HSC Standard/ESL: Educating Rita and Sticks and Stones - Speech

There are many different types of belonging such as belonging to a social class and a group of friends. However, most important is belonging to self. When we feel alienated from ourselves we may feel unhappy and try to find belonging in alcohol, material things and education.

In Educating Rita by Willy Russell, Rita is from a working class background and wants to become educated. As a student of Open University she meets Frank, a university lecturer who will be her tutor.

Firstly, the play discusses belonging to a social class. Rita, is a member of working class however she feels doesn’t belong because it meaningless. Rita says that what she learns about art and literature ‘feeds her’ inside. This metaphor shows that belonging to the educated class is as important as food for Rita. Frank also feels like doesn’t belong to the educated social class because it is dishonest and unoriginal. When talking to Rita he uses the techniques of metaphor and descriptive language to call it ‘shrill and hollow and tuneless.’

Secondly, Educating Rita shows us that belonging to self is the most important form of belonging. Rita’s mother explains her unhappiness by saying ‘We could sing better songs than those.’ Songs in this sense are a metaphor for life which has become boring and unfulfilled. Rita’s mum belongs to a social class but she is crying because she knows that she does not belong to herself as she knows she is not truly reaching her potential.

Finally, Educating Rita also shows us the effects of alienation. We may try and find a sense of belonging in things like material goods or alcohol. Rita uses the metaphor of a ‘disease’ to show how the working class may try to buy things like a ‘new dress’ but it will never bring happiness. In this way, ER shows how belonging to ourselves is more important than belonging to a social class.

The short story sticks and stones by Annii Miethke shows how harmful alienation can be. The story is about a ‘large’ girl, Nola, who always get taunted by her peers. Eventually, the children drive Nola to commit suicide. The story discusses aspects of belonging.

Firstly, it discusses belonging to a group of friends. Nola’s friends always made fun of her and never stopped trying to embarrassing her. The children use the simile ‘Nola, you are as big as a house’ to alienate her. Onomatopoeia ‘tick….tick….’ shows how even a small sense of alienated can grow and expand over time.

Secondly, the story shows how harmful it can be when we are alienated from ourselves. The metaphor ‘a melted pat of butter’ shows how Nola’s sense of identity has been destroyed. She is described as a ‘beach-ball wreck, washed up on deserted sands.’ This imagery shows how Nola’s lack of belonging to self has left her unhappy and alone.

From these two texts we can see how important a sense of belonging is to our happiness and fulfillment. We can never find a sense of belonging through external things like material goods and education, but only through belonging to ourselves.