Willy Russell's Educating Rita

Educating Rita explores the way in which a woman, in her late twenties, Rita, has to deal with everyday life, conflict change and different phases as she becomes educated. The play is based on Willy Russells own life. At the start of the play, Frank is a more relaxed character. Rita is a hyper and open minded character, searching for adventure. She comes from the working class society and tries to become educated and well respected. Frank on the other hand is from the upper-class society, well educated but has lost most of his respect through drinking. As the play progresses Frank starts to show a romantic and affectionate side of himself towards Rita, she starts to move away from Frank as she makes new friends and as she becomes more educated, creating a sense of jealousness in Frank. Russell focuses on Franks actions in the beginning of the play. Frank is a relaxed character that gets excited by alcohol Jubilantly he moves to the Dickens section and pulls out a pile of books to reveal a bottle of whiskey. The quotation implies that Frank secretively drinking and hiding his alcohol from others view. The quote could also be used as a metaphor where the alcohol is his real life being hidden from other people. He feels bad about drinking nevertheless he feels compelled and destined to do it The language that Frank uses is very upper class compared to Rita. He mentions that he swears a lot. Even though he never swore once in the play. This might be a sign of respect towards Rita, as she is a woman. These signs show that he is well raised, even though he just stopped caring about others. You just pop off and put your head in the in the oven. This quote is form a telephone conversation with his girlfriend Julia. He is Rather mean to her, from the quote we can find that the relationship is not going to last. It shows dislike towards her. His attitudes to life are very dull; he is a less renowned poet that has not produced a poem in a while most probably because of his wife that left him. He has lost all his ego and believes that he is an appealing teacher I am an appalling teacher ... but an appalling teacher is in order for most of my appalling students. The quote suggests that he does not get on well with his students because they do not like him and they think of him as a drunk, but he thinks that they are sickening and do not deserve much. Frank is not concerned about the quality of his teaching. He gave up on his life, wasting it through alcohol. In scene one of act one, Russell focuses on Ritas actions. The door swings open revealing Rita She has a very symbolic entrance. She is a breath of fresh air in Franks life where the door swings open rapidly to reveal a charming woman. Franks dull and uninteresting life is lightened up by Rita who is full of energy, wide awake and just searching for freedom through education in an Open University in the Liverpool. She is very rebellious and does what she a kind of working class attitude. Rita goes to hang her coat on the door hooks She makes herself at home. She does not have much manners and is not really well raised. She swears and curses but gets straight to the

point Cos you dont understand. So y switch it off an say, thats fucking rubbish. She believes that only educated people watch the ballet and opera, and uneducated people dont understand. Her attitudes towards life in act one of scene one are very negative because she is from the working, she thinks educated people can live freely: God, whats it like to be free? She has preconceived ideas about the educated and to live free. But she doesnt know that not all educated people live free. She is very fussy and childlike, she will get whatever she wants, and Frank cannot stop her: Youre my tutor Youre going to bleedin well teach me. Frank is pushing her away but she puts her foot down to get an education from Frank because she is determent to get educated and she will not take no for an answer. She is not happy with herself: Takes a pencil and scratches out the initial S She wants to change and get rid of the old person she was. She chose her name after a famous person, thinking it would help her. This is symbolic showing that she is sick of herself and that she wants change. The language that Rita uses is very colloquial from the working class society. She gets straight to the point and swears a lot. Y dont mind me swearin, do y? The slang language she uses would come from the working class society; it could also be because of the reason that she does not read many books. In act two scene one, Russell changed the actions of Frank completely: Frank is sitting at his desk typing poetry This quote shows a big changing point in Franks life, he has not typed poetry since he broke up with his life, suddenly he started again. This shows that he has improved on his life style He pauses, stubs out a cigarette The quote suggests that something is wrong, his girlfriend Julia forbid him to smoke, he is smoking again, this could indicate that he broke up with Julia. His attitudes have not changed much, however he has started to produce poetry again which shows he found a will to achieve something, again. He still does not like to go out and meet new people, after Rita asked him why he does not go out he replied: Like Dracula, I have an aversion to sunlight. He uses excuses because he either finds shelter in his office or he is scared of meeting strangers either way he does not like change. Frank would still like to know everything about Rita. Trish? Is she a good flat mate?He doesnt push her away anymore even though he will not admit to her that he needs her and he really likes her. The audience starts to see a father-daughter relationship; Rita is slowly pulling away from Frank as she does not need him that much anymore because she has made other friends. His language has not changed at all he still uses the same type of language. Life is such a rich and frantic whirl, that I need a drink to help me delicately step through. It is an excuse for him to drink because he is addicted and feels that he needs it, and he is not happy with life. This room does not need air thank you very much. His room symbolizes him and Rita is trying to open him up to the outside world but he doesnt want to. He is afraid of change. In the second act Rita returns from summer camp she is excited and would like to share everything with Frank, she is very open minded, and she likes to talk a lot. She likes to have conversations with Frank but he is narrow minded and doesnt want to talk about his summer. It seems like he

