that stupid bleedin’handle on |freshness and frankness that astounds Frank. |drinking money. |
|the door. You wanna get it fixed’ | | |
| |She is open and enquiring about everything including |Frank seems weary of life and drinking to forget a broken marriage |
The Homework on Schools: Education and Students
There have been many recent reports, and research studies about cheating among students in schools. There are many different versions of cheating: copying home work, looking at another individual’s test paper and plagiarizing. This serious issue affects many students throughout their education and should be dealt with. Cheating in schools, caused mainly by students’ fear of failure or their ...
|‘Everything I know – and you must |Frank’s personal life but she is naïve and uneducated – but|and the loss of his poetic inspiration. We see what he knows that |
|listen to this – is that I know |far from stupid. |education has not ensured him happiness and he knows that some |
|absolutely nothing’ | |education can be shallow. He feels his knowledge of literature has|
| | |been of little value. He takes for granted even despises the |
| | |things in him that Rita wants! |
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| | |Rita’s entry – Oil can! |
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| | |Comments on Frank’s study and the painting and the scene below |
| |In awe of the students – in awe in general of the educated |where the students are sitting on the lawn. Constantly asking |
|‘It’s very erotic’ |classes. |Frank about his private life – because she is so alive and |
| | |fascinated by everything that is new here. |
|‘God, what it’s like to be free’ |The window through which she looks down at the lawn below | |
The Essay on Education and Students
In order to create an environment conducive to learning, the learner must be assisted by the mentor to identify their learning needs (NMC 2006). It became clear that the students had concerns about starting their placement and particularly wanted to know what the ward/placement area and the staff ‘were like’ and voiced worries about being accepted and not knowing anything or anyone when ‘A’ ...
| |represents the barrier that she sees between herself and | |
| |the educated. | |
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| |She sees Frank and the ‘real’ students as being not only | |
| |educated but wise! She sees them as having the ideal |Rita’s references eg ‘Charlie’s Angels’ and ‘Rubyfruit Jungle’ |
| |life. |Drawn from pulp fiction or television. Frank’s references are |
| | |literary. Neither knows anything about each other’s worlds. |
|‘I wish I could talk like that. | | |
|It’s brilliant’ | | |
| |Rita easily impressed. When she says this, Frank has not |‘Howard’s End’ Rita notices on Frank’s shelves. Symbolism of this|
| |said anything brilliant. Unable to criticise Frank – in |will become clear as play progresses. |
| |knowledge – God-like figure to her. | |
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The Term Paper on Anne Franks Life Bergen Belson
THE ANNE FRANK STORY AND THE HOLOCAUST IN HOLLANDAnneliesse Marie Frank was born on June 12, 1929, in Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany, the second daughter of Otto and Edith Frank. Anne and her older sister Margot (born February 6, 1926), were born in the post-World War 1 era and they, along with their parents, were German citizens under the laws of the Weimar Republic (1918-33). Otto, Anne's father, ...
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| |How realistic is this ? She believes that education will | |
| |bring her freedom. How right is she do you think? Think | |
| |of Frank – how free is he? How happy is he? | |
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| |A real gap between Frank and Rita in class, language and |Events + Frank |
| |culture. (How?) | |
| |Rita- character and development | |
|QUOTES |Rita desperate to change – put some meaning into her life. | |
| |Feels unfulfilled | |
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Talking About Rita Frank Scene Essay
Educating Rita- the summary Act one Scene one The hairdresser Rita wants to become educated. She enrolled into an open university and was accepted. Rita get a tutor- Frank-. This scene describes the first meeting between both. Frank expects an insecure, shy woman. But Rita is self- assured, extroverted and speaks a lot. They talk about irrelevant themes like pictures alcohol and about smoking. ...
