Introducing Ideas in ‘Educating Rita’ by Willy Russell

choice of staging such a play in only one room makes everything seem important. The play is made more intimate and personal because there are only two characters ever seen. This selective choice of location for the scenes enables the audience to concentrate exclusively on the characters. The traditional Northern University is significant because it shows how times are changing. The University is opening to additional students, and not just the straight degree students. The Open University is enabling people to have a chance at education while other things go on at the same time.

Throughout the play the office seems to change in its meaning and importance to Rita. At the beginning of the play Rita sees the office as a place of refuge and opportunity. While Rita finds refuge she is also very nervous because of the intimacy of one to one tutorship level. Rita is also unaware of the University situation. Rita is obviously inexperienced in such situations; she tests Frank to make sure she trusts him, "I was just testin' y'".

She asks many questions, trying to learn and understand straight from the beginning, "Do you swear? ", "Do you like that window? ", "Have you read his stuff? Rita questions Frank to gain insight into what he thinks is acceptable and good. Rita longs to have the mind of Frank, and tries to see through his perspective throughout the play. It isn't surprising how quickly they open up to each other because Rita is obviously fascinated with Frank, "It's not often I get to talk to an educated person like you". Frank is very impressed and shocked at how this, "Silly woman"

is actually "marvellous, a breath of fresh air". When Frank is first introduced, at the very beginning of the play he is looking along his bookcase. We are led to believe he is looking for a book.

However we soon find out that he is looking for a hidden bottle of drink. This supports the theme, "don't judge a book by its cover". The bookcase provides a barrier between Frank's different lives. The books symbolise his educated life, the University and literature. Whereas the hidden drink symbolises Frank's world, where he drinks and uses scapegoats for his problems.

We can see this when he blames the eggs and literature for the collapse of his marriage. This idea applies to Frank and Trish. Rita initially sees the exterior people, the fronts, whereas behind these fronts there are the real people, the real problems.Although their actions have a big impact on Rita she still has a lot of respect for them. Rita seems to stand by what she believes in and doesn't let anything sway her. She is obviously strong minded because she has gone against Denny and her family, and followed her dreams, "I wanna discover myself".

This continues throughout the play. Even though it is tough for Rita, because she has to juggle a job and study, eventually she finds the right balance and is able to successfully make her dreams come true. Frank's phone conversation with Julia reflects many different aspects about him.Introducing Julia through the phone call shows the distance in Frank and Julia's relationship. Placing this conversation so close to the opening of the play offers the audience lots of ideas and feelings

about Frank. His relationship with Julia seems unloving, as he makes derogatory and sarcastic remarks towards her, "You should have prepared something other than lamb and ratatouille darling".

Through the conversation and Frank's drink bottle hidden behind the books we learn that he is extremely alcohol dependent, "I shall need to go to the pub afterwards".This dependence is shown in other ways, when he initially refuses a cigarette from Rita because he had "made a promise" that he would give up. However Frank seems relaxed about giving up giving up. Although Frank may seem relaxed to the point of destruction, we can see that this is not entirely true. The way he talks to Julia suggests he isn't very fond of her, "Just pop off and put you're head in the oven".

Frank does understand what is going on around him. The reason why Rita stimulates Frank so much is because she allows him to be himself.Rita doesn't want Frank to change because she thinks; at the beginning that he is a good teacher. Frank likes this freedom because it means he can be individual and not have to conform to suit anyone's desires.

When Frank is talking to Julia about his dinner he isn't bothered about letting her down, or her meal, "If you're trying to induce some feeling of guilt on me". Frank talks about his prepared meal, "You could incinerate Ratatouille and it still wouldn't burn"; Frank drinks while working at the university, he knows this is totally forbidden.The bookcase is again symbolic here because it shows the barrier between Frank's truths and lies. Although he continues, the University turn a blind

eye again and again, until eventually, after Frank takes a lecture drunk even though Frank thinks, "it was the best lecture I've ever given".

This is when the University finally take some action. Frank has pushed them to a point of no return, they must hide his ill behaviour, without making the University look bad, and so they package him off to Australia on a sabbatical.Here he University has not burnt, as the Ratatouille wouldn't because there is no smoke, the University's image doesn't suffer, although Frank is finally punished for his actions. Frank has incinerated the University, but there has been no smoke. Russell uses this metaphor to show Frank's own knowledge of his destructive actions.

Although it is very difficult for him to change his pathway, it may have been possible because Frank seems to know what is going on, and can see his world spinning faster than he can cope with.This is why Frank seems so upset when Rita has learnt about Blake at Summer School, and why he is so judgemental and interested in her relationship with Tiger. Frank sees Rita at the beginning of the play of something which he can control, and be involved with. As the play progresses he sees Rita slipping away from him.

