Educating Rita essay

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‘For better or for worse, moving into the world requires change’
How are the consequences of these changes represented in your prescribed text and one other text?

Individuals face both negative and positive consequences, physical and psychological. Rita, in ‘Educating Rita’ faces both physical and psychological barriers in her journey for change she faces consequences such as not belonging, broken relationships and a need to become more self-confidence are some of Rita’s barriers to change from a working class women to what she sees as ‘educated’. In the song ‘Fast car’ by Tracey Chapman, she displays the characters barriers of moving into the world is her being neglected as a child, where she wants to change and become someone different and also the character doesn’t want to grow up and become her mother or father.
In ‘Educating Rita’ Willy Russell uses the door to Frank’s office to symbolise the door to change, the door to Rita’s desired new world and a door for Rita to walk through and gain confidence. At the beginning of the play the door was difficult to open because the handle was stubborn to twist and open but once Rita applied oil to the handle it became easier to open and walk through. The symbolism shows Rita’s struggle to open the door for change, her future and her new found confidence.
Another form of symbolism is the window in Frank’s room. The window is illustrated to symbolise the barrier between Rita and the ‘proper students’, Rita attempted to open the window but Frank states that the window hasn’t been open in years and claims it was useless trying to open it. This symbolism of the window shows Rita’s longing for the transition from a working class lady to what she sees in her eyes as ‘educated’. The symbolism also shows Franks unwillingness to change. The consequences of wanting to open the window show us as the responder how much Rita strived to change and enter the world of being educated.
Similarly in ‘Fast car’ the way to leave the characters undesired town and to enter into a new and better world was through the symbolism of the ‘fast car’, the car is meant to represent a form of transportation out of Chapman’s unwanted life and into her desired life. The consequences of this character taking the fast car and go ‘… cross the border and into the city…’ she to change and not turn out to become neither her mother nor her father when she grew up.
The consequence of Rita wanting to become an educated woman puts a strain on both her and Denny’s relationship. Denny, according to Rita wants ‘… to take life away from me; he wants me to stop rockin’ the coffin’. Rita can tell Denny isn’t happy about her changing her daily routine from going to night school instead of the pub with her family and friends. Rita tells Frank ‘I see him lookin’ at me sometimes, an’ I know he’s thinkin’ … he’s wonderin’ where the girl he married has gone to.’ The choice that Rita made to change and become educated and enter a new world meant she had to leave Denny to continue with her dream to become
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