Another quotation from this scene, which I think is poignant, “The ones who come here all the time. The proper students” I chose this because it is sad that Rita doesn’t feel she is ‘proper’, like she doesn’t deserve to be there as she is ‘uneducated’. She probably feels this way because of her background and where she comes from with her working class family and her terraced housing. Again, as the director of the play I would have Rita perform this with a sad look on her face to let the audience know that she isn’t happy with herself and her situation.
For my second scene I chose scene seven from act 1. I chose this scene because Rita is really upset with Frank about her not being able to come to Franks for dinner, for example Rita says, “But I don’t want to be myself. Me? What’s me? Some stupid woman who gives us all a laugh because she thinks she can learn, because she thinks that one day she’ll be like the rest of them, talking seriously, confidently, with knowledge, livin’ a civilised life” I chose this quotation because Rita is really angry with herself and Frank. I find this paragraph particularly powerful as I can really imagine Rita shouting this at Frank and being assertive to the point of being confrontational. As the director for the play I would have Frank sitting in his chair, with Rita standing in front of him whilst she bellows all of this at him to keep the audience on edge.
Another quotation I chose from this scene was when Rita says “but when I saw those people you were with I couldn’t come in” I found this powerful because Rita isn’t confident around people who she thinks are “educated” and she seems to think that people with an “education” are of a higher status to her all because they talk “proper” and read poetry. As the director of the play, at this point I would have Rita saying this in tears to really give off a signal as to how angry and upset she is with herself.
The last scene I chose was scene four from act 1, I chose this scene because Rita doesn’t seem happy with her background or ‘culture’ for example when Rita says “ They tell y’ the stories about the past – y’ know the war or when they were fightin’ for like, better conditions, for food an’ clothin’ an’ houses an’ their eyes light up when they tell y’ because there was some meanin’ to it. But the meanin’s gone.” I found I found this quote powerful because Rita seems ashamed or embarrassed about her background/culture, this connects with her not being ‘educated’ because she feels her background would allow her to be educated. As the director of the play I would have Rita sigh every often to really give the effect that she’s not happy about where she came from.
By the end of the play we as the audience are pulled in different directions. We can feel happy for Rita who can move on to bigger and better things in life. She has not yet decided what she will do but education has given her the power of ‘choice’. On the other hand Frank’s choices seem to be narrowing and we are left unsure of his future. The audience would leave the play feelings uneasy about Frank as well as proud of Rita. She is now educated but has paid a price.
