2. Frank: How does Frank change? How does he not change? Why does it become so important for him to educate Rita? Describe the development in his feelings towards this “project”.
3. Learning and education: At one point, Frank realizes that he has failed as a poet because he has tried too hard to write literature - what does he mean by that? What does Frank’s classroom represent for him? What does it represent for Rita? Does that change?
4. England: What impression do you get of British society and the different social classes?
5. What is this film doing in a theme on Language and Power?
1. Rita: How does she change? How does she not change? How does she perceive education? What does literature signify for her? Why is it so important for Rita to be educated?
ReplyDeleteRita goes from a hairdresser to become a student at the university. The reason she starts on the education is because she has an identity crises and wants to discover herself. During her education Rita discovers a whole new side of life, she becomes enlighten. At first she is not so hard-working with her essays and because her husband does not like that she is studying she considers quitting. Her view on literature is not unprofessional because she is unable to analyses a text. At some point in her education her husband divorces her because she won’t stop studying. This becomes some kind of a point of no return and now she has to find her identity in her education. She becomes independent and finds herself despite a lot of suffering. I think that she keeps her braveness and her attitude that she had from the start.
2. Frank: How does Frank change? How does he not change? Why does it become so important for him to educate Rita? Describe the development in his feelings towards this “project”.
Frank walks around with no joy in his life. He is constantly drinking to soothe the pain he has because he is a rejected poet with an ex-wife. Actually I don’t know exactly why it becomes important for him to educate Rita, but he would like her to be herself while she is trying to become a different person. When he sees that Rita is starting to become like a normal student he takes action to keep her from not being authentic. I think that Rita gives him some joy and meaning back into his life, and when the movie ends he is going to Australia to start on a fresh.
3. Learning and education: At one point, Frank realizes that he has failed as a poet because he has tried too hard to write literature - what does he mean by that? What does Frank’s classroom represent for him? What does it represent for Rita? Does that change?
4. England: What impression do you get of British society and the different social classes?
The lower classes of the English society are more simple minded. They just sit on the Pub Friday evening and it does not seem like they think much about life. The upper class despises the lower class but they somehow seem less happy. Maybe because they thought they would find happiness in their knowledge but they couldn’t.
5. What is this film doing in a theme on Language and Power?
The way you speak needs to fit with how you are as person, if you want to chance or understanding of language and how you speak you will have to become a new person. I think that the reason why we watched this film is because Rita started studying literature and the effects of that was enormous.
Dennis:
ReplyDeleteRita Gradually changes into an educated person, who knows better than ordinary people. Rita goes from being the happy and open person into being a snobby person. She basically goes from being a person, who loves life for what it is, but ends up wanting to be more then the middleclass labourer she once was. Though Rita goes through a lot of changing, she is still present beneath the surface. She still cares for other human beings and it seems like she is switching her personality based on what environment she is in. So I can conclude that she has changed, but the old Rita is still under the surface when she needs to pull her out.
Education is a tool for Rita to be able to be in the upper class of society. In her mind an educated person is a human that understands and gets more out of life. The first reason for her taking an education is that she wants to find herself. Though as she gets more educated, she is letting herself believe that it is only educated people, who knows how to live their life to the fullest. I also personally think that Rita is using education to get another perspective of life. All her life she has been living in the slums, and through educating herself she can get see glimpse of the upper class.
Frank goes through a big change. In the start he is just an old drunken poet, whose dream never became for filled. He never got the break through that he had hoped for. He never seems to lose his appetite for alcohol, but in the end of the movie he ends up accepting his life and seems to get a better hold of himself. When Rita walked into Frank’s office, and he started to teach her, it seems like Frank’s life gets more meaning. To him Rita is a on touched and unique person who is viewing life in a positive way. Educating Rita ends up becoming one of Frank’s most important projects in his life, though he doesn’t want her personality to change. So for Frank it becomes a struggle to educate Rita. I also think that at some point Frank is getting to emotionally involved towards Rita. He gradually falls in love with her and therefore cannot comprehend the fact that Rita is changing as a person.
When Frank realizes that he has been trying too hard to write literature, he actually realizes that instead of trying too hard he should have been more relaxed and observed what he wanted to write. Not just fabricating something because he needs to, but instead making poems because he wants to. Frank’s classroom represents a room filled with fools who doesn’t understand literature, and to him they are just narrow minded students. To Rita the students in Frank’s classroom are humans that are above her. She so badly wants to be a part of the student’s society. She also ends up being a part of their society, but ends up realizing that their lives isn’t better then hers.
The English society at this point in history is divided up in a system where workers are the lowest part of society. Workers only talks with workers and students with students. The society is much divided in classes. The movie is also showing us how powerful language is. We can see how important language is when you want to present your argument. It also shows how people are viewing you is you speak rubbish English contra upper class English. So we can conclude that language is a very powerful tool if you can master it.