has this idea that everything that he achieves or does is never good enough or as good as somebody elses achievements. Her attitudes towards life and Frank have changed in the second act. She wants Frank to change, because she knows what is good for him and she doesnt always believe that he knows what is good for him: Are you still on this stuff? Because Frank doesnt like change and Rita is trying to change him he starts to get annoyed with her, he also has a sense of jealousness because she has progressed and he has not , she has stopped smoking. in the beginning of the play she was scared of the students, she made friends with some of them and is planning on going to France with them, this shows progress in a social way. In the second act Ritas language has matured she uses more complicated words and takes her literature seriously. The audience can clearly see that the main theme of the play is change, the play has a very strong and emotional message, if you want to change, you can, if you work hard enough and put your mind to it, like Rita. She has changed to become a better person and has stopped her bad habits like smoking for her own good. She has gone from a hairdresser to a well educated and respected woman. Frank started with his bad habit of smoking again but he gained will to start writing poetry again.

Consider what you understand by 'education' Frank is conventionally 'educated' - a professor - but what he has is lots of 'knowledge' which is academic - out of books - not really practical knowledge for living - everything is second hand. He teaches what he knows to others. Did he ever thirst for education? What was he like before the play? Why do you think he has become a disillusioned, tired alcoholic now? He seems to be cut off from 'real' life, unlike Rita, who is a very practical woman. You need to ask yourself whose life is 'real'. Rita's or FRank's? And what, in fact IS a 'real' life? How do you think each character would answer that question - what is a 'real' life? Frank has stopped 'looking' at things. (the picture) and Rita is looking at things for the first time she 'sees' differently because she wants to learn about 'everything'. Right at start its obvious that Rita will make Frank see things differently. Why? Rita is very literal - takes things at face value, but has lots of 'native wit' - she knows more about real life than Frank does. Knows how people work, especially her own type of people. What is Rita's 'type'? How would Frank perceive that? How would Rita perceive Frank's 'type'?

Rita wants to be educated because she says 'I wanna know'. She knows she isn't 'educated' yet and dimly realises what 'education' is, but her perceptions are stereotypical (see p 182 where we see her idea about public school) although her knowledge of uneducated people is very sharp. (see p. 173 and 174, also p 177) What Rita wants is to be OUT of her social class. For her, education is a means of achieving this and she's probably right. She instinctively knows she lacks something and thinks a university degree will fill the gaps in her life. She cannot articulate like Frank, but her freshness is 'like a breath of fresh air' to him. Why do you think this would be so? Look at her speech on p 183 about how 'you've got to be' and when she decides on 'a change in yourself' This is really sharp insight - an 'educated' person would say this, maybe using different language -so she IS 'educated' , just not formally yet - that's an important point to make. Her language is crude and 'uneducated' but what she says is exceptionally intelligent. Frank wants her to 'discipline' her mind, but what he means is find a less subjective (personal) way to look at literature. The irony is that this will make Rita less spontaneous and it might stifle her obvious passion for the truth and for life. He knows this, but has to insist on the 'rules'. Literature essays have to be written to a sort of formula. 'There is a way of answering examination questions that is expected, it's a game, with rules. And you must observe the rules.' (p193) Important point. Franks 'game' of university education is just that - a game. It has little to do with 'real' life, but ironically it is the way many people qualify for a place in life. You might like to explore the idea of whether or not University qualifies anyone for anything in the 'real' world? Frank is 'successful' but unhappy. Rita wants to be 'successful' because she thinks she is unhappy where she IS. What will happen is that she will CHANGE as a result into someone different and that will affect the way she is as a person. Frank starts to fall in love with her because she is so different - he is like Professor Higgins - he makes a duchess out of a flower girl, but changes the girl beyond recognition in the process. (If you have time, read Shaw's 'Pygmalion' and see what happens to Eliza Doolittle when she comes under the influence of Professor Higgins) When Rita says culture is a 'way of living', she latches on to a really important fact about how people live. (look at page 194/5) That's what 'education' is really about - finding things out and having 'meaning' in your life as a result.

