Educating Rita Essay – A Book Review
An Educating Rita essay can be a learning experience of a comedy that traces the life of two people at opposite ends of an academic circle. Rita is struggling with her life and needs education to liberate and improve her lifestyle. She is looking for the change that would improve not only her knowledge but also make people in the higher rungs of society accept her as one of their own. Dr. Frank Bryant is a middle-aged university professor who is totally disillusioned with life. He finds the whole educational system lifeless and goes through the motions of teaching in order to get money to sustain his habit of drinking. On entering his posh office, he cannot sit without having a drink or two before starting to teach. He is so addicted that he hides alcohol in the book shelf among the books.
Trying to compile a literature essay on a book can be exhausting as the entire book has to be read and reviewed for comments. However, an Educating Rita essay is a delightful exercise in understanding how relationships evolve. It establishes that education or social status plays no part in an individual trying to help another and in turn feeling liberated at the end of the process. Rita is married to a husband who doesn’t like her studying any further. Rita is determined to educate herself and finds a willing teacher in Bryant. They discuss the works of writers and poets.
Bryant is impressed by Rita’s sincerity and willingness to learn. She begins writing essays and forms her own opinion on different topics. She is improving day by day. Meanwhile, her husband Denny is getting uneasy and in a fit of anger burns Rita’s books. She decides to join summer school with the hope that it would hasten the process of her education. She does come back a changed person. The informative essay can now highlight the changes in Rita. She can now review literature with a mature and analytical approach without getting emotionally involved. Through the process of learning, she also tries to adapt to the lifestyle of her upper class roommate Trish.
Students involved in the literature review writing exercise should be able to analyze the resentment that Bryant develops towards Rita’s attempts at reaching out to a hypocritical society. He has found her a willing student but cannot understand why Rita would want to change herself. They get into an argument, and Rita leaves more determined to improve her lifestyle. She soon realizes the futility of her attempts. When her friend tries to commit suicide, she is completely disillusioned and realizes her folly. Every section of society has its problems, and Rita is fortunate to see through the artificiality. She comes back to discuss what she feels with her teacher. Bryant is happy for her and as a parting gift offers her a dress he had bought earlier. They celebrate her real education. The Educating Rita essay can end on a happy note with Bryant accepting an assignment in Australia. He sees it as a chance of getting away from the life he hates.
