Perhaps more importantly though, it seems that Frank is very bored with his job. This may be the reason why Frank is an alcoholic, and why his life at home may be slightly difficult. One reason I think this is because at times he makes quite flippant remarks, for example, at one stage he suggests that he would like to throw his students out of the window. He seems bored of his lifestyle, and with his daily routine. As well as this though, his world seems to revolve around education, and literature. He seems slightly ignorant of the world around him. For example, when Rita talks about an actress, Farrah Fawcet Majors who was a famous actress staring in Charlie’s Angles at the time, Frank knows nothing about her.
Frank however is not just a miserable alcoholic. At times he shows that he has a good sense of humour, all be it a very dry one, and at times he can come out with sarcastic remarks.
Overall, my initial impressions of Frank were that firstly, he is extremely bored of his job, and his lifestyle. This may well be why he also has an obvious drink problem. However, despite this, he seems like a very educated man, and shows at time that he is a good teacher. He is also very sharp, has quite a dry sense of humour, and can be very sarcastic, but he seems to be locked inside an academic culture of literature and education, and he seems very ignorant of what is happening in the world around him, and at times also shows a low self-esteem, and lack of enthusiasm for his work.
Rita is quite different to Frank. She has some common features with Frank, but unlike him, she is not trapped inside education, and is more in touch with the outside world.
The first think to notice about Rita is that she is extremely keen to learn, and also extremely ambitious. She has a great desire to learn, saying that she wants “to learn everything”.
Rita is quite a common person, and comes from a completely different culture from Frank, and certainly a much poorer one, and it is clear that she has never had a good schooling. However, she is quite intelligent, but often, we see that while she is ambitious and intelligent, she lacks sophistication, and mental discipline. She is intelligent, but quite uneducated, and ignorant.
Rita is also very observant, and at times blunt. She notices many things, for example, a painting on Frank’s wall, but often will just make a statement, in this case saying, “it’s erotic”, without looking deeper into the painting. She has quite a child-like view on many things, and will look at things quite ignorantly.
Rita is also very amusing. Partly, she is amusing just by the way she acts, and talks, but she also has a very good sense of humour, and can be very funny.
Perhaps another thing about Rita though, is that she has a vulnerable side to her. For example, when she asks what “assonance is” quite out of the blue, Frank laughs. However Rita instantly says “Don’t laugh at me.” Perhaps indicating a slightly more vulnerable side to her personality, and although she jokes around, is deadly serious, and determined about learning, and becoming educated. She clearly wants to break away from the culture she has grown up in, and is determined to reach her goals.
Overall, I would say that Rita is a very determined, ambitious person. She is uneducated, yet shows intelligence, and is very observant. She also has a very good sense of humour, but can seem a bit vulnerable at times, and is clearly very serious about receiving an education.