Explain how you would direct Act 1, Scene 8 of Willy Russell's Educating Rita.

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Name: Rochelle Jones

School: Clapton Girls’ Technology College

Centre no: 10406        

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Date: Wednesday 25th June 2003

Topic: 20th Century Drama

Explain how you would direct Act 1, Scene 8 of Willy Russell’s Educating Rita

“ Hard work spotlights the character of people: some people turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, an some don’t turn up at all” Sam Ewing (American author)

In this essay I would describe how I would direct Act 1,scene 8 of Educating Rita by Willy Russell.

The play illustrates the different levels of education and how the different social classes in our society perceive it.  For example Rita wants to be like the upper class in society –“Talking seriously, confidently, with knowledge, livin’ a civilized life.”

These different aspects of education can change people’s social standing in society. Therefore this means if you are knowledgeable and educated you feel superior and can exert power.

The social problems were shaped by the ‘Thatcherite’ era when greed and egoism contributed to the erosion of the social fabric in Britain. Margaret Thatcher then prime minister said-

“There is no such thing as society, just the family and the individual”

In creating ‘Educating Rita’ Willy Russell clearly portrays the social problems in society of that at the time. He establishes a firm link to reality by relating his life to Rita’s, he also attended evening courses at an open university, and was a hairdresser before returning back to education.  Rita and Russell were very similar in many ways. They both knew that there were two ways of dealing with their future. That they could both accept their life with no education and fulfill their destiny as a poor person, or they could reject this fact and try hard to get a better job, a better life, or like Rita’s mother says, “A better song to sing”. However they both opted to the second way, and they both succeeded.

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During one of Frank and Rita’s first meetings Frank asked her why she did not walk into his office twenty years ago; her reply was slightly humorous which one would expect if she had loved him she would have responded differently. Frank is fascinated by her behavior –not being influenced by any rules of middle class restraint, which gives her independent thoughts to a certain extent. He admires her, thinking that she is clever in her own way. Frank asks Rita why she had not chosen a course in politics, meaning   that she is intelligent and cable of ...

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