Note the irony - Rita wants 'meaning' and has no 'learning' yet - Frank has loads of ''learning' and has little 'meaning' in his life. As Rita progresses she changes - note how Denny reacts and how she says of herself 'she's gone (her former self) and I've taken her place'. As she says the course is 'providing her with life', but ironically it is also taking her old life away from her. Who suffers as a result of this? When she doesn't turn up for the party at Franks we can see how she is beginning to reject her former self -she doesn't want to be a 'court jester', or 'good for a laugh'. She thinks she is a 'freak' because she isn't one of 'them'.She calls herself a 'half-caste' then tells him about her mother crying in the pub because 'we could sing better songs than these'.The change is now inevitable when she decides 'that's why I'm staying' As she moves on - becoming determined to 'write essays like those on there' Frank wants to stop her from changing, but she is determined. He knows she will not be the same but she is adamant. By the end of the first act we see that Rita has burned her boats - she will give up everything that Frank finds so refreshing about her - her spontaneity and her enthusiasm - and become an academic scholar - just like him.

Act Two

Rita's change - her increased confidence and ability to 'perform' at summer school is evident. Frank knows that soon she will 'walk away and disappear'. He says to her 'You've got to' because he knows that she will not need him. As she shows when she tells him about having 'already done' Blake's poetry' - she is moving on, leaving him behind. The next scene - her new voice - her discussion with the students and her invitation to go off with them to the south of France reinforces the gap between her and Frank. As Frank deteriorates - drinking more and falling over in the lecture - Rita becomes more remote. Frank knows that there is 'nothing of you' in the essay she does on Blake, but ironically it will get a'good mark' in the exam. She is now a 'real' student, but not, in Frank's eyes, the 'real' woman she was. Rita asks him to 'leave her alone' a bit because she doesn't need him to 'hold her hand as much'. As she becomes more confident and 'educated' she is slowly but surely moving away from him. Frank knows that she has lost sight of the 'things that matter' - her knowledge of people and 'real' life - but Rita doesn't know that. Her 'education' has begun to turn her into a snob and she has turned away from her roots to such an extent that she is now like a stranger.

Frank says he has 'done a fine job on you' when Rita writes the criticism of his poetry. He thinks it is a 'heap of shit' because it is stylised and not true to 'real' life - an exercise in literature, [Link] he cannot bear Rita and sees her as pretentious. All she has found is a 'different song' to sing. The final scene is a kind of reconciliation, but the outcome is left unresolved. Rita is now her own woman - Frank is off to Australia. She can now make her own decisions and will do so. Her education is complete in that sense. Frank, too has learned something and has been given the chance for a new start, but it is not made clear what will happen to either of them

Some conclusions:

The play is about education in many forms. Frank has education, Rita wants it. His education has made him a sad and bitter man. Rita's education turns her into a different person, but is she better, or worse as a result? Rita's education changes her into a different woman - stronger, more resilient but also moves her out of her class into a world which is much more challenging but probably not so honest as the one she leaves. She does pay a price, but the question you might like to consider is whether the price is worth the sacrifices she makes along the way. Education is shown as a kind of game as far as university is concerned - not so much learning for love of learning as getting the credentials for a lifestyle. Frank is disillusioned with the education game - Rita isn't, at first, but probably realises what it has done to her at the end. It is a conscious choice for her, though and she is determined to have her place in the world she has chosen. At the beginning of the play she is literally 'uneducated' - unschooled - knows little about academic things but LOTS about life. Ironically she doesn't realise how valuable this knowledge is. She casts off her old life willingly and what she gets in exchange is - as far as Frank is concerned - much less valuable. You should explore this idea of values. To Rita, though, education is a passport out of mediocrity into a superior lifestyle. The tragedy is that she pays for it by becoming a shallow and pretentious person - exactly the kind of person Frank despises. The good thing is that there is probably still enough of the 'old' Rita left to ensure that she will not change too much. As she cuts Frank's hair at the end of the play, we can hope that there is a future for both of them that will give them happiness and contentment, even if they are no longer together.

[Link]

ACT 1 Section 1:

Frank talks to Julia on phone Rita enters & looks at picture F & R smoke, drink, swear Discuss assonance, their names, Rs job, why Rs come

F says she should find other tutor; R refuses Section 2: R oils door & looks round room R explains why didnt go to proper uni F explains criticism R&F talk about Fs wife & Julia Talk about education Return to studying Forster Section 3: 1st essay: Discuss Rs essay on Rubyfruit Jungle & 3 books shes read Section 4: 2nd essay: Discuss Rs essay on Peer Gynt R talks about culture then re-writes essay Section 5: R hasnt written essay; Denny burnt her books F gets whisky & they talk about his poetry Decide to go to theatre Section 6: R bursts in & talks about watching Macbeth F explains meaning of tragedy R invites F to art gallery F invites R to dinner party Section 7: R explains why she didnt go to dinner party & why shes decided NOT to quit the course Section 8: R tells F she is leaving Denny & going to stay with mother 3rd essay: F gives back essay on Macbeth & R puts in bin

