Educating Rita by Willy Russell

Educating Rita by Willy Russell

Should Frank have educated Rita?

I have been studying 'Educating Rita' by Willy Russell. I am going to

write about the characters Frank and Rita in the play, and decide

whether Frank should have educated Rita.

When we first see Rita, she "bursts" into Frank's office without

thinking that she is meant to knock, wait for response and walk in

politely and responsibly. She says;

I am comin' in aren't I? It's that stupid bleedin' handle on the door.

You wanna get it fixed!

This statement above tells us that Rita has a working class accent

because she speaks in an informal language.

Frank thinks that Rita is energetic and enthusiastic about education,

although he finds her a little surprising. Frank is also delighted by

her straight forward and honest approach to life and education. We

know this because Frank calls her:

"…….. the first breath of air"

that has come into his room for years. Although frank is afraid that

education will change Rita drastically and she would lost her

uniqueness.

Frank knows a lot about literature while Rita has read a lot of

popular fiction. Frank and Rita get on well as they share a sense of

humour. Rita thinks that the working class culture is rubbish because

she thinks they've been misled by the ITV, unions and the 'Daily

Mirror' she says;

There's somethin' wrong. An' like the worst thing is that y' know the

people

who are supposed to like represent the people on our estate, y' know

the

Daily mirror an' the sun an' ITV an' the unions what are they telling

people to do ? They just tell them to go out an' get more money don't

they?

The unions tell them to go out an' get more money, an' ITV an' the

papers

tell them what to spend it on so the diseases is always.

Frank thinks his students are 'appalling' and feels trapped by his

middle class lifestyle.