Dear Mr. Burgess,
I am writing this letter to tell you how I felt during your classes this year, and how I feel now that I have been able to pass my proficiency level exam.
As you remember, Mr. Moore wanted to punish us for our lack of knowledge and our bad behaviour. I really want to thank you for not hitting us and for teaching us that if we worked together and were responsible of our own actions, we would succeed. If not for you, we would have ended up not learning what we have learnt with you.
I now know that I have grown up and I think next year, if we are not lucky enough to have you again as our teacher, we will keep on working hard to learn more things.
I will never forget you. You have been a really good teacher.
Hope to hear from you soon
Keep in touch
Miriam
Thursday 30 October 2008
A final reflection
Now that I’ve ended the book, I would like to reflect upon two things: the clash of class and culture you see throughout the play, and the changed we can find in the new Rita as a result of her choosing education.
From the very beginning, it’s quite obvious that Frank and Rita belong to two different worlds. However, I think both Rita and Frank feel curious, and attracted somehow, to the opposite world of their own. Rita is sure that if she can manage to get educated, she will be able to get rid of her boring life and start a new one full of choices she will make on her own. Similarly, Frank feels there is something unique in Rita’s ways of behaving and expressing herself. He thinks that is something she should not miss in the changing process.
Although there are many times misunderstandings because of culture and class differences, Rita and Frank manage to learn how to overcome them in order to get effective communication. For example, in the first scenes, Rita mentions a TV show or books Frank is not familiar with, or sometimes Rita uses expressions such as “off the cake”, and Frank has to ask for clarification. All the same, when Frank faces Rita for not having attended Julia’s dinner party, he has to explain to her that the wine or a dress won’t make a difference; confidence is something you cannot buy.
Now, as a result of Rita choosing education throughout the play, even under difficult circumstances, we find a Rita who is full of energy and life. She no longer looks down on her background and culture, but has learned to work hard in order to change what she was not satisfied with: she is no longer married to a man who does not take into account her needs and independence. Rita is now a new person because she is not afraid of making mistakes any more, she feels much more confident and is willing to face what is ahead.
From the very beginning, it’s quite obvious that Frank and Rita belong to two different worlds. However, I think both Rita and Frank feel curious, and attracted somehow, to the opposite world of their own. Rita is sure that if she can manage to get educated, she will be able to get rid of her boring life and start a new one full of choices she will make on her own. Similarly, Frank feels there is something unique in Rita’s ways of behaving and expressing herself. He thinks that is something she should not miss in the changing process.
Although there are many times misunderstandings because of culture and class differences, Rita and Frank manage to learn how to overcome them in order to get effective communication. For example, in the first scenes, Rita mentions a TV show or books Frank is not familiar with, or sometimes Rita uses expressions such as “off the cake”, and Frank has to ask for clarification. All the same, when Frank faces Rita for not having attended Julia’s dinner party, he has to explain to her that the wine or a dress won’t make a difference; confidence is something you cannot buy.
Now, as a result of Rita choosing education throughout the play, even under difficult circumstances, we find a Rita who is full of energy and life. She no longer looks down on her background and culture, but has learned to work hard in order to change what she was not satisfied with: she is no longer married to a man who does not take into account her needs and independence. Rita is now a new person because she is not afraid of making mistakes any more, she feels much more confident and is willing to face what is ahead.
Educating Rita and Frank
After finishing reading the book, I came to the conclusion that it’s not only Rita who learns during the course of the play but also Frank. There is plenty of evidence that suggests my interpretation.
Admittedly, Rita has become a different person. She is now a confident woman, who has passed a university exam and feels she can take decisions about her own life. This is something that at the beginning of the play Rita cannot do for she feels trapped in the life of hers. She has many things to consider for her future, such as going to her mum’s for Christmas, travel to France with Tiger, having a baby or even accept Frank’s invitation to Australia.
All the same, Frank is a different man too. Although he hasn’t given up drinking, I have the feeling that he will profit from the chance he is given by the University authorities in Australia. The change will do him good. Also, I believe Frank has learned a lesson: he has learned to accept other people’s opinion and being objective when evaluating essays.
