Act One, Scenes Six and Seven in Educating Rita Re-read Act 1 scenes 6 and 7 of Educating Rita. How does Willy Russell suggest that these scenes are important stages in Rita's development? When we speak of the way that Rita is educated we speak of two different types of education. Frank is Rita's teacher for both these types of education as he is a person who Rita looks up to and 'idolises' to an extent. Not only is she educated in English Literature to gain a qualification, but also she is also educated to make the transition from the lower social class towards the middle one. Rita also sees Frank as someone to look up to, as he is where she wants to be in life. Scenes six and seven come roughly half way through the play. This is significant because we are looking at Rita halfway through her challenge of gaining an Open University degree and her challenge of becoming the person she truly wants to be. The play is centred on two main characters, Frank, a middle class, alcoholic University tutor and Rita, a working class, scouse hairdresser, who are very different. Rita decides to enrol on an Open University English Literature course in order to try to create a better life for herself. Her tutor for this course is Frank. However at first Frank tells Rita to find a new tutor, but Rita refuses and they continue to work together. Frank's fondness for Rita continues to grow over time and he warms to her and her witty, individualistic nature. However Rita's quest to further her knowledge is troubled by her husband Denny's disagreement with what she is doing. Yet this simply fuels Rita's ambition more and leaves her hungry for success. Rita is more passionate about gaining the qualification than ever when she goes to see a production of 'Macbeth,' so much so, in fact, that she even buys the book. Rita shows how much her relationship with Frank means to her when she goes to tell him first thing the next day: ' But listen, it wasn't borin' it was bleedin' great honest, ogh, it done me in.' Having watched the professional production, Rita displays excitement and enthusiasm and has an eagerness for more. Rita's attitude changes from her expectations of a boring play to sheer astonishment that she enjoys it so much. Rita watches with an open mind and she herself is surprised that she enjoyed the play and the general atmosphere so much. She expresses this to Frank by informing him that at one point she wanted to stand up and shout: 'I was on the edge of me seat at
moved as I was, and to share with me her experiences of sexism. Her immediate reaction
Other than trying to make it day to day at their company Frank is one of the things these three ladies have in common. Frank is their sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical, bigot of a boss. He lusts after most of the women under his authority at the office but has taken a special liking to Doralee, who despises him. Though despicable as a man he has just been promoted to Head of that division. He has a loving wife who ends up divorcing him to be with one of his associates. He gets another promotion and has to leave the country, he is never to be heard from again.
She then started shouting, “By the cross of God, you loathsome sot, you’re not going to come in here tonight. I will not tolerate this conduct of yours any longer, It’s time I showed people the sort of man you are and the hours you keep.” She accuses him of drinking and sleeping around, and the people surrounding the yelling couple believe her and the people gave him a
...ferent person. Her eyes were shut and her mouth was gaping as she spasmodically gasped for air.
and pulled the chair away from her. Unaware that the chair was missing, she sat
...to see her. She also should have been able to pick her out from anybody because she knew exactly what the elderly women had on. One was honest with telling the evidence in this account.
celebrate the deal, and one of the other guests picked her up. A horrified silence fell on the room
...imilar lifestyle to hers. When he was a child he didn’t care much for education and it wasn’t until later on in his life that he discovered that there’s more to life than watching the telly and working in a factory. This, more or less, sums up how Rita ends up in Frank’s office - because she wants to learn about ‘everything’. Even his language changes, like hers does, as at the beginning of the play she speaks with a very colloquial accent (‘They’re effin’ and blindin’ all day long. It’s all ‘Pass me the fackin# grouse’ with them, isn’t it? But y’ can’t tell…‘) which later develops and becomes more sophisticated (’But I couldn‘t have understood it then, Frank, because I wouldn‘t have been able to recognize and understand the allusions‘), in the same way that Russell described his change: ‘They talk funny in Whiston… Liverpudlians who taught me how to talk correctly’
...d the freedom of pleasing herself instead of others. All of this is accomplished by the combined effort of Rita and Frank.
her cellphone to dial 911, but in her haste, the zipper broke. She quickly glanced behind her...
Her mind hasn't figured out yet if she will tell him everything, or how she can tell him everything. Maybe, calling and meeting him this soon has been a bad idea. He was myriad of ...
is married he tells her "Consider how natural and how plain it is, my dear, that
plan and tells him to leave it to her. She's cunning as she uses words
She has many options now and can do what ever she wants with her life.
...his lack of communication with loved ones is a different notion of home that these characters are urging to leave behind. Furthermore, another scene in which we see that there is this lack of notion of home is when Frank makes a phone call home. While he calls home, he talks with his daughter and there is no sign from Frank that shows that he desires to return home with his family and loved ones.