Under the current government in England public education is about to go to seed.
Rereading Educating Rita in this context reminds us of values and ideals which
seem to have unjustly fallen into oblivion.
In the
drama Educating Rita by Willy Russel a young, married working class woman, who
calls herself Rita but whose real name is Susan, enrols in a literature course
at the Open University in order to discover herself. She arrives at the
conclusion: ‘[…] it´s given me more life
than I´ve had in years, […] (p. 198).[1]
The final
scenes show Rita truly enjoying cultural life and looking forward to a course she
has been admitted to as a real student after passing her exam. Rita´s joy
suggests that she has been successfully integrated into the world of the
educated.
Nevertheless,
the drama has a political subtext about social classes and social mobility. At
times it reads like a case study on the predicament of an intelligent,
open-minded young woman from the working classes in the late 1970s and
accompanying issues of alienation and integration. [2]
At the beginning of
her education, Rita is a wanderer between two worlds, the working class world
she grew up in, where she still works as a hairdresser and which her husband
completely identifies with, on the one hand and the university, the realm of
the educated classes and where she is an outsider, on the other. When she attends her
weekly tutorial on campus she is painfully aware that the ordinary students are
much better equipped for their studies than she is. However, she trusts her
tutor Frank, not only because as an alcoholic he is an outsider, too, but
because he is open-minded and respectful and even grateful because she makes
him see things in a different light from before.
(‘I think you´re the
first breath of air that´s been in this room for years.’ p. 180)
Rita´s immersion
in the world of the educated, however, does not come without a price. As time
goes by her aspiration alienates her from her family, and she has to realize
that the alienation is mutual and that her two worlds are incompatible. Here,
the drama throws a critical light on the working classes, too. Whereas Rita is
convinced that studying literature is worthwhile, her husband refuses to go
along with her ideas and plans. He
is scared of losing her and goes so far as to burn her books. In her analysis,
her efforts make him feel ashamed of his way of life and put the blame on him
for not taking action himself. ‘He hates me coming here. It´s like drug
addicts, isn´t it? They hate it when one of them tries to break away.’ P. 195
Thus, not external circumstances are seen as the cause of his dissatisfaction
but lack of purpose and fear of change.[3]
Besides not
fitting into the working class world any more, Rita feels that she does not
belong in the world of the educated either. ‘I can´t talk to the people I live
with any more. An´ I can´t talk to the likes of them on Saturday or them out
there, because I can´t learn the language.’ (p. 208) When she is invited to a
dinner party at Frank´s house she wants nothing more than to attend, but she is
scared that she would be perceived as an oddity instead of an equal, that the
other guests would be amused by her appearance, her way of speaking and her
behaviour rather than take her seriously. While Frank appreciates her otherness,
she wishes nothing more than to blend in.
Both the
resistance Rita faces within her community and her fear of being laughed at by
the educated give a vivid and realistic impression of the workings of the class
system which in some of its manifestations has not only persisted until today
but has even been reinforced.
Although
Rita´s story bears traces of social romanticism, it is not utterly unthinkable.
The climate of the times encouraged young people from the working classes to
study at university. ‘Between 1962 and the 1990s higher education in Britain
was effectively free, as the state paid students’ tuition fees and also offered
maintenance grants to many.’[4]
Even though
for Rita studying at university implies having less money and time, a
university education appears to be an attainable aim. Being an outcast from her
childhood environment is certainly the highest price Rita has to pay. She
trades off belonging for a more satisfactory life.
Rita´s
story is intriguing, and it makes us wish that many people could be offered
such an enriching experience in their lives.
As her story is clearly embedded in the circumstances of the late 1970s, the question poses itself how Rita would fare in the social reality of today.To an external observer Great Britain today does not present itself as the open-minded society which facilitates or even promotes social mobility on a larger scale. It even seems that the divide between the social classes is harder to cross.
As her story is clearly embedded in the circumstances of the late 1970s, the question poses itself how Rita would fare in the social reality of today.To an external observer Great Britain today does not present itself as the open-minded society which facilitates or even promotes social mobility on a larger scale. It even seems that the divide between the social classes is harder to cross.
The
defensive attitude of the underprivileged in the face of change displayed by
Rita´s husband, has likely strengthened. All over Europe and the US it takes
the form of pride in one´s way of life and correspondingly a rejection of
learning and upward mobility. The elites, in particular intellectuals such as
scientists or journalists, are not role models any more but targets of hatred.
These emotions culminated in the
rise of UKIP and the Brexit vote in 2016 and might have a strong hold on a
young lower class woman.
The
development outlined so far coincides with a shift in the hierarchy of needs in
western industrial nations. Whereas in the late 20th century
individualism was a predominant value, and self-actualisation - in Rita´s words
finding or discovering oneself - was of prime importance, the need to belong to
and identify with a particular community seems to have taken hold of large
parts of the population of western countries in the early 21st
century. This makes it even less likely
for a young woman to leave her community.
If a young
woman like Rita still felt attracted to studying literature in 2017, she would
certainly have to struggle with higher obstacles, because circumstances have
changed radically in the last decade. The Conservative Government has raised
tuition fees for English universities to about 9200 £ a year so that
now they are the highest in the world. [5]
With her wages as a hairdresser it would simply be impossible to save up so
much money! Of course, she might consider taking out a student loan, but paying
it off with interest would burden her for many years.
Of course, it is understandable that
if austerity measures have to be implemented, higher education can´t be
completely spared. With the English government withdrawing almost completely
from public funding of university places, however, social mobility will undoubtedly
be obstructed.
Ultimately, such a policy does not
serve the common good because modern liberal societies benefit from a
well-educated population and England is no exception. In order to prevent frustration and
hopelessness from spreading among those with little chance of advancement, the
current policy should be reversed and replaced by one which promotes equality
of opportunity and actively encourages people from all walks of life to educate
themselves.
Only with a
new openness in all strata of society can the division between the social
classes begin to be healed. The foundation for this is laid with a good public
school system which however is about to go to seed with the looming funding cuts
and competition with (private) free schools that are equally funded by the
government.
In summary,
in the political climate of today Educating
Rita can remind us that a good public education (both secondary and higher
education) ought to be accessible to everyone independent of social origin not
only because it improves one´s chances in life but because it is conducive to a
satisfactory life, to responsible citizenship and thus to social peace from
which society as a whole benefits. Consequently, schools and universities
deserve generous public funding.
[1] Willy Russel (1986) Educating Rita, Stags & Hens and Blood
Brothers. Two plays and a musical. London: Methuen.
[2] In fact, the drama draws on the
author´s own experience.
[3] Educating Rita is based on the author´s
experience.
[4]
http://www.historyandpolicy.org/policy-papers/papers/university-fees-in-historical-perspective
[5] In Scotland higher education is free of charge for
Scottish students, in Wales and Northern Ireland tuition fees amount to less
than half the sum for English universities.
