'Educating Rita' by Willy Russell.

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Christian Cooke, 10F1, Page  of

‘Educating Rita’ by Willy Russell:

        Willy Russell’s popular play ‘Educating Rita’ is set in the 1970s in the inner

city of Liverpool. This cleverly written play, follows a young girl in her

twenties, as she battles between the reality of her poor background, and her

burning ambition of becoming educated.

        At the beginning of the play Rita is working as a hairdresser, and living in a

council house with her boyfriend, factory worker Denny.

        She seems to be trapped in a place where she doesn’t belong. Simply trying to

fit in as she has done ever since her school life. Rita wants to break free,

find her place in life. She’s the one in so many who just won’t accept the

automatic life style, that she inherited from her parents.

        As the play unfolds we see Rita find her missing piece, an education.

Additionally what becomes more interesting is seeing her teacher, Frank, wanting

the opposite in life. To break free from having what Rita wants, he can’t

understand the need for, as I quote from one occasion, “pretentious,

characterless and without style” literacy.

        We can see Frank, an educated lecturer, turn to drink as an escape root from

the world he lives in. Although when he teaches Rita, this in itself is an

escape for him, someone different to study and admire. For his life is filled

with well educated, well off folk, whom Frank isn’t fond of. But is this because

he takes for granted what so many people can’t have?

        Linguistically, ‘Educating Rita’ gives it’s audience many things to digest.

Willy Russell cleverly and vividly displays a story of two sides. As we follow

Rita in her battle to be something, someone. And as we follow Frank becoming

sick of the pretend shield which education gives us.

        Shortly into the play, we find Rita and Frank in one of their lessons. To begin

with Frank doesn’t see the potential in Rita. He seems frustrated and he

certainly isn’t used to dealing with uneducated students. “When you come into

this room you do anything except start working immediately.”

         Throughout this scene Rita seems down and depressed, as she mutters short,

sharp sentences to Frank, “I haven’t got it”, and so on. We can sense that

desperate feeling from Rita of trying to fit in. Additionally it’s this scene

that Frank begins to realise the big difference in social class.

        The next section of this scene implies various things of large significance to

us. When Rita says, “So are all the Chekhov books you lent me. Denny found out I

was on the pill again; it was my fault, I left the prescription out. He burnt

all me books.” We the audience understand the sort of environment Rita lives in.

Denny seems to be set on having a baby and settling down, and quite simply has

probably never come across the word ambition. Further more it seems Rita is the

complete opposite, “I’m busy enough finding’ meself, let alone findin’ someone

else.” We now see the intriguing contrast between an unsettled but determined

Rita, and her typically laid back pessimistic husband, Denny.

        Further down the scene Denny’s ignorance is again portrayed as Rita says, “I’m

not havin’ it off with Anton Chekhov. He said, ’I wouldn’t put it past you to

shack up with a foreigner ’.” Here Rita is telling Frank that Denny didn’t even

know who Anton Chekhov was, further more he didn’t even understand that Rita was

referring to the burnt books. This is the first time in many that Rita uses

humour as a bridge for serious issues. Here Rita is almost juxtaposing herself

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and Denny, and as a result we can see the contrast in the two characters.        Adding

to the comment I made on Denny’s ignorance. He burns the books in hope of

burning away Rita’s ideas and ambitions. However, he doesn’t understand that

Rita is set on becoming educated and fulfilling her dream. And so despite

Denny’s efforts, nothing will deter her. This again shows us the level of

Denny’s intelligence and allows us to match this with his social upbringing.

        In this scene it’s the first time that the audience register Rita’s ever

changing character. Frank asks her if she loves ...

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