ACT 2 Section 1: R tells F about summer school F tells R about France & Julia left him / returned R gives F pen & opens window Whisky falls out & discuss R leaving Discuss Blake Section 2: R enters & speaks with strange accent R recounts conversation had with students about Lady Chatterly R mentions invite to south of France / Tiger 4th essay: F says essay is like the other students Section 3: F walks in very drunk & says he has been reported 5th essay: they debate meaning of The Blossom & they argue Section 4: R is late & F has discovered she changed jobs F says she should stop coming if she wants F asks her to read his poetry Section 5: R enters & tells F she thinks his poetry is really good F & R argue Section 6: F speaks to Trish & leaves a message for R about her exam Section 7: F packs his things R tells F about her exam & that hes a good teacher F asks R to go to Australia with him F gives R a dress; R gives F a haircut

[Link]

"Educating Rita" displays the major changes that occur in the main character, an initially narrow minded, outspoken and socially nave Liverpudlian trapped by her working class life. Rita thinks an increase in intelligence and worldly knowledge will change this, and set her "free". She strives to change classes, and although is different from her working class peers, she still isn't ready to be accepted as middle class. She aims to reach her goal through an Open University course, yet

naively thinks knowing what books to read and clothes to wear will allow her to immediately become accepted as part of her chosen social strata. Change is a major part of the play, affecting Rita in both positive and negative ways. It shows how the influence of education helps to bring about these changes, and how eventually Rita is able to overcome and negative problems and settle on a happy balance. Rita is also molded by her tutor, Frank, and learns a great deal from him, whilst also teaching him in many ways. Rita's bright, bold, bubbly character is revealed in the very first scene, as the two characters are introduced. She makes a very dramatic entrance, bursting through the door, swearing, and immediately drawing all attention to her. She isn't really sure how to act, and her insecurity and nerves make her appear in such a loud manner. This shows how little she understands of formal interview situations- one would expect her to appear fairly meekly, maybe shy, and also very formally, yet she acts cheekily and informally. For example, not only does she ask Frank if she can smoke, but she also gets out her cigarettes before he has had a chance to answer. She even offers him one, trying to ease the tension between herself and Frank, and he returns the warm gesture with the offer of a drink. She is also confused by Frank's formal manner of speaking, showing her social naivety. For instance, when he says, "You are?" she replies, "What am I?" Although she appears very confidently, she is immediately quietened when faced with something she feels she cannot succeed in. She is fairly defeatist towards the course, believing she isn't intelligent enough, and that although she wants to, she wont achieve her dream. She calls the courses, "Degrees for Dishwashers", implying that Open University degrees are not looked upon very highly, and are not thought much of. She is very negative about herself, believing she is not quite good enough. Rita wants to be of a higher status than her friends and family, and assumes the course will bring about this transformation. She is uncomfortable with being working class, as her outlook is more middle class, yet also isn't ready to be considered middle class. She knows that she fits in with neither social grouping, and at one stage, even refers to herself as a "half-caste". She navely thinks that knowing what books to read and phrases to say will automatically be happy and free, as if intelligence is the key to the lock of her cage. She believes all who are referred to as middle class have no problems, or worries, and are therefore "free". Similarly, she tells Frank that she wants to know "everything", not understanding that this is completely impossible. She believes her image is sophisticated; yet her daring, audacious clothes that mirror her brash personality are very unrefined. Rita doesn't understand how to speak in this initial formal interview situation, frequently swearing as if it is a part of her normal vocabulary, hardly noticing she does it. Her speech is very fast, with her words flying out of mouth before she's had a chance to think about them, perhaps showing her nervousness. This might make her appear as rather blunt and inconsiderate. Her vocabulary is fairly limited and somewhat basic, and this means she finds it hard to remain on any one topic for a long amount of time, and is constantly changing the subject at the start of the play. As she cannot express herself with words, she involuntarily expresses them on her face, or with gestures, unable to mask her emotions. The topics she mentions show a lot about her personality, she frequently refers to pornographic books that she has read, and a painting on the wall that she sees

