Educating Rita By Willy Russell Essay Example

her desk, indicating her active nature. This is not only evident in her body language but also in her talkative personality, as mentioned above. Willy Russell portrays her as a person full of energy, particularly at the start of her new journey of getting an education and discovering her true self.

Despite the way Frank's body language reveals his laziness and boredom in his job and life, she remains ready and willing to learn whatever he teaches. Rita, on the other hand, desperately wants to learn, which Frank is aware of, but is initially hesitant to teach as he considers himself an "appalling teacher" and feels she deserves better. Despite this, Rita successfully persuades him to be her tutor, demonstrating her assertiveness and fondness for Frank. She even goes as far as declaring "you're my tutor, I don't want another tutor," a statement that leaves an impression on Frank after their first meeting.

In Act 2 scene 1, Rita brings a new impression on the audience by showing her desperation to become educated. As a child, she preferred playing over learning, but now she realizes that education can lead to a better future with Frank's help. The audience sees the change in her character as she takes steps towards self-improvement. Rita's appearance also adds to the impression as she twirls to showcase her new clothes, conveying her contentment with her appearance and resulting increase in self-confidence.

She appears confident and her new clothing reflects her transformed self, portraying her as an educated woman. She now feels like one of the students as she fits in with them and spends time with them, even going out late

at night. Her newfound friendship improves her confidence and shows that despite her education, she can still enjoy herself. She tells Frank about their fun times, showing that she feels proud of herself. She speaks to Frank in a more sophisticated language, using formal language to express her thoughts.

Rita's language has become more formal, but she still injects her personality by using phrases like "dead good". Russell depicts her middle-class status positively as she has achieved it through hard work. She is happier and appreciates it more because she was not born into it, unlike Frank who was born into the upper class. However, he is not happy as he did not experience the journey. Despite his advantages, Rita is a refreshing change from his boring students, and he finds inspiration in her. Recent developments in her personal life, such as moving in with her flatmate Trish and giving up smoking, show that she is leaving old habits behind and making progress on her journey towards education. Through conversations with Frank, Rita shares details about her personal life and shows that they can still connect on a personal level.

This passage depicts Willy Russell's perspective on education through the character of Rita. According to her, one can attain education if they are willing to make sacrifices in life. Her recent interests illustrate her transformation and convey a message to the viewers that she is discarding her old life and making space for a new one. By going to the theatre, exploring London, and purchasing new clothes, Rita highlights her attempts to embrace novel experiences. Her exclamation "Frank it was fantastic" also indicates her enthusiasm for

these new encounters. The differences in Rita's character between Act 1 Scene 1 and Act 2 Scene 1 are visible primarily in the way she converses with Frank and speaks generally.

The first act showcases the character's casual language, exemplified by her use of phrases such as "stupid bleedin' handle." It is evident that the character is not trying to impress anyone and values being authentic. In Act 2 Scene 1, she exhibits more formal language and a broader knowledge of literature while still maintaining her colloquialism. Her expression of "I'm not too familiar" shows her linguistic development since her appearance in Act 1, with her education now reflected in her speech. Another significant change is observed in the character's self-perception between her debut at the university and now.

Initially, upon meeting Frank, she felt unfulfilled and had not yet found her true self. She expressed insecurity by saying "I want to discover myself first" and needed Frank's help to achieve her goal. However, by Act 2 Scene 1, she gained confidence and changed her dress style to match that of an educated woman. She underwent a discovery process, ultimately finding herself. Moreover, in Act 1 Scene 1, she felt like an outsider among the other university students.

Despite feeling different from other students and uncertain of what she was getting into, the protagonist in Act 1 Scene 1 asks, "Do you get a lot like me?" By Act 2 Scene 1, she has become comfortable with her new friends and they go out together, with her saying, "A crowd of us stuck together all week." Her personal life undergoes a dramatic change between scenes,

from casually discussing it with Frank in Act 1 Scene 1 to now smoking and not caring about the health risks, remarking, "Everyone seems to have packed in these days. They're all afraid of getting cancer."

The first act showed Rita as a smoker, but in Act 2 scene 1 her perspective on smoking changes as she has become educated and quit. She acknowledges this by stating, "No-ta I've packed it in," indicating her desire to move on from the person she used to be. Willy Russell purposely chose for Rita to undergo significant changes throughout the play to illustrate that anyone, including Rita, can transform their life if they are determined and willing to make the necessary changes. In Act 2 scene 1, Rita has completely transformed into an educated woman - a result of her determination to change her lifestyle. The name "Rita Mae Brown" was chosen by the character as an indication of her desire for change. Ultimately, through Rita's story, Willy Russell emphasizes the importance of education and shows how it can be accomplished by those who are determined to achieve it.

The character undergoes significant changes in her education, personal life, and self-perception. Initially, she lacks education and speaks informally to Frank. Over the course of the play, she transforms into an educated and formal speaker, demonstrating that aspirations can be achieved through effort. Similarly, in her personal life, she chooses to break up with her husband in Act 2 scene 1, sacrificing his desire for a baby to focus on her own self-discovery before settling down and starting a family. Her newfound education plays a role in this decision, highlighting the

need for sacrifice to attain one's goals. Finally, her self-perception evolves throughout the play. At the start, she feels unfulfilled, but by Act 2 scene 1, she exudes confidence and self-awareness, empowered by her education to make choices about her future.

The class of Rita has undergone a noticeable change since the beginning. In contrast to Frank's class, her use of informal language and swear words is evident. However, in Act 2 scene 1, she speaks more formally and has elevated her societal class to that of Frank's. In Act 1 scene 1, Rita and Frank encounter language confusion with the term "flora man". Rita refers to an advertisement while Frank believed it meant flowers, indicating his higher social status and cultural knowledge of the 1980s. Conversely, Rita lacked knowledge about poet Yeats when Frank mentioned him. Nevertheless, by Act 2 scene 1, Rita has developed an understanding of both societal classes. Frank's initial reaction and expectations towards the new Open University student are unfavorable and reflective of his job dissatisfaction.

