Willy Russell’s Popular Play Educating Rita Essays

Willy Russell’s Popular Play Educating Rita Essays Willy Russell’s Popular Play Educating Rita Essay Willy Russell’s Popular Play Educating Rita Essay No, So-so Macbeth brings it on himself? Ritas short sentences show her growing intrigue, but also reinforce her ignorance due to her social upbringing. All the way through prior to Frank speaking, he seems to be extremely hesitant when hes about to speak to Rita. Almost as if he doesnt want to patronise her with the technical language he uses, I. e. Well-erm look; Towards the end of the scene, Rita realises her own ignorance towards these ertain aspects of language. Frank says, Its quite easy really, Rita. And Rita replies, It is for you. I just thought it was just a dead exciting story. But the way you tell it, you make me see all sorts of things in it. Its fun, tragedy isnt it? All them out there, they know all about this sort of thing dont they? . Rita thinking tragedy is fun is most certainly unintentionally ironic. In addition I think Rita is impressed with Franks knowledge, although Frank is more in admiration for Rita, as he rarely comes across people that equal her calibre of intelligence. What he doesnt realise is that whilst hes appy teaching Rita now, he is slowly changing Rita in to the person she dreams of being. Frank likes Rita as she is, and admires her because shes different, So if Frank had the benefit of hindsight, perhaps he wouldnt of put so much effort into teaching Rita. Shortly after the above scene, Rita and Frank are again alone and in one of their lessons. Rita is daydreaming, she likes the idea of being a proper student. She looks down onto the lawn below Franks office as she says, I love that lawn down there. In the summer do they sit on it? Here we can see Rita is becoming very envious of the students. She admires their lifestyle and her need to become one of them is slowly becoming clearer. Frank however sees the students as nothing but mislead inhabitants of a rich snobbish culture, and he barely shows any respect for them. But as the scene unfolds, Rita starts to describe her school life to Frank, and we can he that he starts to realise that not many people have access to an education, for many different reasons. Nah, just normal, y know; borin, ripped up books, broken glass everywhere. Knives an fights. An that was just the staff room. Nah, they tried their best I suppose, always telling us we stood a better chance if we studied. But studying was for the wimps, wasnt it? See if Id started takin school seriously Id a been different from my mates, and thats not allowed. Here the audience get a vivid picture of what Ritas school life was actually like. The peer pressure was obviously immense, and so now is the only time in Ritas life, she has had the chance to admit her true feelings and ambitions. She is again using humour as a vehicle for serious issues, always trying to make light of her dismal past. There was clearly no work ethos in Ritas school, and so now she desperately wants to regain that opportunity of having an education. In Ritas last speech of the scene, she reveals that despite her poor and uneducated background, she would always question life. She says that there was always something tappin away, telling me I might have got it all wrong. So in other words Rita would think philosophically about life. She was reluctant to be in the position and lifestyle she was in. Therefore we understand that she had the definite potential to become what she wanted, to find her play in life. Despite these rattling questions inside her head, she didnt believe she was capable of breaking out of her current situation. And so shed hide away her eeling by telling herself lifes great or by going out shopping to take her mind off things. It was these things that kept Rita going, they stopped her putting life into perspective. Towards the end of the play Frank seems to have had enough. With himself, with Ritas ever growing education, and with his routine life. His drinking habit has reached its climax, and Rita cant bear him any longer. Rita appreciates what hes done for her, although she doesnt like his constant self pitying and the way he seems to exploit his god given gift. At the beginning he liked Rita because she was fresh, now shes educated like ll his other students and he doesnt like that. Rita accuses Frank of taking for granted the things in which she has worked so hard for. Its little to you who squanders every opportunity and mocks and takes for granted. But of course for Frank every lesson was simply an escape, and now Rita has changed into the very person she destined to be. And Frank has been stripped of that luxury weekly lesson. What seems more interesting is that Frank has come away with nothing and Rita has come away with an education. The irony here is that Rita is the only one who really understands and has insight into Franks character. He is just unaware of how he squanders every opportunity and mocks and takes for granted. All the way through this scene Frank is drunk, and so we assume the insults which toll of his tongue are spontaneous and perhaps a little rash. I think hes just annoyed that she is such a changed character. He was so found of the fresh an innocent woman who first walked through his door. She stimulated him, made him look forward to the next lesson. His life was definitely much better when Rita was around, and he depended on her for company and perhaps arousal. At this point in the play Rita just doesnt understand why Frank is acting the ay he is. She doesnt know how he relied on her for certain things, those things which he couldnt find anywhere else. Another speech by Frank which is so cleverly written by Willy Russell and is most certainly for me a very moving part of the play. Comes after the accusation by Rita when Frank says. Found a culture have you, Rita? Found a better song to sing have you? No-youve found a different song, thats all-and on your lips its shrill and hollow and tuneless. Frank is absolutely right in what hes saying. The fact that Rita is now educated doesnt mean she has found a better song to sing at all. She has just most definitely found a different song. For some people, like Rita, who are brought up on a poor inner city estate. The life which Frank is living will most certainly be seen as better. But for people like Frank, well off intelligent people, who come from the same descriptive background, they may well, as Frank is, be in admiration for the lifestyle in which Rita came from. The final point in which I am going to talk about, brings us to the lesson after Rita has been to Franks party, but couldnt bring herself round to going inside. She walks into Franks office and we get the impression shes very fed up with erself. She feels as though shes the odd one out. Well you wouldnt take sweet sparkling wine, would y? She starts to make excuses and tells him that she brought the wrong wine. We can sense very clearly Ritas frustration. Additionally we know that Rita felt very uncomfortable around Franks other guests, the well educated guests wearing the correct attire. She clearly feels she cant fit in and we again see the contrast in social background. She says, But I dont want to be myself. Me? Whats me? Some stupid little woman who gives us all a laugh because she thinks she can learn, because she hinks that one day shell be like the rest of them, talking seriously, confidently, with knowledge, livin a civilized life. The above quote reveals many things about Rita, fairly early on in the play. Rita is feeling down after seeing the contrast in characters between her and Franks other guests. She perhaps feels as though shes fighting a lost cause in life. Frank tells her to be herself although this is the exact opposite person Rita wants to be. Shes becoming educated in order to change who she is. However this reinforces how Frank just wants Rita as she is, and cant understand the eed for her to change. This point of Frank being perhaps unaware of how Rita is changing, is brought up many times throughout the play. Which tells us that perhaps theres a hint of dramatic irony in that he just doesnt catch on. And towards the end Rita changes and leaves Frank behind. To dwell on where it all changed so suddenly without him realising. So we can finally appreciate the both sides of a very cleverly and wittily written play. Willy Russell tells almost two stories in unison, and the audience can digest both of them, with utter intrigue and admiration.