Educating Rita Coursework

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English Coursework                                                

Comment on Rita’s changing use of language throughout the play ‘Educating Rita’ and what this tells the audience about this character.

‘Educating Rita’ is a play set and written in the 1980’s by Willy Russel. The only two characters in the play are Frank- a university lecturer- and Rita- an Open University student. Act 1 scene 1 opens in Frank’s study at a northern university- the only setting throughout the play. As the play has only one setting and two characters, it shows its one aim- to allow the audience to explore and develop more of an understanding in the characters and their changes.

        Act 1 scene 1 opens with Frank talking to his partner/ girlfriend on the phone. He uses standard English;

“I distinctly remember saying that I would be late”

This language implies to the audience that Frank is well educated, middle class man

“lamb and ratatouille”

also shows his class.

        In Frank’s office there is a window looking into the lawn. This is important in the play as it symbolizes freedom. In the first act, Rita can only look out and imagine what it’s like beyond it- with all the proper students.

When Rita enters after having symbolic difficulty with opening the door; “the door swings open revealing Rita” there is a contrast shown to the audience in their use of language;

“I’m comin’ in aren’t I? It’s that stupid bleedin’ handle on the door. You wanna get it fixed.”

        Here Rita uses colloquialism, swearing and a regional dialect; her language is significant as it shows the difference in class and background with Frank and Rita.

                Rita clearly has very few manners as she goes to the chair “dumping her bag.”: she has had little experience in showing a good first impression.

They both have a misunderstanding when he asks for her name;

“You are?

What am I?

Pardon?

What?”

This also shows their differences and examples of different experiences. When Rita sees the picture on the wall, she uses inappropriate and obscene language;

“there’s no suppose about it. Look at those tits… do y’ think he wanted to turn people on?”

This makes Frank feel uncomfortable but shows that Rita appears to be a confident woman who is unafraid of speaking her mind. In her conversation with Frank, Rita also uses slang

“ I was dead surprised”

This is due to the area she was brought up in and implies to the audience that it was possibly due to her lack of education. Like Willy Russel, she had a bad education with “borin’, ripped up books, broken glass”. Rita is very intrusive and asks Frank a lot of inappropriate questions

“D’ y’ need the money?”

Rita isn’t afraid to ask questions and interested to find out about Frank. This creates tension which the audience see but may find it comical due to the complete opposites in character of Frank and Rita.

During this scene, the audience also gets a clue of Rita’s confident appearance to be a front when she puts herself down about the degree she is taking for the Open University, describing it as a “degree for dishwashers.” Rita took on the course because she wanted to change and thinks that “ if you want to change y’ have to do it from the inside don’t y’?” proving that she wants to find herself and do something with her life

“see, I wanna discover meself first.”

Rita wants to understand things that Frank does and achieve his status; we see this when Rita says;

Watchin’ the ballet or the opera on the telly an- an y’ call it rubbish… cos y’don’t understand”, she believes she can understand through education but feels she can’t have an education as well as the life she has now because there are stereotypical expectations of Rita. They involve having a family and children, not an education.

“I tried to explain that I wanted a better way of livin’ me life. An’ he listened to me. But he didn’t understand.” The audience then sympathizes with Rita and wants her to achieve the life she wants.

        “He was moanin’ all the time…’Come off the pill, let’s have a baby’…see, I don’t wanna a baby yet.”

Rita puts education before starting a family as it is what she wants to do; she wants to discover herself first, the audience can relate and sympathies with this.

        In act 1 scene 1, the audience discovers that Rita wants to change through education and she didn’t have this when she was younger. She doesn’t want to follow the stereotypical expectations and wants to get a better life; different to the culture she has at the moment. Rita says this in a monologue, a long speech, emphasizing what she thinks of her life, how she dislikes her culture and what is expected of her. Rita wants choices in her life; not to be tied down to one route.

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        Scene 2 shows a development in the relationship between Frank and Rita. The audience sees that Frank is eager t see Rita as he “glances at his watch” three times. Rita also oils Frank’s door so she can get in easier. This proves that she already cares for Frank but this is also a metaphor- it is easier for her to enter the room- representing an easier entrance into an education.

Rita still has a lot to learn as her first essay was very subjective as she called ‘Howard’s End’ “crap”. In this scene, Rita begins to copy and ...

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