as "erotic". She believes that by talking about the novels she has read and the authors she knows she will make a good impression on Frank, showing him how well read she is. She doesn't realise that this is portraying quite the opposite, and that an understanding of fine literature and art is yet to be achieved. When she enters his office, Rita treats Frank in a very informal way; almost as if he is an old friend she hasn't seen for a while. She asks quite a few personal questions, including some about Frank's relationship with his girlfriend Julia. She shows how observant she is, carefully taking in everything around her, including the painting hanging on the wall that Frank says he hasn't looked at for years. She doesn't realise that some topics are not very polite to talk about, especially with a new tutor in a formal interview. Instead, as soon she sees the picture, she immediately asks Frank, "Do you think it's erotic?" She also frequently uses inappropriate words and comments, saying, "Look at those tits!" She discusses many topics as soon as she arrives, not only because they interest her, but also because she doesn't want to get down to work, trying to avoid getting to that point. She knows she has to, and that is why she has come, but evades it as much as she can. Whilst Frank stays relatively placid throughout the first scene, Rita scurries about the office, looking at irrelevant objects and randomly bringing up subjects. The actress playing Rita should exaggerate the expressions on her face, and talk in the colloquial way Rita does, frequently swearing. Her voice needs to draw on a strong, Liverpudlian accent, which will show the change by the last scene, when it will be toned down. She is constantly on her feet, and whilst Frank is happy sitting at his desk, Rita feels the need to be free, feeling that her current job and life are dragging her down. Her husband Denny believes choice is choosing which beer to drink and football team to support, whilst Rita realises that she wants real choice, and wants to break out of her life. She shows this by looking longingly out of the window, silently wishing she could be down there with the other students. The window therefore becomes a symbol of her longing for liberty. All these things show how Rita and Frank are from two completely different worlds, and are two totally different people; they are both unhappy but in different ways, and want different things. Rita, despite being somewhat outwardly confident is also nervous about this new situation; it is something she has never been faced with before. The actress should also show emotions in her tone of voice, shrieking for example, and getting overly excited, yet also very upset at the slightest hint of an insult or criticism, showing how she can't cover up her feelings and also that she is relatively immature. At the start when Rita is banging on the door, trying to get in, there should be loud, upbeat, vibrant music playing, fitting in with her outgoing personality. As soon as she opens the door, it should stop abruptly, and there should be a bold, bright spotlight on her, whilst only small soft lights, nowhere near as noticeable as Rita, light the rest of the office, including Frank. The bright light would mirror Rita's bold, dramatic entrance, but by the last scene, the whole stage should be evenly lit. Instead of bright lights, there should be muted, softer, toned down lighting

effect, showing how much she had changed and become less nave. Contrastingly, at the beginning she was very twitchy and always moving, she has learnt to calm herself down, yet not completely let go of her bubbliness and originality. The room initially restricts Rita's movements, and as she is so energetic and enthusiastic, she cant keep still, constantly fidgeting and observing everything. The way she is trapped in the room looking longingly out of the window reflects the way she feels about her life, wanting to escape and have "real" choice, she naively asks Frank, "God, what's it like to be free?" She still doesn't understand that wherever you are on the social hierarchy you can still have problems. Society, people and the situation around her may have sculpted Rita's outlook and strong opinions on life as she grew up. People believed that the working class shouldn't have further education, but should settle down, have a family, and live a life like those around them. To Rita, this seemed immensely dull. Many didn't realise that it was actually possible to achieve much mire, and never gave a thought to bettering themselves, intellectually and emotionally. However, in Rita's case, she doesn't want to live in a run down tiny house, with a low paid job and a family, she wants to make the most of herself, achieve something, and be happy. Others of the working class who felt it was her place to be at home cooking and cleaning, and no right to try and become better than them wouldn't have looked very highly upon the protagonist. Rita had ambition to do well, and could see that many people accepted their lives as they were not bothering to try and change them, yet she wanted a chance of freedom and choice. Women at the time were discriminated against in society, they were given poorly paid jobs and their status was low. Despite being brought up like this, Rita was different even at school. She talks about how she would have been classified as a "wimp" if she had admitted that she wanted to study and learn here, and so the fear and pressure from her friends made her join in with the others around her. She didn't want to become different from her family and friends, nor those around her, and so blocked the thought that she wanted more from her life: "I'd just play another record or buy another dress an' stop worryin" She put this off because of the peer pressure from the other working class people, she didn't want to be different and upset them so went along with their assumptions of women as low, and this put her off for a while. Rite sees the middle class as totally different from herself, and although doesn't want to be working class, doesn't feel she will be accepted as middle class either. She has the idea that all middle class individuals are free, and stereotypes them, making sweeping generalisations. She assumes they all eat wholemeal bread, flora, and watch the BBC, as this is seen as more intellectually stimulating than ITV, the channel that many of the working class watch. This shows that she stereotypes certain groups of people from what she has heard, instead of her own views, she doesn't wait to get to know them before judging. As Rita believes herself to be sophisticated and well read, she has named herself after an author. Her real name is Susan, but Rita Mae Brown is a pornographic author, and as Rita likes her books, she laughably adopts her name and believes she is making herself seem more sophisticated, once