During a phone conversation, he expresses his need to forget about a woman's attempt to understand Henry James and implies that he has low expectations for the new student. It seems like he wants to go to the pub to wash away his frustrations by getting drunk. However, when he meets Rita, he is pleasantly surprised by her energy and great personality. He seems at a loss for words around her, using mostly "Erm... yes" in his speech, indicating that he is shocked by her unique perspective and has no idea how to interact with someone who is different from his other students.

During their conversation,

she dominates the dialogue and asks numerous questions that pique his interest. As the interaction comes to a close, he develops a liking for her; however, he recognizes that he is not capable of instructing her adequately and wants her to excel in the course. He expresses his concern, stating "your different, you want a lot I cant give." He cares about her and perceives her as an eager learner with a fresh perspective, but he doubts his teaching skills and prefers that she finds a more suitable instructor. He acknowledges her assertiveness in their exchange when he admits, "I know absolutely nothing," implying his belief that he is an incompetent tutor trying to spare her from his own inadequacy. Despite this, she has developed a fondness for him and insists on keeping him as her tutor, eventually convincing him to continue working with her despite his initially rejecting the position, showing that he can be persuaded relatively easily.

In Act 1 Scene 1, Frank's phone conversation with his girlfriend Julia portrays their problematic relationship. Frank appears uninterested in Julia and considers staying with her as a favor. He expresses irritation towards her and belittles her attempts to please him, such as cooking lamb and ratatouille. Frank's distaste for his job connects with his expectations for his student, Rita. Overall, in Act 1 Scene 1, Frank's negative attitude towards Julia and his job is linked to his relationship with Rita and his expectations for her.

Initially, Frank expects Rita to be like his other students, who he believes think they know everything but eventually realize they don't. His dislike for his job stems from

his students, whom he deems "appalling." As a result, he becomes a terrible teacher because of his irritation and boredom. He has reached his wits' end and resorts to alcohol. During a conversation with Julia, he expresses regret for accepting the position, indicating his lack of confidence as an educator. In Act 2 Scene 1, Frank acknowledges Rita's educational progress, but remains uncertain if he played a significant role in it. Although pleased with her advancements, he had always believed that she had potential to succeed.

Despite being very happy with her, he is slightly taken aback when she mentions Blake because he initially assumed that she had no knowledge of him. However, his surprise is evident in his exclamation of "you know him!" His relationship with Julia was strained in the first act, but has since come to an end due to something as trivial as oeufs en cocotte. This indicates that he did not hold much regard for Julia and is not particularly bothered by their break-up. Frank dissuades Rita from having the tutorial outside, stating that "Nobody sits out there at this time of year," possibly indicating his reluctance to sit outside and a potential embarrassment associated with it.

Later, Rita draws an analogy between the classroom and a plant, highlighting their shared need for air. However, Frank responds with a joke after debating whether or not to leave the classroom. He quips, "And water presumably?" While Frank was shocked but pleased that Rita knew about Blake as explained earlier, he was also a bit disappointed because he wanted to teach her. Frank remarks, "You weren't supposed to do Blake at

summer school," indicating his confusion about which Blake she learned about during the summer school curriculum.

Between the two scenes centered on Frank, there have been significant changes. Initially, he enjoyed teaching a fresh, eager mind like Rita's, for which she was very grateful. However, in Act 1 Scene 1, he detested his job, preferring to go to the pub rather than teach and did not like his students. Frank used to drink heavily after work to forget his day. Nevertheless, in Act 2 Scene 1, he has reduced his alcohol consumption because of Rita's disapproval of his drinking habits and motivation to quit. When Rita asks him if he drank, Frank responds by saying "A little," indicating that he is on track to overcome his addiction with Rita's encouragement. Although Rita transformed more than Frank in this context, they both helped each other evolve and find themselves in their unique ways.

According to Willy Russell, Frank needed to change in order to show that he and Rita both underwent changes and that they needed each other to achieve their goals and happiness. Frank's personal life underwent transformation similar to Rita's, and their close friendship fostered open communication. Russell also wanted Frank to experience happiness by succeeding at his work, as opposed to feeling worthless and unintelligent. Ultimately, Frank aided someone he cared for and gained a fresh perspective.

It is clear that he is pleased with the changes Rita has made throughout and will be even happier to know that helping her has also aided him in overcoming his drinking problem. By knowing he has assisted someone in obtaining a proper education, he is able to

become a better teacher and enjoy his job rather than despising it. At the end of Act 2 scene 1, Frank and Rita still require each other's assistance to reach their respective destinations. Rita has acquired knowledge of Blake's poem on innocence and experience, which parallels her own learning experience. Blake's poems of Innocence and Experience represented the two opposing states of the human soul, and Blake himself believed that children should become experienced through their own discoveries -- much like how Rita learned through experience how to discover herself.

Even though Rita is close to passing her exam and achieving her education, she still relies on Frank to take one final step forward. Similarly, Frank still needs Rita's motivation to completely overcome his drinking problem, even though he has cut down from the beginning. This is a significant contrast to Act 1 scene 1, as they were both starting their respective journeys. Now, Rita is advancing towards her educational goals while Frank aims to quit drinking and move forward. Through this scene, the audience is given a positive outlook on their progress: Frank will move on from alcohol and may even find new employment, while Rita will succeed in her literature exam. When they eventually part ways, it will be in good spirits, understanding that they have helped each other improve their lives.