Educating Rita Trinty Senior School

Jamie Hooper 11k

What are the first impressions the audience get of Rita and frank in the first scene of the play? How does this add to the anticipation of the development of their relationship? Educating Rita is a play written by William Russell in 1985 it is about two people that are not similar in any way for example Rita is working class hairdresser who is flirty and young however Frank is an old man who likes drink and is middle class. In this essay I will be writing how the first impressions affect the audience and how this adds anticipation of their development between their relationship. The entrances of Rita and Frank are distinct and they are totally different. Rita arrives at the class and cannot open the door so she barges in this was a reason for frank to find her amusing. Once she is in Rita is very energetic and very talkative ‘going to the chair by the desk she dumps her bag... coming back to the desk’. She comments on the erotic picture on the wall, Frank appears not to be too bothered about the picture ‘Actually I don’t think I have looked at it for ten years’. There is also evidence this shows she is anxious, curious and also interested. She looks around the room and then gets out her cigarettes ‘here-d’y want one?’ she shows she likes to do things with other people, this also shows she is full on. Throughout all this Frank seems subdued, and not showing a lot of his personality ‘starring, slightly confused...giving a short laugh’. When they exit there is a power struggle because Frank refuses to teach her. She then jokes at Franks expense, she doesn’t accept the fact that he is denying her an education because he tells her ‘I’m actually an appalling teacher...You want a lot and I cannot give it’ she then replies with ‘I’m on this course, you are my teacher-an’ you’re gonna bleedin’ well teach me’. Rite leaves with the same amount of confidence as she entered with. Frank is now more talkative and becomes amused as she walks the wrong way. You can tell at this point they are going to get along and he enjoys her company. Rita’s clothes are very attractive and fashionable Frank is interested in her, but he looks old, in his dusty tweed suit with tatty hair she tells him he looks like a ‘geriatric hippy’. Already we can see they are very attracted to each other but in different ways. She likes him because he has brains and can teach her as he is educated. Frank is attracted to her because she is energetic, young and attractive. Rita moves around allot ‘noticing the picture...she moves around Frank’ these stage directions make her show eagerness to learn and take in as much as she can. Frank is not used to students like Rita and ‘leans on filing cabinet, shakes his head and looks at her...staring slightly confused’ this highlights that he is confused at the fact she is so devoted to gaining a good education and changing her life. In Educating Rita there are several ways that Frank and Rita both show body language to convey how they feel towards each other. This almost creates conflict between them as Frank is closed in where as Rita is open. Frank always has something between him and Rita this is either the lamp, table, chair and his cup or bag. Frank is dismissive to her and turns his back on her and does not make an effort to stand up when she enters his room. Thus creating the body language that shows that he is defensive. Rita stands with her hand on her hips to show authority over Frank. She has excitable expression on her face this causes the effect that she is eager to learn. Frank tries to hide the fact he smokes and drinks this is noticed when Rita asks Frank if he wants a cigarette ‘I-don’t smoke -I made a promise not to smoke.’ His liquor is hidden behind the books in the bookshelf so that it cannot be seen. Rita’s behaviour contradicts this by encouraging him to smoke and he is pressured because she is open about her own actions. Rita picks up books this shows she likes to know it is a safe area and she is interested in learning to change herself by gaining an education. ‘Looking at the book

Jamie Hooper 11k case...takes a copy of Howards End from the shelf, what’s this like?’ Rita is always stood up whereas Frank sits most of the time and finds her enthusiasm overwhelming. Frank feels he is not good enough to teach Rita to her full potential and says ‘you want allot and I can’t give it...I am a good teacher when I am in the pub.’ William Russell, use’s juxtaposition to show conflicting ideas between Rita and Frank about different people or meanings and think they are talking about the same thing. On p21, Rita mentions ‘Frank Ness, Elliot’s brother’ she means the Chicago policeman who caught AL Capone. Frank assumed she was talking about the author ‘T.S Elliot’. Another example of this is when Rita thinks ‘Yeats’ is a wine lodge and her expression was ‘The Wine lodge?’ She says this after Frank asks ’Do you know Yeats’, however, Frank is talking about Yeats the famous poet. The juxtaposition of these ideas are showing the different worlds the two characters are coming from and how they view the world in two very contrasting ways. One way is from someone with a good education, this is Frank and the other is from a person who is not well read, or very academic this would be Rita. Another type of juxtaposition is between the two characters and the way they are. For example how they talk and dress and so on. Rita talks with a local accent and uses lots of slang words and swear words ‘like,y’...bleedin...taking the piss’ on the other hand Frank talks very formal and sounds very educated using standard English. Rita dresses in what she is comfortable in and relaxed however this makes here appear very flirtatious and naive. Whereas Frank is dressed very formal in tweed and looks older than he probably is. He is dressed quite stiff; he also looks like he is uncomfortable. To conclude this essay Rita and Frank are giving both good impressions but very different to one another. This difference causes them to get along and accept each other as they meet half way and can help each other almost complete the half they are missing to live a wonderful life. They maybe some little miss understandings along the way but this will cause them to grow stronger and be happier.