The final scene in which Rita cuts Frank’s air shows really graphically that a student-teacher relationship is always reciprocal: you give and learn something, no matter how much experience you have on that field.
Admittedly, Rita has become a different person. She is now a confident woman, who has passed a university exam and feels she can take decisions about her own life. This is something that at the beginning of the play Rita cannot do for she feels trapped in the life of hers. She has many things to consider for her future, such as going to her mum’s for Christmas, travel to France with Tiger, having a baby or even accept Frank’s invitation to Australia.
All the same, Frank is a different man too. Although he hasn’t given up drinking, I have the feeling that he will profit from the chance he is given by the University authorities in Australia. The change will do him good. Also, I believe Frank has learned a lesson: he has learned to accept other people’s opinion and being objective when evaluating essays.
The final scene in which Rita cuts Frank’s air shows really graphically that a student-teacher relationship is always reciprocal: you give and learn something, no matter how much experience you have on that field.
Rita’s changed her job
At the beginning of the play, we come to know a Rita who is willing to change and become a more educated person. In the process, she also decides to give up her old job in the hairdresser’s and be a waitress in a bistro. I believe there are several reasons why she’s done so.
To begin with, Rita used to hate her customers who could not differentiate important things from trivial ones. She said they would go to the shop and talk about clothes, shoes, massive soap operas on television. Also, they were only interested in outer beauty. They wanted to look like an actress or model they had seen on TV or read about on a women’s magazine, and they asked Rita to transform their looks.
In addition, her new job is giving her the possibility of meeting more fascinating people, like Tiger. She believes the bistro customers are young, and passionate about things that really matter. She has the feeling they are not trapped like she used to be and like the hairdresser’s women she used to attend to, and she enjoys spending time with them.
I think it is a very good decision to change your job if you feel you are not satisfied with it. For instance, if I ever felt I don’t want to work as a teacher any more, I think I would choose any other means to earn a living. If there’s no passion in teaching, children notice it and it could be one of the reasons why you would not be able to exploit their potential at maximum capacity.
To begin with, Rita used to hate her customers who could not differentiate important things from trivial ones. She said they would go to the shop and talk about clothes, shoes, massive soap operas on television. Also, they were only interested in outer beauty. They wanted to look like an actress or model they had seen on TV or read about on a women’s magazine, and they asked Rita to transform their looks.
In addition, her new job is giving her the possibility of meeting more fascinating people, like Tiger. She believes the bistro customers are young, and passionate about things that really matter. She has the feeling they are not trapped like she used to be and like the hairdresser’s women she used to attend to, and she enjoys spending time with them.
I think it is a very good decision to change your job if you feel you are not satisfied with it. For instance, if I ever felt I don’t want to work as a teacher any more, I think I would choose any other means to earn a living. If there’s no passion in teaching, children notice it and it could be one of the reasons why you would not be able to exploit their potential at maximum capacity.
Saturday 25 October 2008
The new Rita
At this stage Rita is completely sure she is changing in the direction she has always longed for. However, I believe when Frank tells her she has to be careful, she is not referring to her essay but to the fact that she is losing her true self in the transition.
The new Rita is now trying to change her way of speaking just because her flat mate says she’s got an ugly voice. She has also been talking to some university students downstairs and seems to be more interested in speaking about one of them rather than in discussing literature with Frank. .
In spite of all this, Rita is now capable of discussing literature and expressing her ideas properly. I mean, when Frank says he doesn’t like her essay, she manages to show disagreement with him, and, in a way, she is very convincing. I think she is right this time and Frank is not being subjective, because, as I said before, he is using the essay to express his opinion on the new Rita.
All things considered, I don’t think Rita has become wiser than before. I just have the feeling that now she can put her ideas into words and make herself understood. Frank, her knowledge on literature and her new acquaintances have given her the self-confidence that she needed to continue moving on.
The new Rita is now trying to change her way of speaking just because her flat mate says she’s got an ugly voice. She has also been talking to some university students downstairs and seems to be more interested in speaking about one of them rather than in discussing literature with Frank. .
