Analyse part of the first chapter of 'Angela's ashes' written by Frank McCourt.
ANALYSIS OF A CHAPTER I am going to analyse part of the first chapter of Angela's ashes written by Frank McCourt the story it based on his childhood. The first words of the first chapter are, "My father and mother should have stayed in New York where they met and married and where I was born." The rest of the book follows his life from New York to Ireland. He then goes on to tell the reader. When he was four they moved to Ireland with his 3 brothers, he did have a sister but she had died. In this chapter it doesn't tell the reader how his sister died. Then in the next paragraph he starts to look back to his childhood and tells the reader how horrible it was by writing "when I look back on my childhood I wonder how I survived at all. It was of course a miserable childhood" just this sentence alone makes the reader feel sorry for this little boy. He goes on to tell the reader that the worst childhood is an Irish catholic childhood. "You have people moaning about their childhood, but in Ireland you have lots of poverty". His father was very lazy and an alcoholic. His mother was a devoted catholic who moaned quite a lot. The priests in Ireland were smug, arrogant and conceited. The schoolmasters threaten and bully their pupils. Frank also mentions that they didn't like the English because of what they had done to them for eight hundred long years (England ruled part of their
Explain how class has eased problems for both Frank and Rita
Educating Rita Explain how class has eased problems for both Frank and Rita I think that class has caused all Rita's problems while Frank's class has eased his problems. I think Rita feels as though she's in the wrong class because of the way she is starting to feel about life. She wants more then is expected of her by everyone else in the same class as she is. She has been born into the working class, if there's something she's worried about, she's not meant to try and solve it she should just go out and buy herself a new dress or record. But Rita's had enough of doing that she wants to be able to stop ignoring the problem and start solving it instead. Rita uses a lot of slang words and phrases as she speaks. She also tends to swear in every other sentence. She says that the reason for doing this is to shock people. " I do it to shock them sometimes. Y' know when I'm in the hairdresser's- that's where I work- I'll say somethin' like, 'Oh, I'm really fucked', y' know, dead loud. It doesn't half cause a fuss." "God, I've had enough of this. It's borin', that's what it is, bloody borin'. This Forster, honest to God he doesn't half get on my tits." I wrote earlier about the expectations of a woman her age, which is get married, have a baby, and get a job. Rita is a hairdresser, which is a job, not a career. Women are not expected to get a career, I'm not even sure that the
Examine the portrayal of cultural poverty in 'Saved' and 'The Wasp Factory'; how is it shown to effect the characters?
Examine the portrayal of cultural poverty in 'Saved' and 'The Wasp Factory'; how is it shown to effect the characters? In 'The Wasp Factory' and 'Saved' one obviously apparent theme is the lack of community spirit in the societies. In 'The Wasp Factory' there is no mention of a character who wonders why Frank isn't in school or doing things that other young men do. In 'Saved' there is no mention of anybody making any sort of judgement when Pam goes to meet Fred, somebody who has been jailed for the murder of her baby. Therefore it is important to look into the issue of cultural poverty, as it will make clearer why the characters are who they are and behave as they do. Obviously, 'Saved' is a play and 'The Wasp Factory' is a novel. As 'Saved' is a play the audience physically see characters' actions and emotions whereas Iain Banks has to use imagery. The effect of this is that the disturbing images in 'Saved' are there for the audience to see, initially making 'Saved' even more sickening. The setting for 'Saved' is on a bare stage so the plot seems extreme as the setting doesn't dilute the harsh actions and language used in the play but reinforces them. Although harsh actions and emotions are in 'The Wasp Factory' the setting of "empty beaches" softens these actions, contrasting them with the natural splendour in which they take place. Perhaps Bond is suggesting that his
Educating Rita - How does Willy Russell present the changes in Rita's character during the play?
Educating Rita Q. How does Willy Russell present the changes in Rita's character during the play? For our GCSE coursework, we studied the play 'Educating Rita' which was written by Willy Russell. We were looking at how Rita changed in each area during the course of the play, and what Willy Russell wanted us to understand from watching or reading the play. Rita is a common 26-year-old woman, looking for an education in an Open University. She hasn't ever had an education in her life, and works as an everyday hairdresser. Rita thinks that she is not intelligent, and thinks that her life is a waste. She goes to an Open University, to get her education and this is where she meets Frank. Rita isn't happy with her life; she's not happy with the same old routine and the same old people, she wants to be happy. She thinks that if she gets an education she will be happy. In the book Willy Russell makes Frank an alcoholic, and Rita cannot understand why he abuses alcohol. For all she is concerned he has "everything" and for Frank to be on the drink it means he is unhappy, and she cant understand why Frank would be unhappy because she thinks he has everything. She thinks that Frank has 'choice' in what he does and her boyfriend, Denny, says that choice means 5 different types of beer. Which shows us how narrow minded he is. At the start of the play, Rita hasn't really got a
'Educating Rita' by Willy Russell.
'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
What does Rita gain from her education and what does she lose?