She is eventually totally stolen away after his drinking forces him to go to Australia. Towards the end of the play, after Frank has gone totally against Rita's compliments about his writing Rita gives him some home truths.I'm educated, I've got what you have an' y' don't like it because you'd rather see me as the peasant I once was". I totally agree

with this statement.

Frank has definitely lost control over Rita, especially as she rejects him when he offers for her to go to Australia with him. Rita is obviously still strong minded throughout the entire play, and although education has changed her she is still Rita inside. Frank has very low self esteem; he is adamant that he is a bad teacher. This is true, but it runs a great deal deeper that being able to lecture and mark papers.Frank teaches Rita a great deal, and in return is taught more than even Rita can comprehend. Frank has a good job, the reason he becomes an Open University tutor is because he took "it on to pay for the drink".

Frank's drinking has forced him to make changes in his life, with this his literature, his flair and his previous love for writing declines and he becomes self pitiful and extremely pessimistic. He questions Rita desire to have him as a teacher, "Why come to me, I can't teach you". Rita is extremely cautious when she first enters the play.We see her at her first meeting with Frank. Rita struggles to get into the room. The door is jammed this symbolises her struggle to enter the educated world.

Later in the play when Rita decides to oil the door, we can again see the symbolism of Rita working hard to make her passage to an educated mind easier. When Rita discusses with Frank about the door she says that one day someone will be trying to get in "an' it'll go on forever because the poor sod on the other side won't be able to

get in" Rita sees herself as a "poor sod" that was eventually fortunate enough to get in.She goes on to say, "An' you won't be able to get out". Here the room is used as education. Frank is stuck in education; he can't get out because it drove him to alcohol which now rules his life. Rita wants to make changes so that neither she nor anyone else will get stuck anywhere again.

She is tired of being held back and is determined to do well. Rita quickly notices the window in Frank's office; Rita sees the window as her window of opportunity, "I love that window". Rita longs to be educated and be able to make good decisions and choices about her life.There is a large bay window with a desk placed in front of it", the stage directions build the scene. The desk, obstructing the window shows that education doesn't always give you choices.

For Frank education restricts him, and forces him into decisions. Frank doesn't "often consider it"; he has learnt that choices are made available by your own successes, and dreams. Rita wants to sit on the lawn like the other students but at the beginning of the play she doesn't because she doesn't think she's good enough. She also points to piles of exam papers and says she wants to be able to write like them; this she finally achieves.Although Rita seems so determined in what she wants to do she has also thought about the possibility of it not going to plan, "Might decide it's a soft idea". During the first scene Rita wants to impress Frank, while taking

everything in.

Frank asks, "Would you like to sit down? " Rita sharply says "No! " she stands to be alert and attentive. When Rita talks about Denny's intentions to save their money and buy a house in Formby, she comments, "I wouldn't go and live in Formby. I hate that hole". Frank calmly replies, after saying he dislikes Formby, that he lives there.This is when she feels she has offended Frank, and taken her thoughts too far does she sit down.

This shows that both Frank and Rita are not content with their lives. Russell uses humour here, to show that Rita is inexperienced and is tripping up because she is so nervous. This makes the audience empathise with Rita because they can imagine themselves in the same position, where nerves force you out of straight thinking. Rita sees education as a new lease of life for her. She feels restricted and trapped in her relationship with Denny and the 'normal' things for woman her age to do.

Rita decides Denny is blind, "he doesn't want to see". Rita has put up with this naivety for long enough, her decision to seek education is obviously long term, even when she was at an under privileged school she wanted to learn but her class mates distracted her too much. Here Russell uses Rita and her situation to convey the attitudes of the working classes at the time of the play. The way Russell describes their attitudes through Rita shows they aspire to nothing more than their parents average lives; just going through life without taking chances or ceasing opportunities.

Throughout the play we see Rita using her

own mind to make decisions and follow her dreams. Rita becomes decisive and confident about her thoughts, whereas before she wasn't certain about her feelings. She was conscious of getting things wrong. Rita has learnt to appreciate her mind, and has also seen people appreciate it as well.

This is expanded in the film version to show the audience how much Rita is changing, because she gets stopped by some students sat on the lawn, and asked to join their conversation about literature. This is one of Rita's dreams and so helps the audience to see her progressive change.Rita works hard on aspects which she thinks are important, but later comes to realise that most of the things she thought she needed to change were in fact very strong positives about her character. Rita's optimism and lack of cultural education leads her to think narrowly about things. Rita's desire to be open minded is eventually fulfilled and is helped because of the way her mind worked to begin with.

