Educating Rita

785 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Ritas character development in educating rita

Educating Rita

Civilization has a tendency to attempt to divide people into different groups. Our environment weighs and measures us; then places us into a certain company.

Frank and Rita are the very example of two persons placed in very different social compartments. Their places in society differ greatly as do their roles as student and teacher. And yet as one examines the script of Educating Rita it seems as though two people, who society has attempted to separate from each other in every possible way, still have the world in common.

The first big difference in the two characters' social status is their sex. Rita is a woman, Frank is a man. Though we may try to deny it, there is quite a difference between what is expected from men and women. Age as well plays a large part in terms of theses expectations. Frank is middle-aged whereas Rita is still in her late twenties. Rita is facing masses of peer pressure, it is expected of her that she should now have children and become a housewife. Her being fairly young and married, the thought of her going back to school instead of having babies is unheard of, quite abnormal, and even unacceptable.

Frank, in contrast, is a middle-aged man and a divorcé. As far as social pressure is concerned, he is now free to do his liking. He has already filled his middle-class duties; he is educated, he has something of a career and he has been married. He now has a girlfriend, which people regard that he is entitled to. Nobody expects him to make a deeper commitment to his girlfriend, due, it seems, to the fact that he has already been married once. These differences lead to a certain lack of empathy on Frank's behalf.

Frank doesn't understand Rita's situation, the social pressure put on her is incomprehensible to him.

Frank believes that life is a simple matter: don't love your husband anymore, get a divorce; don't want to have children, don't have children. What he does not see, is that Rita is bound by the ways of her society, she's not allowed to differ from her mates, which has a greater impact on her than Frank seems to realise.

In a way of thinking, Frank is free and Rita is not. Rita is bound by a lot of expectations to live up to, whereas Frank has leave to simply enjoy the rest of his

Show More
Related

  • A&P by John Updike and Gryphon by Charles Baxter

    788 Words  | 2 Pages

    Two stories are brought together “A&P” and “Gryphon” to represent the struggles that every character faces. Sammy the main character in “A&P”, and Tommy the main character in “Gryphon” face a struggle that will put them to the test. For Sammy the struggle is, should he stand up to his boss and defend the girls or should he let it go. Tommy faces the conflict of, does he believe the substitute teacher and defend her against everyone else or does he follow what everybody else is doing. In their stories, Tommy and Sammy are put up against a conflict that they have never seen before, and their “job” is to decide what they should do and how they should approach the problem.

    Read More

  • Book Report on Head Case by Sarah Aronson

    678 Words  | 2 Pages

    Frank’s Parents: Frank’s parents take countless hours each day helping Frank and making sure that he has anything he needs. They must learn to adapt to a selfless life of putting Frank’s needs before their own. Although this is often difficult and frustrating, they eventually come together as a family to make the best of their situation.

    Read More

  • Helen In Machinal Play

    1019 Words  | 3 Pages

    She allows her mother to control her and make decisions for her. During their conversation, she asks her mom if she should marry Mr. Jones even if she does not love him. Her mother does not seem to care until Helen mentions that he is Vice-President of the company. Her mother says that she should marry him whether she loves him or not because he will be able to take care of her and Helen. They continue to discuss how Helen can marry this man that she doesn’t like so she will never have to work again and he can support her mother, or she can say no at the risk of losing her job and not being able to support her mother anymore. Helen ties in how life is making her “feel like I’m stifling!” (591). Again, I feel this is another representation of Helen not being able to handle the pressures of society. Helen can’t talk about important decisions she has to make without feeling claustrophobic and blowing up by saying things like “I’ll kill you!” (592). I think she blows up because her mother is always nagging her and she can’t handle it in that moment anymore, especially since it is a conversation about

    Read More

  • Movie: Diary of a Black Woman

    536 Words  | 2 Pages

    Helen comes from a very low class family and community. Helen’s family is known as what is called “the ghetto”, although they may not have riches they have a great heart that unites them happily. Helen depended so much on a believed love who failed her. Helen never really came far on her education due to having everything with Charles. Charles lost interest on Helen, but she was blindfolded to see that her happiness didn’t exist. Charles has had an affair during their matrimony with a light complected woman who is mother of his two children. The woman had more power over Helen’s feelings because Charles realized his children needed him. Charles left Helen without much to do, kicking her out o...

    Read More

  • The Role Of Frank And April Wheeler In Revolutionary Road

    1398 Words  | 3 Pages

    April loves the suave, bright Frank from New York, not the weak, unconfident man he truly is. Horrible fights dominate their lives, and they only resume their old roles when trying to

    Read More

  • Angela's Ashes Essay

    1254 Words  | 3 Pages

    The mother of Frank McCourt, Angela, is an antagonist. She blamed Malachy Sr. for all of their problems calling him “useless,” “sitting on your arse by the fire is no place for a man”(218). Angela constantly ridiculing Malachy Sr. could be the cause of his alcohol addiction. Angela never made him feel like a man throughout the book she was always putting him down, the assumption of alcohol was the only thing he was really happy about. Angelas constant nagging drove him away leaving his family without much. Also, Angela constantly abandons her children. Her sexual desires caused her to continue having children despite the hunger and poverty they were already facing. Every time one of her children died she abandoned the rest of them, not taking care of them. The children had to survive on their own during her time of grieving. After Frank’s fight with Laman, Angela never once made sure Frank was okay. Instead she goes to Laman,