again showing her complete misunderstanding that sexually explicit n novels are classified as good literature. Such an action again indicates her nave outlook and lack of literary awareness at the beginning of the play. There are many themes during the play- change is probably the most important as it shows how an individual can develop and learn in both positive and negative ways: the play indicates the protagonist changing from one extreme to the other, eventually discovering a happy balance in between. Rita, at the start, is a very bold character, reflected in her unsophisticated and flamboyant choice of clothing, and is dissatisfied with her life. Throughout the play she changes, losing her individuality and flare, wanting to become the same as all the other students around her. She even copies her flatmate with a false bohemian style, desperate to fit in and be accepted. She has stopped smoking, believing this makes her more middle class, wears different clothes that are very over the top, and even tries to talk in a posh way, sounding completely unnatural and false. She has improved in her intelligence and on her course, yet also goes over the top, trying to appear very intellectual. This makes her seem almost boring, and has none of the original Rita in her. Eventually at the end, she reaches a good medium, not resting at either of the extremes, and becoming more sophisticated and wiser, yet still keeping the edge and flare she had to begin with. This shows how she overcame the problems with her determination, and how she reversed the bad things into positive factors. Education is another key theme; this is after all what helped to bring about the change in the central character. It can mould a person after time, influences them and the way they see things. Rita wanted to know "everything", but didn't understand how this was an unrealistic ambition. She hardly knew anything at the start, but started to study all the time until she knew a lot about all types of books and authors. She didn't realise that this wouldn't necessarily bring about the happiness and choice she strived for. Class divisions and hierarchy play a large role in the play, as Rita passes through the changes that lead her from one class to another. She learns and develops, and eventually is ready to become accepted as middle class when she takes her last exam and passes well. During the play she discovers that happiness and freedom don't just arise from the clothes we wear and the books we read but that everybody has problems and nobody is perfect, no matter where they are placed on the social scale. By the end of the play she has escaped from her previous life and gained the freedom to choose her own path in life that she longed for so long. She advances and matures over the course of this time. She learns that although she can change, she still needs to be herself. Rita becomes increasingly arrogant and very confident. Whereas before she would look up to the other students but not dare say a word to them, wishing to be like them, feeling inferior, she will now approach them with no hesitation, willingly, and even give her opinion or correct them in conversation. She has also become very independent, showing Frank she doesn't need him any more. This major change has been brought about by her time spent at Summer School. When she returns after her time away she amazes Frank with her knowledge of Blake, and her stories of how

she asked questions during lectures: "After he'd finished his lecture this professor asked if anyone had a question, an', Frank, I stood up!" She also shows how her maturity and literary understanding have increased: "This tutor came up to me an' he said, "Are you fond of Ferlinghetti?" It was right on the tip of me tongue, to say, "Only when it's served with parmesan cheese", but, Frank, I didn't!" Although she's changed in some ways for the better and some for the worse, it is clear she still has a long way to go. She has almost traveled from one extreme to the other, but is closer to discovering the perfect balance in the middle. She has been influenced by those around her, and so needs to truly discover herself as well as developing well academically. By the last scene, Rita's transformation from working class hairdresser to educated middle class intellectual is complete; she is very obviously different from the start, despite the change being very gradual. Although she is now a completely different person, her originality and flamboyant personality can still be seen. Her clothes are very different, she is a lot more sophisticated, but no longer pretentious or false. Although her clothes are those that middle class women wear, Rita buys them from charity shops or cheaper shops, not worried about this, but she can still make them look nice. Her accent has been toned down, and although the Liverpudlian sounds can still be heard, her voice is much softer, even quieter, and she is able to express herself better. Her swearing was so natural that before it sounded normal, but it has been replaced with words and phrases she would never have though of saying, and her voice is a good medium between her previous string accent and when she started to talk with a false sophistication. She has become very mature, and can now see through people's pretentiousness. She used to look up to her friend Tiger, and also Trish, yet has realised she is not what she seems: "I thought she was so cool an' together she spends half her life eatin' whole foods an' health foods to make her live longer, an' the other half tryin' to kill herself" Rita has a much better understanding of people, and this can be seen in her speech and also behaviour. At the end, Frank asks her to go to Australia with him, but she can tell that he needs time by himself, and declines. This also shows how she is scared of being tied down, as before with Denny, she wants to be independent and make her own choices. She can tell Frank is clinging on to her- a complete role reversal from the start when she clung to Frank. She sensible knows now to move on, and has realised that she was stupid and arrogant, and has learnt that its not just quotes and reading that change you, but learning and developing in your own way to reach what you are striving for- "I've got choice now" She wanted to become someone new, but knows that she needed to keep part of herself, and has succeeded in that, and therefore shows this to Frank. The actress playing Rita should not express her feelings and emotions on her face or in her actions, but stick to words, and use varied vocabulary. She should hardly move around, instead happily sit at the desk, ready to work, and should talk as if she really does understand what she has learnt. This shows she has achieved the choice and freedom and also gained in intelligence she wanted. The lighting should no longer be bright as it focused on the protagonist, but muted, and cheerful