| |Rita has just accepted the life she was swept into and did | |
| |nothing for a long time because – as at school – it was | |
| |easier not to think. It is not ever easy in life to strike| |
|‘Like cos they don’t want y’ to |out, to be different. One’s culture, one’s community can | |
|change’ |be a comfort but (window!) it can also be a trap, a | |
| |barrier. | |
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| |Rita is easily impressed and unable as yet to criticise | |
| |Frank | |
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| |Rita is uneducated but not stupid | |
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|Quote re ‘Peer Gynt’ | | |
| |Rita is trying to connect her world with the world of | |
| |education and literature. She is disillusioned with her | |
| |class – She believes that they are led to see money and | |
|Quote re ‘Howard’s End’ |possessions as their goal ; Rita wants to enrich her life | |
| |in a very different way. | |
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| |Insight via difficulties with Denny of the enormous step | |
| |that Rita is taking. | |
| | |Denny has burnt Rita’s books (The pill!) |
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| | |Rita asks about Frank’s poetry but he says that what he wrote was |
| | |literature not poetry(?) |
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| | |Now a huge strain on Rita’s marriage |
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| | |Frank encourages Rita to go to the theatre though he makes clear he|
| | |does not like it. Point is that he has knowledge from which to |
| | |make that choice. Rita knows nothing of the theatre in order for |
| | |her yet to make any choice about it. This is true of her life and |
| | |the choices she can make! |
| | |Events + Frank |
| |Rita – character and development |Rita goes to see Macbeth |
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| | |Frank invites Rita to his house for a dinner party. Rita did not |
| |Rita still in awe of the educated and their culture- she |go (Why not?) |
|Quotes |did not know which wine to bring or what she would say. | |
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| |Going to the pub was a major turning point for Rita. Sees |Went instead to where her family were – the pub singing! A major |
| |her mother’s unhappiness in a life that lacks choice and |turning point in the play for Rita. |
| |this gives her the determination to stick with her studies.| |
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| |She wants to seize her life- control it not just go along | |
| |the usual path for people of her background. | |
|Because we could sing better songs | | |
|than these’ |Rita comments about people from her background being unable| |
| |to address the dullness of their lives instead turning to | |
| |valium or buying things ( new dress) Ironic Frank cannot | |
| |address the problems in his life either though he turns to | |
| |drink not valium | |
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| |Rita’s response to ‘Macbeth’ – a sincere response not from | |
| |anyone else. She is beginning to value literature from a | |
| |very different level from her usual experience. | |
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| | |Unusual entrance of Rita to Frank’s study – ready for work – new |
| | |determination. |
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| |Rita wants to be taught to be analytical | |
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| | |Denny – an ultimatum – Rita has left him. |
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| | |Rita’s Macbeth essay- In exam terms worthless – In sincerity and |
| | |passion – of great value. Rita insists wants what Frank and other |
| | |students have. This despite Frank’s reluctance to teach her this |
| | |as he fears it will remove from her the aspects of her personality |
| | |that he finds so wonderful and unique. Power is still with Frank –|
| |Rita-character and development |an educated Rita and that may change! Does Frank sense this ? |
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| |We are now into Act 11 –post summer school | |
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| |Rita has changed greatly. In appearance she is the typical| |
| |student but is changed in more important ways. She is very| |
| |confident Rita’s knowledge is no longer totally dependent | |
| |on Frank or his values but from other sources also. Is now| |
| |unafraid of being laughed at ( Question at summer school) | |
| | |Events + Frank |
|Quotes |Rita beginning to need Frank less and beginning to ask | |
| |questions about Frank’s own wisdom. She has thrown herself|We are now into Act11 – post summer school |
|We are now into Act 11 – post summer|into a new culture. | |
|school | | |
| |Note the symbolic significance of her wanting to go outside| |
| |for the tutorial or open the jammed window of the study she|Julia had left Frank but they are now reconciled. |
| |NOW finds restricting and stuffy. | |
| | |Frank’s dependence on Rita we begin to see. |
|‘’so I did it I asked him the |Now critical of Frank who has not changed (Drink) BUT she | |
|question’ |is totally uncritical of anything about her new world |Frank is seen now by Rita as stale. ( Parental role? ) |
| |despite Frank’s warnings as he sees how superficial she is | |
| |becoming. |Frank knows that he must let her go but is so emotionally dependent|
| | |on her that her lessening need of him he sees as a betrayal. |
| |Unattractively cocky | |
| | |Frank’s earlier jammed door and now the jammed window symbolises |
| | |how unwilling to change and open himself to the world is Frank. |
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| |Time Elapsed | |
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| |Rita – character and development | |
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| |Rita is no longer in awe of the other students. Discusses | |
| |literature with them and sees them as far from clever. | |
|‘Of course; you can’t do Blake | | |
|without doing innocence and |Her latest essay on Blake, Frank says could go with the |Time Elapsed |
|experience’ |other students – what is he implying? | |
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| |Rita is now completely under the sway of Trish whom she | |
| |says is ‘unpretentious’! | |
|Time Elapsed | | |
| |Rita now has the knowledge she wanted and is no longer shy | |
| |of the educated. However, her aim was to ‘discover | |
| |herself’. Has she? |Events + Frank |
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| | |Rita arrives for her tutorial and speaks jokingly in an affected |
| | |voice but was it really a joke, do you think? |
| |Time has elapsed | |
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|Quotes | | |
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|‘As Trish says there is not a lot of| | |
|point in discussing beautiful | |Frank is resistant to the changes in Rita and uneasy ( Many reasons|
|literature in an ugly voice’ | |– why do you think?) |
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|‘For students they don’t half come | |_____________________________ |
|out with some rubbish y’ know’ | | |
| | |Time has elapsed |
|______________ | | |
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|Time has elapsed | |Rita is in Frank’s study waiting for him. He comes in drunk. She |
| | |argues with him saying that he is being unfair to his students. |
| | |Her essay on Blake – Frank is disappointed with – why? |
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| | |Rita says she needs less help from him now. |
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