Act 2 Scene 4 Summary Rita changes jobs. Frank is still drinking. He is increasingly jealous of Rita and Tiger. He gives Rita his poems to write an essay on.

Act 2 Scene 4 Note down all the things that upset Frank in this scene.

Act 2 Scene 4 Rita has left the hairdressers and now works in a bistro. She says she is fed up of talking “irrelevant rubbish” and can now talk about “what’s important.” The change in jobs is part of Rita’s metamorphosis into an entirely different character. She has been spending more and more time with Tiger and the other students.

Act 2 Scene 4 Frank Frank’s apparent jealousy over Tiger makes him sound insecure and childish. “Perhaps you don’t want to waste your time coming here anymore?” He feels like he is ‘losing’ Rita and is a pathetic figure, wallowing in his own misery. He continues to drink heavily.

Act 2 Scene 4 Find quotations to prove the following; Rita disapproves of Frank’s drinking. She enjoys spending time with the other students so much she doesn’t always have time for Frank. Her exam is still important to her. Why do you think Frank gives her his poetry to criticise?

Act 2 Scene 4 Frank is testing her, to see if she really does know what ‘matters’. He wants to see if Rita has lost the ability to respond openly and honestly. He is afraid she has become cold and subjective like the other students he despises so much. “No sentimentality, no subjectivity. Just pure criticism.”

Act 2 Scene 5 Summary Rita is full of praise for Frank’s poetry. Frank dismisses her and her opinions as worthless. Their relationship is breaking down.

Act 2 Scene 5 “Oh I’ve done a fine job on you, haven’t I? Mary, Mary Shelley – do you understand that allusion, Rita? “What’s up Frank, don’t y’ like me now that little girl’s grown up, now that y’ can no longer bounce me on daddy’s knee an’ watch me stare back in wide-eyed wonder at everything he has to say?” “Found a culture have you Rita? Found a better song to sing have you? No – you’ve found a different song, that’s all – and on your lips it’s shrill and hollow and tuneless.”

Act 2 Scene 5 Rita describes Frank’s poems as “brilliant”, “witty”, “profound” and “full of style”. Frank’s view is in stark contrast; “…worthless, talentless shit and should be recognised as such by anyone with a shred of common sense.” He notes that Rita, on her first visits would have said exactly the same. He feels that, like Mary Shelley, writer of Frankenstein, he has created his own monster.

Act 2 Scene 5 He describes his own poems as “pretentious, characterless and without style.” He is suggesting that the new Rita, who admires them so much, possesses the same qualities. He sees the new her as worthless. “You’ve found a different song…and on your lips it’s shrill and hollow and tuneless.”

Act 2 Scene 5 RITA She tells Frank she no longer needs him. She now knows “what clothes to wear”, “what wine to buy, what plays to see…” Nobody calls her Rita anymore. The change in name seals the metamorphosis of her character. Instead of playing at being different, Rita has finally found her true self – she no longer needs to hide behind a new name and accepts that she is Susan.

Act 2 Scene 6 Summary Time has passed. Frank calls Rita/Susan to remind her about the exam. What is the purpose of this short scene? What does it tell us about Frank’s feelings for Rita?

Act 2 Scene 6 The telephone call show that, since his last meeting with Rita, Frank has had time to consider his words and actions. He has come to the realisation that Rita should have the opportunity to sit her exam. He is unable to accept her change of name because it represents her change in character.

Act 2 Scene 7 Summary Frank is leaving for Australia. A new confident Rita emerges. Frank gives Rita the present of the dress.

Act 2 Scene 7 What has Rita learned from Trish’s suicide? What do we learn about Frank’s feelings for Rita in this last scene? Frank is a good teacher... FORAGAINST

Act 2 Scene 7 Lighting a cigarette marks a partial return to Rita’s old ways. We have evidence that Rita/Susan has matured into a confident and articulate woman who is finally at ease with herself. She can now truly be herself. Education has provided her with the ability to choose her own destiny, rather than having her life mapped out by others. “I might go to France. I might go to my mother’s. I might even have a baby. I dunno. I’ll make a decision. I’ll choose.”

Act 2 Scene 7 Frank has the chance of a fresh start in Australia. His love for Rita becomes clear as he shows he has remembered her words and bought her a gift of a new dress. There are distinct sexual overtones at the end of the play. “I never thought there was anything I could give you. But there is. Come here, Frank...”