so the characters can easily be seen yet not too glaring. The music could be classical, classy music, played quietly. This all reflects the change in her more sophisticated and mature character showing she has developed mentally and emotionally enough to become accepted as a member of the middle class. She doesn't judge people as before, but sees them for who they really are, including Frank. She knows he is not the confident secure man he appeared, but weak, insecure and lonely. This shows her increased maturity. More themes are introduced, including maturity. In the middle of the play, she thinks Frank is a bad teacher, but by the end, she realises that he made all this possible for her, and her maturity means she isn't too stubborn to thank Frank and truly appreciate what he has done for her. Although she changed in negative ways, she learnt from these. She realises that she doesn't want to risk becoming trapped again, like with Denny, but wants to dictate her own destiny with the choices she makes. The ending is left very open, not telling the theatre viewers what happens to either Rita or Frank, but lets you imagine for yourself what paths they take and where and how they live their lives. This reflects the theme of choice, by letting viewers decide what happens, but also for the characters to decide and change which way they will go and what choices they will make.

The drama I'm going to present now is called " Educating Rita" and written by Willy Russell. I'm going to talk about him a little bit later. The drama was first put on stage in 1980 and won the Society of West End Theatres Award for Best Comedy in the same year. In 1983 it was made into a film which was very successful as well, so that it was even Oscar nominated. The drama consists of two acts, the one with seven scenes and the other one with eight scenes. In the whole play there are only two different characters: Frank and Rita. - dialogue, reason that there are not many stage directions, always very short

- first character Rita - working class girl - 26 years old, married with her husband Denny

- roles woman-man---- typical, left school early, got married, is working as a hairdresser now - so to say old-fashioned, living in a world of old-fashioned ideals - funny, charming, spontaneous, natural charecteristics - moreover talking a lot, impulsive, says what she thinks - from Liverpool -- setting, it takes place in Liverpool - Liverpool economical centre, west coast of England - important harbours - much industry, industrial centre-----consequence-working class is dominating, many workers - Rita = typical example of a girl/woman in Liverpool - most people there not very rich, (not very educated) - Rita recognizes that something in her life is missing - wants to change her life - get out of the roles - there must be something more than the superficial things the people in the hairdresser s are talking about - surches for a solution - wants to be educated, become a completely new person - improve quality of her life, find herself, self-enlightment, find her real identity, diversify (verndern; Abwechslung bringen) the meaning of her life - has changed her name into Rita (sounds better, Rita Mae Brown) - leads her to the Open University - special institution, giving adults the chance to get education - his/her (social) background is unimportant - teaching methods are different to normal universities

- made for people who want to study at home, without giving up their jobs - learning with textbooks, notes on the radio/ TV, records, cassettes - open for everyone (live in UK, over 21) - don t need any qualification like A-Levels---starting at your level of knowledge, until your able to qualify for the university s BA degree - degrees are equal to those of normal universities - better chances of career - offers about 140 different courses - more than 80,000 men/women are studying there per year - have to have the will to learn, because have to do everything on your own - Rita has will to learn - get into O.U. - story starts - get to know Frank---her tutor - Frank almost opposite of Rita - in the fifties - drinking problems - is/was a poet, wrote poetry once - works now at the O.U to earn money - lives together with an ex-student Julia - is unhappy, boring type - educated, but it didn t lead him to happiness Folie Tafelbild 1? - setting: only one place - Frank s office - all the walls are covered with books