In spite of all this, Rita is now capable of discussing literature and expressing her ideas properly. I mean, when Frank says he doesn’t like her essay, she manages to show disagreement with him, and, in a way, she is very convincing. I think she is right this time and Frank is not being subjective, because, as I said before, he is using the essay to express his opinion on the new Rita.
All things considered, I don’t think Rita has become wiser than before. I just have the feeling that now she can put her ideas into words and make herself understood. Frank, her knowledge on literature and her new acquaintances have given her the self-confidence that she needed to continue moving on.
Friday 17 October 2008
Moving on
I was one told by my psychologist that when we want something to change, it’s us who should start changing because that will inevitably produce changes, not only on ourselves but also on the people around us.
If we think of Rita and Frank, I believe they have both changed, but at a different pace and scale. In this scene, Rita is not the woman she used to be: she dresses differently; she speaks differently and is enjoying her life as never before. However, even though Frank is writing poetry again, he is, somehow, almost the same man we came across at the beginning of the story: he is witty, ironic, lonely, an alcoholic. Only that now he sees Rita is succeeding in her purpose and he feels proud of her, not just because they have got to know each other better and they both like each other, but also because he feels he has given Rita the push she needed to fly away.
All in all, what I mean is that the fact that Rita has changed doesn’t mean that Frank has changed, but their relationship has changed because now Rita is a different person and Frank feels he doesn’t need a tutor any longer, she is ready to attend any kind of university and graduate.
If we think of Rita and Frank, I believe they have both changed, but at a different pace and scale. In this scene, Rita is not the woman she used to be: she dresses differently; she speaks differently and is enjoying her life as never before. However, even though Frank is writing poetry again, he is, somehow, almost the same man we came across at the beginning of the story: he is witty, ironic, lonely, an alcoholic. Only that now he sees Rita is succeeding in her purpose and he feels proud of her, not just because they have got to know each other better and they both like each other, but also because he feels he has given Rita the push she needed to fly away.
All in all, what I mean is that the fact that Rita has changed doesn’t mean that Frank has changed, but their relationship has changed because now Rita is a different person and Frank feels he doesn’t need a tutor any longer, she is ready to attend any kind of university and graduate.
Friday 10 October 2008
We could sing better songs than those
At the end of scene 7, we see a Rita who is desperate to be given a sign which shows her that what she’s done so far is the right thing to do. Nonetheless, everything seems to indicate that she is in the wrong path.
To begin with, despite deciding to go to Frank’s dinner party on her own, she can’t manage to find the suitable dress and bottle of wine. In fact what happens is that Rita realizes she’s not the sort of person she used to be: a woman who conformed herself with material things. Later, she comes to the decision she’s not joining the party because she’s afraid of facing the chance to interact with people she doesn’t know. Although Rita is very sociable, she refuses to make jokes of funny comments to be accepted by a group. This shows she is insecure.
On the other hand, when Rita joins in the singing at the pub, she has given in. She thinks she has reached the bottom end and cannot go on with her ideals any longer. It’s at that moment that her mum confesses she’s being crying because they could be singing better songs that those they are singing at the pub, and Rita sees the light: it’s now the time to move forward or she’ll always regret not having tried to follow her ambition. If she doesn’t, she’ll look back when she’s a middle-aged woman and she’ll feel she has betrayed herself.
To begin with, despite deciding to go to Frank’s dinner party on her own, she can’t manage to find the suitable dress and bottle of wine. In fact what happens is that Rita realizes she’s not the sort of person she used to be: a woman who conformed herself with material things. Later, she comes to the decision she’s not joining the party because she’s afraid of facing the chance to interact with people she doesn’t know. Although Rita is very sociable, she refuses to make jokes of funny comments to be accepted by a group. This shows she is insecure.
On the other hand, when Rita joins in the singing at the pub, she has given in. She thinks she has reached the bottom end and cannot go on with her ideals any longer. It’s at that moment that her mum confesses she’s being crying because they could be singing better songs that those they are singing at the pub, and Rita sees the light: it’s now the time to move forward or she’ll always regret not having tried to follow her ambition. If she doesn’t, she’ll look back when she’s a middle-aged woman and she’ll feel she has betrayed herself.
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