Educating Rita. Essay questions: 1. To what extent does Russell's portrayal of
Rita suggest that she has changed for the better? 2. How does Russell make the
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Educating Rita Essay questions: 1. To what extent does Russell’s portrayal of Rita suggest that she has changed for the better? 2. How does Russell make the relationship between Rita and Denny such a memorable and important part of the play? 3. To what extent is Frank an effective teacher? 4. In what ways is Educating Rita a play about the clash of class and culture? 5. What is the significance of the off-stage characters in Educating Rita? 6. Do you think Rita and Frank have anything in common? 7. How does Willy Russell present choice in Educating Rita? 8. Would “Educating Frank” be a better title for Educating Rita?
Passage questions: 1. Act 1 scene 1, when Rita first arrives, starting from “The door swings open revealing Rita” going to “Promise?”. How does Russell’s writing make this an appropriate introduction to both characters? 2. Act 1 scene 1, when Rita tells Frank why she wants to learn and he tells her why he doesn’t want to teach her, starting from “I’ve been realising for ages that I was, y’know, slightly out of step” going to “Suddenly the door bursts open and Rita flies in”. How does Russell successfully establish the differences between Frank and Rita in this extract? 3. Act 1 scene 4, when Rita tells Frank about her estate, starting from “Y’know Peer Gynt? He was searchin’ for the meaning of life, wasn’t he?” going to “but you’ll have a much better understanding of something if you discover it on your own terms.” How does Russell make this an important moment in the play? 4. Act 1 scene 6, when Rita arrives to tell Frank about the production of Macbeth she’s seen, starting from “Rita bursts through the door out of breath” going to “They would have thrown me out the theatre”. Explore the ways in which Russell makes this such an entertaining and significant moment in the play. 5. Act 1 scene 7, when Rita explains why she didn’t attend Frank’s dinner party, starting at “Then I got the wrong bus to your house” going to the end of the scene. Explore the ways in which Russell makes this such a significant moment in the play. 6. Act 2 scene 2, when Rita adopts her new accent and talks about Trish, the whole scene. How does Russell emphasise the changes in Rita at this moment in the play? 7. Act 2 scene 5, when Rita has read Frank’s poetry, starting at “This is brilliant. They’re witty. They’re profound. Full of style” going to the end of the scene. How does Russell’s writing make this such a powerful and significant moment in the play?
