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Education provides unique experiences to everyone. These experiences are not depended on the individual’s personal backgrounds or social statuses. According to Jane Thompson, a scholar in education, the process of education can either be a restriction on creativity or a “practice of freedom.” In Willy Russell’s Educating Rita, the protagonist’s experience through the Open University is a practice of freedom as she is provided with the opportunities to express her thoughts and discover her own limits. There is an internal struggle within Rita as the new environment threatens to erase her past life. Rita is able to maintain her practice of freedom through the help of Frank, whom provides her with a welcoming and encouraging learning environment.
In the beginning of the play, Rita is introduced as a talkative woman who is very capable of expressing her thoughts in a straightforward fashion. Based on Rita’s casual dialect and her lack of discipline, it is clear that she has had limited education prior to this encounter. On the contrary, Frank is a “bona fide lecturer” who is knowledgeable in his field of study. (4) Ironically, Frank is very dissatisfied with his occupation, and the same negligent attitude can be found in Rita’s personality. (16) Their relationship flourishes immediately because of this similarity, establishing a welcoming environment for Rita. The office becomes Rita’s sanctuary as she slowly reveals her lack of confidence. Rita expresses her disbelief when she received her acceptance notice. In Rita’s mind, Open University must be an inferior college and they must have lacked applications this year. (4) For Rita, if it were any other tutor, she would have “packed in” and left. (9) Frank is the reaso...
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...d the freedom of pleasing herself instead of others. All of this is accomplished by the combined effort of Rita and Frank.
According to scholar Jane Thompson, the “practice of freedom” allows an individual to discover his or her own ways in this world. This is certainly a case with Rita as she goes through the Open University and establishes her own hidden potentials. With the help of Frank, Rita is able to conquer through the struggles opposed to her during her studies, and come out victorious. Without the help of Frank, Rita would not have been enrolled into the Open University, and her life would not have made this dramatic change for the better. The final product of their combined hard work comes to be a new Rita, an educated woman who is confident, independent and free-willed. It did not come easy for her, but for Rita, the efforts were certainly worth it.
something in his life, and Rita also says ‘ I want to be free’ which
“Education either functions as an instrument which is used to facilitate integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity or it becomes the practice of freedom, the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world.” – Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed [retrieved October 8, 2017 from https://www.goodreads.com]
Firstly, Margaret Laurence emphasizes that freedom and escape are always within reach, even if one does not notice or believe it. For the majority of the novel, Vanessa 's greatest want is
Educating Rita encompasses political and social commentary: Rita is an uneducated working class hairdresser, whilst Frank is a highly educated middle class professor of literature. This shows that class is clearly an issue in the play. As well as this, Willy Russell’s play is set against the backdrop of feminism, the opening of higher education with the Open University, and the civil unrest of the Toxteth riots in Liverpool. The play therefore includes political and social commentary. However, this does not necessarily mean that this is first and foremost function of the play. Educating Rita is a two-hander and has a very simplistic set as the whole play takes place in Frank’s office and the only two characters on stage are Frank and Rita,
Vera displayed independence and broke out of her oppression on every level - domestic, economic, and political. She breaks out of her domestic subordination and potential life long servitude to her family through marriage. Using the marriage to her advantage, she cleverly creates a production cooperative and further defies the common notion that women cannot have occupations outside of their home. Furthermore,
sense that we have two hours to tell a story and delve so deep into
It is often said that freedom can mean many different things depending on an individual’s specific circumstances. In Jamaica Kincaid’s work “girl”, the motif of freedom is explored from the mother’s perspective as she gives her daughter advice on finding it for herself and being a generally good woman by following said advice. These ideas are expressed through advice on how the daughter should conduct herself in different social circumstances, advice on how to take care of household chores day to day, and a condescending attitude toward her daughter becoming promiscuous.
In conclusion, freedom seems to come in the form of pledges made by leader. As time goes on Aminata learns that her gender is what makes her strong. She is able to use society’s view of her to advantage to become a caring leader. She has a constant goal from the start to finish which is to be free. She is very independent. She is only ever has true relationships with women equal in strength. Aminata keep learning and never lose herself in that dangerous criminal society. People are educated it is easier to lead them because they know the directions.
He is a lazy man, bored and frustrated by his life he too does not
Analysis of Educating Rita by Willy Russel The opening scene of Willy Russels “Educating Rita” is very affective in introducing the characters and the theme of the play. He gains the interest of the audience in many different ways. Firstly as the curtain rises we see frank a man in his early fifties in a room on the first floor of a Victorian built university in the north of England. This gives the effect of an intellectual play in a grand environment.
“The secret in education lies in respecting the student,” said Ralph Emerson. The quote above reflects upon the sheer importance of respecting a student’s capacities, characters, and qualities alike in the school environment. Whether it be a teacher’s failure to recognize a student’s athletic talents or a negro parent succumbing to a segregationist legal system, ignorant mindsets plague the current philosophy of education. Instead, teachers ought to recognize a student’s artistic skills and athletic capacities and possession of the so-called gift of the gab. Parents ought to respect their children’s desires to exercise their free will and natural talents. Academic instructors ought to encourage scholars to strive for success by rendering genuine assistance, rather than inundating their lives with onerous tasks. Needless to say, the prevailing institution of “education” offers an insightful, open-minded approach to readying pupils for the ensuing workplace environments.
In the short stories we read in class, the theme of Freedom plays a significant role in the lives of the Protagonists: Mrs. Mallard, Sammy and Monteesor. In this essay, I will talk about how each of the protagonists are being driven by the theme of freedom.
Rita's appearance and her approach to literature are refreshing. Her reactions to literature are as unspoiled by received literary opinions as his were before. Frank will have to question his own understanding of his work and of himself. Although he refuses to, he will have to change Rita. He is afraid that she will loose her uniqueness. Yet he is unaware of the sacrifices and the difficulties she has to face concerning her background. He doesn't care for the working class.
In order to escape from her working class background, Rita preferred literature to real life. Now literature is more important than her relationships to Frank. Being in despair, he had always been warning her not to forget the difference between real and imitation. Finally Rita understands that culture and education do not automatically bring happiness. She has just exchanged her culture, not being aware of loosing her original spontaneity and uniqueness. Now she is able to distinguish between acquired and personal wisdom. She has a choice and can decide what to do. To emancipate means setting someone free from social restrictions and the same applies to Rita.