Rita sees her faults and knows where and why she wants to improve on them. She is hard working and enthusiastic, "I wanna know everything! " When Rita first sees the picture hanging on Frank's wall she comments on it very decisively.It's very erotic", this is a great example of how Russell uses the opening scene to prepare the audience. Rita later on in the play would never have said with something like that. She would have thought a lot more about it. We can see this again where she restricts herself in the final exam on the question about Peer Gynt, originally she had written

"Do it on the Radio".

In the final exam she thought about it, and analysed the question, giving an educated and substantial answer. With the picture Rita thinks about what it is suppose to represent after she has made a strong statement, "Look at those tits".This is one of the dramatic changes which Rita makes throughout the play, another example is when at Summer Camp, she doesn't reply to someone's query over her view on an Italian author, "Only if it's served with parmesan cheese"; this shows great educational maturity in Rita. Rita's use of language is colloquial and slang. She uses expletives, usually to shock people, "God, I'm really fucked". Rita uses language to express herself on a very open level.

At the beginning of the play she doesn't use complicated words and seems to get confused easily, especially as she Frank questions her presence and purpose "What am I? , "What? ", "I'm a what? ". Rita's education is helping her to read between the lines. This is also displayed later when she is telling Frank about how much she enjoyed Macbeth. Rita's initial ideas shown in the first scene are developed throughout the play, allowing the audience a clear view of the change. Frank appreciated Rita's uneducated eyes, and strengthened it by helping her to read more into things; she was always very decisive and often directly correct.

When Rita talked about assonance meaning, "getting the rhyme wrong" it was partially true, but Frank helped her to explain and expand her initial ideas.Later in the play Frank, refused to teach Rita certain things because he admired and valued her own ideas and reasoning

to such a great extent. Frank also didn't want to teach her because it annoyed him that she no longer needed him to justify or expand her ideas. When Rita first met Frank she had changed her name to Rita, this is because she thought she needed a whole new identity to become an educated person. Rita modelled herself on her favourite author.

Rita soon realised that it was what's inside she had to change and take control of, so she later named herself as her original Susan.When Rita tried to speak in a different, eloquent accent it didn't last very long, she realises it is pointless; another example of Rita's maturity. At this point Rita acts as Frank and Trish do, she appears different on the outside to her real personality; her appearance is different to the reality. When Rita shocks the customers in the hairdressers she is also trying to be a different person. By swearing and trying to shock them she raises herself out of their level, she wants to be different to them, and if shocking them is the way to do it, then she'll do it.

Rita shocks people to make an impression and to get their attention so she can gain self confidence. Rita's attitude to life remains the same throughout, even after her transformation into an 'educated' woman. She still has a positive and optimistic attitude and her self confidence begins to shine because she is happy, and has lost the insecurities she had at the beginning of the play where she would "Only talk this much cause I'm nervous". Rita's personal needs finally take over, and she makes

herself happy and comfortable by finally separating with Denny and leaving the hairdressers for a job in a bistro.Rita was obviously never happy at the hairdressers because this was the only place she doesn't try to improve. She herself claimed she was a "liability" however she did little to change this, and expected it never to change.

For such a determined woman not to try to improve such a problem suggests she was, trying to push her employers to the point where she would be sacked and have no choice other than to start her study. Rita enjoyed shocking people in the hairdressers; she was evidently bored of her life, and her situation.Her desire to be educated and be free is made accessible through such comments, "God, what's it like to be free? Rita thinks education will allow her to get away from people like Denny and those who want her to settle down and have a baby. Rita wants to have the choices which enable her to decide her own future, which will, in her eyes, be possible with education. At the end of the play, when Rita accepts what she has achieved and who she has become, she says, "Maybe I'll even have a baby". This was something she was dead set against towards the beginning of the play.

Denny wanted her to have a baby and to come off the pill, Rita lied to Denny and told him she had because she didn't want a baby, Denny was too selfish to listen to her.The stereotypical woman of Rita's day would have wanted to have a baby, as Denny's new partner did, which

was additional in the film version. Rita's change has obviously allowed her to "discover herself" as she wanted to do and come to her own conclusions within her own time. In the first scene we see Rita and Frank's views on the middle and working classes.

From a conversation about swearing we learn Rita thinks that the middle classes swear all the time because, "They know it's only words". Whereas the working classes are shocked at swearing she says this as if it is some incredible problem, "It's not their fault; they can't help it".There is no way of knowing which classes swear the most because different people and different groups use language in different ways and for different reasons. However, the upper classes are now portrayed through other media, films and literature as using expletives more frequently, e.

g. the film version of Bridget Jones' Diary sees the upper class characters such as Hugh Grant's character swear more than other characters. Yuppies are often thought to swear more. These are people who are educated, and modern, they, as Rita would presume are likely to regularly use expletives.

