Good morning teachers and fellow peers, today I will be talking to you about how Willy Russell’s 1985 play Educating Rita and Tom Schulman’s 1989 film Dead Poets Society both explores how change is inevitable whilst growth is optional in all transitions in life. Educating Rita’s unique educational context invites the audience to explore the transitions that the two protagonists Rita and Frank undergo. Presenting contrasting attitudes towards class, culture and level of education. This idea is further considered in the film Dead Poets Society, where a group of boys from “Welton Academy” begin a society acknowledging “dead poets.” Educating Rita was written during the 80s, a time where Women were discriminated against in society, they were given poorly paid jobs and their status was low. Despite being brought up like this, Rita had the ambition to step out of her comfort zone, as she felt confined in her uneducated state. She aspired to be more, educating herself far beyond society’s expectations. Her colloquial working class dialect consists of slang and swearing, “you’re out of your bleeding mind aren’t ya” illustrating the lack of Rita’s education and class at the beginning. …show more content…
Stage directions imply Rita “goes to the window” looking out at the “proper students”, this gives an insight to what an educated person may seem. Rita explains to Frank “I want to change”. She feels as though she no longer fits in her social class. Education has proven to have the ability to mold a person, in this case assists Rita to transition from her previous self now able to make informed educated decisions and choose her own