Read the opening of the play. In what ways is this a good introduction to the play's main characters and themes? Do you think that Willy Russell has made his opening dramatic and entertaining?

We are introduced to Franks character right from the start, when he receives a phone call from his wife who is complaining about the dinner being burnt, in which she is trying to create a feeling of guilt within frank, we know this as frank replies by saying "...look if your trying to induce some feeling of guilt in me over the prospect of a burnt dinner..." Frank then after continues with a sarcastic comment, trying to show no care or botheration by slight- "...Darling you could incinerate ratatouille and it still wouldn't burn..." This sarcastic comment of his shows, how just little he cares about the dinner furthermore gives an impression that he's a careless person who is not interested in anything. We can also judge that Frank and his wife aren't getting along very well as she's trying to make him feel guilty, and all Frank can do is snap back with a sarcastic comment and make a joke out of the dinner. From that same conversation we also find out that Frank's an alcoholic taking the job on only for the payment of his drinks. "Oh God, why did I take this on? Yes I suppose I did take it on to pay for the drink..." This shows no determination in his life on behalf of his profession, as he doesn't do his job for the love of teaching others; it's simply for his drinks. It shows that Frank can be selfish and cares more for himself than others around him, even though his job of teaching others his knowledge is much more of a giving career. Despite the first scene being only one of the 15 throughout the play, it provides us with far more clues to frank's character than just his superficial habits. It reveals an abundance of detail about the lack of caring for things and his poor sense determination in life. We see this by his drinking habit, which persists and doesn't improve, by which this tendency of Frank's, causes him to turn up to tutorials and lectures under the influence of alcohol. Frank having no determination in own life makes him a sluggish and neglectful person and he keeps himself happy by constantly drinking, possibly indicating his life's going downhill, thus making him fell lost or helpless ands so gives up, wondering into the habits of drinking to drown out his sorrows. This option he knows very well is not good for him, even Rita being uneducated knows that excessive drink is bad for the body as he tell his so, "Y' wanna be careful with that stuff it kills y' brain cells". The lack of sorting out such big problems goes alongside the sorting of even smaller simpler problems. A good example would be Franks office door handle. Rita when arrives, is trying to enter franks room only to find it harder than it seems. She finally gets the door open and stumbles in saying, "I'm comin' in, aren't I? Its that stupid bleedin' handle on the door. You wanna get it fixed". Franks in turn replies, "Erm - yes, I suppose o always mean to..." this reply of Franks emphasizes how he always intends to do things, but never get round to actually doing it. Once again it shows lack of botheration, leading to why frank has such a dismissive attitude toward his students whom arrive eager to learn. If frank doesn't have the enthusiasm in his life in general, how can he have any passion to teach? Which is why he has such a dismissive behaviour and attitude to his students. Frank being like this shows that he barley has control over his life.

Rita's character is also introduced immediately upon her entrance, as she falls clumsily into franks room due to the trouble she has with the door handle. Her clumsy stumble into the room generates humour, which enhances and brings out on the fact of how low her social class and education is. In addition to making the play more dramatic after her entrance, the continued part of the scene uses different styles of the English language to reveal the contrast between the main two characters. Rita being uneducated and from a different social class to Frank, doesn't speak formal English, instead she speaks in her own colloquial dialect known as slang, this consists shortened as well as differently pronounced words, including swearing. An example is when Rita says, "Oh, I'm really fucked." Frank, who is partly baffled by her differences, doesn't seem to mind much, adding to that he finds that she also smokes, "... can I smoke?" and drinks too when he offers her scotch - "yah all right". Rita is more or less the of the opposite of frank, she wishes to discover herself, find out her true potential and make something of herself while she can. With this she has much determination to accomplish what she's out to get, where as frank, couldn't care less about his life. He feels there is very little to his life, and has no sense of enthusiasm to even try to put it back together consequently he doesn't appreciate it. Furthermore, Rita's lengthy but energetic side of the dialogue with Frank livens up the study and meanwhile reveals her opinions and attitude towards her life and what she's out to make of it. Rita explains how she wants to get herself an education, to understand and discover herself. She also says she wants to "know everything". This shows that she has high expectations of what education is or can bring, however we know that this is not possible for anyone to know everything. This desire of Rita's shows just how much she looks up to those of whom are educated, bringing out an emphasis on how minimal her education is and where she is on the social class. Rita one day opens Franks door with an oil can in her hand, puzzling Frank, as she's she so dedicated to get moving in her life and go somewhere with the education she gets. On Rita's first few days she felt very left out and was afraid to take to students as she feeling they might think she was silly or stupid, but it didn't take long before that feeling was dismissed naturally. It shows how her confidence is building and that she is steadily gaining something out of this education, we can see this when fellow students asks her about her opinions and thoughts, and Rita merrily expresses her feelings.

Willy Russell has skill fully blended his intended theme within the characters' actions and dialogues. The themes of the play are dramatic, entertaining, and humorous, these are all found and expressed through out act one scene 1. The most obvious example would be when we see Rita explaining how so many pensioners come into the salon to be changed and she tries to explain that changes happen inside not by the looks. She also complains that the pensioners don't tell her that they have a hearing aid leading to a few deaf old ladies. "A pensioner'll come in an' she wont telly' that's she's got a hearin' aid: so y' start chuttin' don't ya'? Next thing - Snip - another granny deaf for a fortnight." She continues to explain, " I'm always cuttin' hearin' aid cords an' ear lobes." This particular quotes theme is humour; we understand what she does is by a simple accident and very much unintentional, but yet it remains funny and entertaining by the thought of such an incident. We also see frank creating humour, this would be when Rita asks him if he likes the window, Frank replys, "I sometimes get the urge to throw something through it. A student usually" Although this being an entertaining joke adding to the theme of humour, we could take it onto the serious side and say it has a connection to why Frank has such a dismissive attitude towards his students. Overall I think Willy Russell has made a very good opening to all of the themes, by them appearing in the very first scene in one way or another. This makes the play gripping from the very beginning, which keeps hold of the reader's interest.