Jack Warder Educating Rita by Willy Russell What does Rita gain from her education and what does she lose? When the heroine of 'Educating Rita' begins her personal crusade to gain an education by pursuing an open university course in English Literature, although she realises it will be hard work, she does not have any idea what she will lose as well as gain when she achieves her goal. There are only two characters in the play, Rita, the student and Frank, her tutor although many other people are important to the play and are referred to frequently. All the action takes place in Frank's study, on the first floor of a typical university building in the north of England. Frank is a lecturer in English Literature, and needs the occasional bottle of whisky to help him cope with his students. He has never taken an Open University student before, and has taken Rita on, against his better judgement, to help pay for his drink. Rita is a totally, uneducated, working class hairdresser, with a Liverpool accent, who is both forthright and funny, although she has a great capacity for self-criticism, and a strong desire to acquire knowledge. She simply wants to know 'everything.' Although Frank has become quite smitten by Rita's fresh approach and original views, his reluctance to teach Rita is made worse by his cynicism and the fact he considers he is "actually an appalling tutor."
How Does Willy Russel Portray The Change in Rita in The Play Educating Rita
How Does Willy Russel Portray The Change in Rita in The Play "Educating Rita" 'Educating Rita' A play set in the 1980s we meet Rita a 26-year-old Hairdresser from Liverpool. Rita has a great desire to learn she feels she wants to know herself, as she has no idea who she is, she is currently working as a hairdresser but she knows she wants more but hides this desire with the buying of materialistic items. Rita's husband Denny very much wants a baby as at the age they are the social expectation is to have a had a baby and be married, but Rita wants to know herself first so hides her birth control pills and takes them secretly. Rita "wants a better way to live her life" this to her husband Denny means a new house or an open plan sitting room as you see him constructing in the play. However, a better way to live her life to Rita means an education a new 'High Brow' lifestyle not just a new house in Formby, as her husband suggests. Rita decides to go to a once a week tutorial at an open university in English literterture she tries to enter the office of her tutor but the door is stuck and is very hard to open this symbolises how hard it is to get into university for a working class woman like Rita, but Rita keeps trying symbolising her determination to learn. When Rita enters the office she meets Frank is an alcoholic that hates his job and students "You're a crazy mad piss
Educating Rita - Directing Act 1, Scene 7.
Educating Rita - Directing Act 1, Scene 7 In Act 1, Scene 7, Rita does not turn up at Frank's dinner party. She feels like a social misfit. Her mother's regret makes her determined to go on with her education. The general acting by the two characters will involve reading the script, as in the book, and by following any stage directions that are included in the script. The setting of the whole scene is in Frank's office. The costume will follow the guidelines of the book, i.e. how we think the characters would look like, and when we think the play was set in. Frank's costume will be a shirt, tie (maybe a bow-tie), trousers and braces. As you can see, we feel that Frank is old-fashioned. Rita's costume will be a powder blue and pink tracksuit with a couple of designer logos printed medium sized near the left shoulder and one on the right side of the upper leg. She will also be wearing large, round earrings. Props that maybe needed include the following: * A leather bound table with an elaborate lamp on the table, and 2 chairs either side (Frank's chair must be a swivel chair). * A bottle of whiskey on a side table (in the corner) with a few crystal glasses, which would be on a silver tray. * An ornate pen stand with a pen in it. * Coat/hat stand in the corner. * A bin beside Frank's desk. * Frank's framed qualifications on the wall. * Erotic, religious picture on
Examine how effectively Russell portrays the change in Rita.
Emma Powditch Examine how effectively Russell portrays the change in Rita "Educating Rita" is an amusing play, describing a young woman's journey of self-discovery propelled by discontent. The author's background encourages realism in his writing so much so that educating Rita could almost be an abstract autobiography of Willy Russell showing personal experience of prejudice and attitudes of class, this and Russell's effective portrayal of the change in Rita throughout may contribute to the plays popularity. The character Rita looks to education as a means of escape, a way of distancing herself from the working class background that smothers her, she needs to feel a sense of significance from her life. Her mother comments in a later scene: "There must be better songs to sing than this" This is a turning point for Rita as metaphorically it inspires Rita to continue. The initial Rita is brash and seems to exaggerate her appearance - in all she displays artificialness. This is connected with the superficial nature of changing her name to Rita to make her more in keeping with life as a student. She uses very evident dialect and colloquial terms associated with the lower classes. " 'Y' can tell he's a flora man." But as she proves this doesn't always reflect on intelligence although society seems to label people from less fortunate backgrounds, this is prejudice she
Educating Rita - Discuss the changes in Rita throughout this text, are these changes good or bad and how do they effect her relationship with Frank?
Discuss the changes in Rita throughout this text, are these changes good or bad and how do they effect her relationship with Frank? "Educating Rita" displays the major changes that occur in the main character, an initially narrow minded, outspoken and socially naïve Liverpudlian trapped by her working class life. Rita thinks an increase in intelligence and worldly knowledge will change this, and set her "free". She strives to change classes, and although is different from her working class peers, she still isn't ready to be accepted as middle class. She aims to reach her goal through an Open University course, yet naively thinks knowing what books to read and clothes to wear will allow her to immediately become accepted as part of her chosen social class. Change is a major part of the play, affecting Rita in both positive and negative ways. It shows how the influence of education helps to bring about these changes, and how eventually Rita is able to overcome and negative problems and settle on a happy balance. Rita is also molded by her tutor, Frank, and learns a great deal from him, whilst also teaching him in many ways. Rita's bright, bold, bubbly character is revealed in the very first scene, as the two characters are introduced. She makes a very dramatic entrance, bursting through the door, swearing, and immediately drawing all attention to her. She isn't really sure