    Read More

  • Emotional Theories: Gestalt Therapy

    692 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Helen’s therapy session, she describe being discontent with her life. She specifically identifies her marriage as an area where she is not happy. Furthermore, Helen’s “top dog” is telling her that she must always play the role of a good worker and wife, otherwise calamity is bound. Her polarized belief is displayed when she says that “people will not make it if you are not where you said you would be” (MyLab, n.d). Additionally, the defense mechanism Helen is portraying is introjection, which is uncritically accepting beliefs of others, because she avoids taking responsibility for her own self. Lastly, Helen reports that change will be difficult, placing her in the impasses layer of neurosis, characterized by feeling trapped (MyLab,

    Read More

  • Helen

    676 Words  | 2 Pages

    Seeing Helen from the beginning,and the way she dresses, and the house she lived in, you would think she came from a wealthy family and has been raised to dress very elegant like, when in reality it’s the total opposite. Before Charles, Helen was raised in what you call a “ghetto” neighborhood. Her mother is a christian lady but her grandmother would not be scared to run over a human being. They have a two story frame home and associate with many people regardless of who they are and where they come from. You can assume Helen has a high school education seeing that she can read, write and spell. Helen has no work experience because she has been dependant on Charles. Because Charles pampered her with what she wanted, abused her and treated her with disrespect, she has changed her ways. Helen learns to work for what she wants, stand up for herself, keep her guard up even when not needed and not put up with any disrespect.

    Read More

  • Exploring Significant Themes and Social Issues in Education Rita and Pygmalion

    1509 Words  | 4 Pages

    if Frank had a hand in her making, now she is her own possession and

    Read More

  • What has Rita learned by the End of Act One?

    843 Words  | 2 Pages

    the world. "If you go out to dinner don't you dress up? Don't you tale

    Read More

  • Analysis: The Other Side Of The Bridge

    1182 Words  | 3 Pages

    For example, his mother. In the text, it says, “This time, struggling with the shaking of her voice, she said, ‘Darling, you do not know what it has been like, all these years.’ By which he understood, finally, that he was not important to her. Not that important” (66). Ian always assumed that his mother’s personality was nothing more, and when she announces that she will be leaving with another man, Ian feels betrayed by her. He does not accept her for putting her own happiness before family, an action he expects any good mother should. Ian also knows that his father wants Ian to stay with him in Struan, even if he says he wants Ian to do what he wants and does not want to tie him down. He thinks to himself, “He looked exhausted. Was he ever going to get over it? And if he didn’t, how could Ian leave him? The thought swamped him with guilt, and the guilt made him angry. You shouldn’t have to feel pop guilty about living your own life. You shouldn’t have to be responsible for your parents’ happiness. It wasn’t fair” (110). Although Ian knows his father is trying his best, he still feels burdened by the pressure his father needs to endure and blames his mother for leaving him. Ian tries his best to do his part and help out at the clinic, but he feels like his own happiness is obstructed by the need to help his

    Read More

  • S Expectations Versus Individualism In Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf

    1325 Words  | 3 Pages

    Society has changed a lot in the last couple of decades, though, at the time set in the play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, the stereotype was very much alive. Even today echoes of this archaic family model still exist. Being normal, and adapting to society, can often lead a person to feel a sense of belonging in the short term. However, the penalty for conforming is that the individual can be lost. Giving up your personal goals, in the pursuit of those passed down from your family can lead to a lifetime of regrets. Basing decisions on societal norms can also have devastating consequences, leading the individual to become lost in a mundane life that is not of their choosing. Martha and George created a fictional son for their private needs to take away from the failure they felt as married individuals by not being able to conceive a child. Nick and Honey started their marriage to fill their roles as future parents in the expected family dynamic. Confronting each couple is a personal failure resulting in an unrealized future. Neither couple has a desire to admit their shortcomings for fear of judgment from the other couple. The play, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? displays how the desire to be normal and successful, in the eyes of our peers, impacts our life

    Read More

  • Educating Rita

    2555 Words  | 6 Pages

    it looked like rita was going to kiss Frank but she goes to him, ges

    Read More

  • Women Roles In The 19th Century

    1395 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although characters, such as Laura and the narrator of The Yellow Wallpaper lived a comfortable life provided by their husbands, they do not live a fulfilling one. These characters live a life in which they serve their husband and are viewed to be less than the men that take care of them. The narrator of The Yellow Wallpaper is completely aware of the fact that her husband does not view them as equals and it does weigh heavy on her mental stability. However in The Garden Party, Laura does not seem to be that aware of how much her opinions do not matter to those around her, this could be due to her age or she accepts this attitude as the social norm. The Yellow Wallpaper and The Garden Party showed the views of women inequality from the standards of two separate women who had two different views; a view point in which the character was not able to handle it and from a viewpoint in which the character oblivious to that fact or just did not care. Great stories like this help us appreciate how far we have

    Read More

  • Persuasion Written by Jane Austen

    1271 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...an only find true happiness in marriage with someone who shares similar manners and treasure people’s qualities over their look and status. This is when Anne’s sensibility allows her to disregard her family’s persuasion and become determined to fulfill her love with Wentworth.

    Read More

More about Educating Rita

Open Document