Navigating Transitions: Personal Growth Through Embracing New Worlds
“Moving into an unfamiliar world will always be accompanied by challenges but such transitions create an environment for personal growth”. The challenges individuals’ face, in moving into new worlds is briefly conveyed in two main texts. The prescribed text “Educating Rita” by Willy Russell and the related text,” The Shawshank Redemption” directed by Frank Darabont. These texts use a wide range of Language and film techniques to emphasise the growth and change the protagonists go through to transition into their new world.
In Educating Rita having the courage to challenge social norms and beliefs to become an individual is the first phase of Rita’s change as she enters the new world. Initially, Rita struggles to conform to the norms and acceptable behaviours of her peers as expressed by the dialogue, ‘Everyone expects me to have a baby. I don’t…I wanna discover meself first.’ The emotive language in this quote highlights her desperation to leave the world she was born into and enter a middle class society.However, the difficulty of entering the new world and leaving the old world behind is metaphorically symbolised by the stage direction of struggling with the door handle of Frank’s study. Thus proving the challenges individuals’ face, in moving into new worlds.
The second stage demonstrates Rita’s change in attitude towards society, her conformity with her ‘new world’ and rejection of her past. Rita’s desire to be ‘just like them’ culminates in a pressure to conform. The window is no longer a barrier, symbolised by Rita’s act of sitting with the students on the grass. Due to the new world, Rita’s life and behaviour is gradually shaped by others, not herself. She seeks to emulate those she admires, such as Trish and follows a predetermined set of social rules. As conveyed by the dialogue, ‘to talk properly, as Trish says…’ and the stage direction, ‘She is dressed in new, second hand clothes.’ The second hand clothes symbolises her shift in personality; while they are new to her, her ideas are borrowed from others. Through the metaphor of ‘finding a different song that sounds shrill and hollow,’ emphasises Rita’s sacrificed identity. As a result of transitioning, she rejects her ‘old world’ as conveyed by her dismissal of Frank, The dialogue, ‘They’re not trapped…they’re too young for that,’ suggests Frank is trapped and dispassionate about life, a constant reminder of Rita’s former self.
In the third stage of change, Rita realises that education offers freedom of choice. This change in attitude is catalysed by Trish’s attempted suicide as Rita realises education’s inability to provide happiness. As expressed, ‘[Trish] spends…the other half [of her life] tryin’ to kill herself.’ Rita learns education enables endless opportunities as opposed to forcing conformity. The repetition of “I might go” in ‘I might go to France… I might even have a baby”, conveys her acknowledgement of choice. She is no longer ‘trapped’ but has freedom. Furthermore, she realises Frank’s significant role in her change as a teacher, seen through the emotive statement ‘Because of what you’ve given me I had a choice.’ Thus, through transitioning, Rita growth is reflected by her realisation of the importance of individualism and freedom of choice. Thus, the play Educating Rita explores the protagonist’s growth and change as she transforms from one world to another.
There are several ideas and concepts of change that are presented in the film “Shawshank Redemption” and they include change of world, perspective and change of self. The composer mainly focuses on the changes that effect Andy and red and many of the main themes of the film revolve around these two protagonists. “The funny thing is, on the outside I was an honest man- as straight as an arrow. I had to come into prison to become a criminal.” The use of a simile in this statement explains Andy’s changed personality and character and relates this to his character when he was banker in the outside world and how he has changed from then. After serving his fifty year sentence, Brooks is released into the real world, a changed world to what he had remembered. His insecurities get the better of him and he takes his own life. “Maybe I should get me a gun and rob the Foodway, so they’d send me home. (Referring to the prison) But I guess I’m too old for that sort of nonsense anymore. I don’t like it here. I’m tired of being afraid all the time. I’ve decided not to stay. “The composer here uses a dramatic irony to convey that although prison is a place that takes you away from home Brooks sees it as his home. The use of the metaphor when he says “I’ve decided not to stay” highlights brooks emotions in entering his new world.
The greatest change in the movie is the ideological morphosis of Red and how he learned to have hope.
In the beginning of the film Red feared the concept of hope and exclaimed to Andy,” Hope can drive a man insane…” The emotive language in this quote highlights Red’s pain and struggle in entering into his world .As the movie went on, Red began to realize and eventually recognize the significance and importance of hope and Red’s final attempt of salvation evidently depended on him having nothing but hope. “I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend and shake his hand. I hope the pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams, I hope”. The composer in this quote uses the repetition of the “I hope” to emphasize the change the protagonist has gone through after moving into his new world. Thus proving the changes individuals face, in moving into new worlds.
To conclude the courage to challenge social norms and beliefs and change in attitude towards society helps Rita realise that education offers freedom of choice. Further More the play Educating Rita offers insights into the challenges individuals face, in moving ‘into new worlds’.