Frank and Rita's language and speech is very different. From the way the play is written we can see that Rita speaks in a strong dialect with an accent, she uses slang words. Rita asks a lot of questions and speaks informally; Rita is conscious throughout the first scene about being inadequate for Frank and the course. She makes jokes about herself, which have some truth in the way she feels.

When talking about alcohol killing your brain cells she replies, "It'll probably have a job finding my

brain". Here Rita jokes to lighten the atmosphere, yet she does feel unintelligent.The audience can see that Rita is not unintelligent, she is just inexperienced within education, and that she is intelligent in other ways. Rita is able to reflect her intelligence and belief upon others.

Throughout the opening scene and the rest of the play Russell uses Rita and Frank to portray 1980s culture; the divide between classes and how strong and significant the divide was. Russell cleverly uses the two characters to represent many different types of people. Russell shows the options and limitations which affected the different classes.The differences are showcased throughout the play; especially as Rita was deprived of a chance of education during her schooling years. We do not learn of Frank's rise to becoming a teacher, but we can assume he was provided with education as something to be taken for granted. There are elements in both characters to which everyone is able to relate.

Frank and Rita's trials and tribulations throughout the play reflect many of the different issues present during the 1980s. The role of women within a marriage, family and relationship is shown, and a woman's desire to stride away from that because she is usually unable to have both shown.Now women are allowed more freedom, but for the target audience I imagine there were many women like Rita, who felt like their life was unexciting and unchallenging. Rita allows the women to see the choices which are available.

I think that the main themes of the play are, if you want something badly enough, and you work hard anything can happen and as mentioned before,

don't judge a book by its cover. Both represent the morals and ideas of the play. 'Educating Rita' differs slightly, but not greatly from Russell's other plays, 'Our Day Out'. In 'Our Day Out' the school children seem to come from a similar background to Rita.However most of them seem willing and interested in learning. It wasn't themselves which had lost faith, and had no high expectations, but it was one of their teachers, Mr.

Briggs. Mr. Briggs was close minded and tarred every child with the same brush. Mr.

Briggs seemed reluctant to give the children a chance. He slated them in many ways before he had even taken a look into their lives or tried to see through their perspective. Mr. Briggs made assumptions about the children, and their desires, the "factory fodder" would have liked to have the opportunities to make a choice about their future rather than be forced into a job.He had judged the children and their outing before he had even given it a chance.

He may have been correct in being weary after all the children did steal animals from the zoo, but Russell uses this as an example of the children's desire to be educated and to be respected. They want to be given some responsibility and respect; just as Rita does. Rita and the children have few opportunities and choices, their lack of responsibility and behaviour reflects this.Frank is similar to Mr.

Briggs however he changed more substantially. Mr. Briggs began to feel for the children and empathise with them, but as soon as they got home he was back to his old self, driving home

with no change to his ritual. While Frank gained a great deal from his time with Rita she was able to teach him something about himself and the way he should treat other people. I think Russell used Mr.

Briggs to show that sometimes people are just too hard faced to make drastic changes.Using the other theme of 'Educating Rita' we could hope that if the children worked hard and believed in themselves, teachers like Mrs. Kay could elevate their achievements and ideas to a point where they would be noticed and received by people who had doubted them and their capabilities. 'Our Day Out' is a more pessimistic play because of Mr. Briggs' attitude at the end.

Mr. Briggs just goes home, whereas Frank has thought about the issues Rita has made apparent. After investigating the question I conclude the first scene is extremely important because it allows the audience to meet the two characters and receive an insight into the main themes and issues in the play. After the first scene the audience will have judged and categorised Frank and Rita.They are then able to see how their views change when the play ends. The roles of each character are reversed in the first and final scenes.

In the first scene Rita is starting her new life, and in the final Frank is also starting his. We can see through Frank's situation that the type of education you receive at University isn't the key to happiness. It is the education you receive throughout your life; an education which allows you to make decisions, which enables you to follow your dreams and believe in

yourself. The title, 'Educating Rita' can be interpreted in different ways.

It has different meanings; it can reflect what Frank has taught Rita, along with, Rita the educator. This is the education which Rita taught Frank. She taught him that you need not only a degree or money, you need to desire to be who you want to be, and have the power and drive to become who you want to become. We can see that Frank is changing because at the end of the play, when he is packing up for Australia we see drink bottles on top of his bookcase. Frank is finally dealing with his problems, and bringing them out into the open. Frank is still learning even at the end of the play.

Rita has influenced him a great deal and she has surfaced life altering truths. This is what enabled Rita to achieve her goal. Rita finally manages to give Frank a haircut which really emphasises the change in Frank; and also shows us that Rita isn't ashamed of where she's come from. The play showcases what can happen if you are positive, and what can happen if you are negative.

It is heart lifting for those willing to learn and listen, through their own mistakes and others. However it is a lesson to those who sit back and let things pass them by.