- bottles hidden behind the books - only two desks and two chairs (phone) - dreadful, sad, with no life - influence of her social background - thinks practically [Link] - first lesson, first meeting between Frank and Rita - start talking about literature - many misunderstandings - reason: she thinks in her world - examples (Folie???) - humour - also fresh, wants to become another person - spontaneity, breath of air in the room - she thinks everything of the educated class is brilliant (sad office) - culture, Rita: she has no, way of living doesn t have a meaning - art/literature feeds her inside - thinks her way of living has no value (Wert) - starting with literary, Howard s End - crap, rubbish, doesn t understand this - in the following lessons she tries to write an essay, not successful (not writing about the topic, only one sentence, not based on arguments) - is soon able to distinguish (sich auszeichnen) good, intellectual books and others - doesn t think of meanings, criticizes a book following her feelings (as she is used to) - husband: doesn t understand her, wants to have a baby, working class - problems with Denny get worse; he also has a picture of life in mind, different from

Ritas(belonging to the working class ideals - next time: Denny burnt all her books, on pill again - she wants to have a choice (not only between washing powder, TV programmes) - leaves Denny - during the conversations, understands more and more - essay better - go to the theatre, again, loves it - becomes evident (klar; einleuchtend; offensichtlich) again that she s not very self-confident, not enough education - invitation to dinner, first says yes, doesn t come - reasons ridiculous(lcherlich; lppisch)?; didn t know what to wear, what to talk about, which wine to bring(doesn t belong to this class, unsure (stupid woman, gives all a laugh) - caught in the middle (Folie)

- end:

- good essay - Frank is afraid that she will abandon her uniqueness (Eindeutigkeit) by getting educated, standardised(standardisieren; normieren) - something like a love story, Frank interested in an affair (irrestible thing, why didn t you walk in here 20 years ago) - Rita not interested, affair belongs to her old life, literature more important than life (love), Frank: life (love) more important than literature (experience) - drinking problems become worse, finds hidden bottles, wants Frank to stop drinking 2. act - change really visible

- change of roles; role reversal(pupil dependened on teacher-teacher dependened on p. - returning from summer school - new selfconfidence - new clothes, own style - very educated now - first insider talk is possible - he s very surprised that she already knows Blake - Frank has problems with Julia - only step back, voice - doesn t depent on Frank anymore - flatmate Trish, overwhelmed (berwltigt) - talked to other students - changed her job( bistro - understands now literary criticism - at the end of course, reads Franks poems --great - F. don t want to teach her anymore, too good, can t bear(ertragen) that she is educated now - changed her name into Susan - passes the exams, great teacher, now she had the choice - doesn t admire (bewundern; verehren) Trish that much any more (cool-suicide) - educated, exited, confident, full of news, given up smoking - Frank not that positive: Has two take to years of holiday (sacked( entlie) from school) - left by Julia - going to Australia - gives her a present. Dress for an educated woman, Annerkennung - give back: cuts his hair

The story about Rita and her development is directly connected to the life of the author of this drama Willy Russell. It s not just a story created by the author, but it has a lot of parallels to his real life. - born in Whiston near Liverpool in 1947 (setting drama) - dad was a factory worker, later bought a chips shop - mother worked in a ware house---like Rita working class - read books, played football, liked gardening lessons .- didn t care much for school/watched telly, so bad at school - never went to the theatre or something like this (---Rita) - got to know cruelty and violence at secondary school, very hard time, real brutality - moved to Rainford (not far) - not that much brutality at school, old-fashioned compared with old school, paradise - loved lessons called silent reading, discovered that this waswhat he wanted to do - wanted to be a writer and create feelings in people - problem: was bad at school, came from working class, no conections to academic class - but hated factory work, was supposed to work in a factory later - often went to the Cavern, where the Beatles were playing, sagging school - failed the exam to become a printer - mother had the idea that he could become a hairdresser - didn t care for the job---didn t go to the school, didn t know any thing about hairdressing - knew that he would never be able to be a writer in the world he was living in - wanted to join the academic world ---better chances - hairdressing senseless for him - went back to school, did his exams

- wanted to go to college, didn t have enough money - did a very unsafe job at Ford to earn money - started studying = new beginning, feeling at home - in the following years he wrote a lot of dramas like When the Reds (first one), King of the Castle (TV), John, Paul, George, Ringo and Bert, Blood Brothers... - he once said himself that at the college he behaved like Rita, overvalued higher education; enthusiastic, wanted to talk with everyone about his new knowledge (people in the bus) - wrote down some of his own experiences - wants it to be understood like this - in his opinion a play must walk and live alone, without interpretation aid given by the author - said in an interview. awful belief that something which is easily understood and communicated is somehow inferior to that which requires profound analysis and explanation - I think important point - opposite, the play is about literature, education language, he tried to write the play also for people who have no knowledgeof literature - doesn t like all these explanations - everyybody should be able to understand the play, although the people want it to be less easily understood, mystic