Educating Rita Notes for Hsc
Educating Rita
An exploration through a variety of texts that deal with ‘aspects of growing up and transitions into new phrases of an individual’s life’.
Connection to: Into the World * Rita moves from an ‘uneducated’ working class life to a tertiary educated life. * It is this transition with its positives and negatives that is to be focused upon.
Positives of Transition * Discovery & Enlightenment: Rita discovers a new world far removed from her ‘restrictive’ world as a wife and hairdresser. * Freedom & Choice: Rita desires to be able to choose her future not have it forced upon her through her inability to have choice. To her this is the basis of her move to escape her entrapment. * Opportunity: Rita hopes that her new life will present opportunities that her existing life has failed to deliver – education, travel, culture * Relationships: Rita meets new and interesting people. People she aspires to become - Frank, Tiger (students), Trish
Negatives of Transition * Disconnection with the past: Rita sacrifices the relationship with her family. Her marriage breaks down and she is left to pursue her transition alone. * Overcoming Adversity: Rita must overcome set backs, her own short comings and ability to make it into her new world. Rita’s character, Frank , Denny and Trish are examples of the casualties along the way. * The unknown (Grass is always Greener on the other side): Rita desire to become a different person is at times not well thought out. Does she gain more than she risks during this transition? Does she finally get what she so desires in the end?
Techniques
1. Language:
• There is a great gap between Rita’s ‘working class’ vocabulary and Frank’s ‘educated class’ vocabulary. This is seen both in the spoken and written word. It is especially highlighted when Rita discusses the place or swearing and vulgarity within the classes.
• Language is used to show how different the two worlds are, how
An exploration through a variety of texts that deal with ‘aspects of growing up and transitions into new phrases of an individual’s life’.
Connection to: Into the World * Rita moves from an ‘uneducated’ working class life to a tertiary educated life. * It is this transition with its positives and negatives that is to be focused upon.
Positives of Transition * Discovery & Enlightenment: Rita discovers a new world far removed from her ‘restrictive’ world as a wife and hairdresser. * Freedom & Choice: Rita desires to be able to choose her future not have it forced upon her through her inability to have choice. To her this is the basis of her move to escape her entrapment. * Opportunity: Rita hopes that her new life will present opportunities that her existing life has failed to deliver – education, travel, culture * Relationships: Rita meets new and interesting people. People she aspires to become - Frank, Tiger (students), Trish
Negatives of Transition * Disconnection with the past: Rita sacrifices the relationship with her family. Her marriage breaks down and she is left to pursue her transition alone. * Overcoming Adversity: Rita must overcome set backs, her own short comings and ability to make it into her new world. Rita’s character, Frank , Denny and Trish are examples of the casualties along the way. * The unknown (Grass is always Greener on the other side): Rita desire to become a different person is at times not well thought out. Does she gain more than she risks during this transition? Does she finally get what she so desires in the end?
Techniques
1. Language:
• There is a great gap between Rita’s ‘working class’ vocabulary and Frank’s ‘educated class’ vocabulary. This is seen both in the spoken and written word. It is especially highlighted when Rita discusses the place or swearing and vulgarity within the classes.
• Language is used to show how different the two worlds are, how