Significant experiences and events in one’s life provide opportunities for growth and self-development. Moving into the world can be described as the transitional period moving from familiar experiences to new horizons. Willy Russell’s ‘Educating Rita’ heavily depicts characters experiencing their own metamorphosis into the world. Likewise, the poem ‘Sky High’ by Hannah Robert and Lily Allen’s song ‘The Fear’ possess similar characteristics of change.

As an individual progresses into the world, it is a necessity to overcome the restrictions that they are confronted with, both physically and mentally. This is evident in ‘Educating Rita’, as she seeks to prevail against the uneducated working-class stereotype during the 1980’s in England. The two clearly outlined social classes within the play are conveyed through the difference between Rita and Frank’s language, aspirations, culture and rituals; which create her obstacles to fit in. Rita’s desire to discover her true capabilities beyond her class limitations is exemplified when she says ‘I don’t want to have a baby yet. I want to discover meself first.’ The use of colloquial language reveals her poor education status but her yearning to learn.

Personal growth is achieved when one transitions into the world through the process of naivety to maturity. This is exemplified through the change of perspective over time in Hannah Robert’s ‘Sky High’. The washing line evokes memories of her childhood freedom and depicts aspects of change. The persona abruptly switches from present day, ‘today, however it is bare’ using an ambiguous tone to then a conversational and reminiscing tone and the simplicity of the statement ‘three little boys live there; even been in their house once’ reveals a child-like perspective conveying the passage of time. Furthermore, the cyclic nature of the story shows the two worlds in which the persona has transitioned through, the past and present, from naivety to maturity.

One’s transition into the world can restrict their individual freedom. Rita wants ‘a better song to sing’ and here lies her struggle of no longer fitting in with her native world but fears failure in the new one. ‘I’m a half caste’ represents the negative connotations of being stuck in the transition into the world through the use of a dejected tone. Her attempts to assimilate to the higher class of society limit her individual freedom because she loses her ‘uniqueness’ thus losing her individuality. Rita develops a sense of superficial change, this is evident when she says ‘Nothing is wrong with it Frank. I have merely decided to talk properly’ the formal tone which is used is unlike Rita’s original speech and she relapses into her old way of talking when angry, proving that an authentic sense of self hasn’t been reached. This statement can be compared with the child-like tone the persona switches to in ‘Sky High’.

Context is a deciding component of what one strives to achieve as they enter into the world. Lily Allen’s song ‘The Fear’ acts as a metaphor to sarcastically expose moving into the world in a society where consumerism and materialism is prevalent. The beginning of the chorus ‘I don’t know what’s right and what’s real anymore’ exemplifies the changing of values over time. ‘I don’t care about clever I don’t care about funny’, demonstrates the importance society’s expectations have on the persona, however it is ironic as she is parodying the societal norms. In the film clip, the establishing shot panning down then across Allen standing inside a caravan reveals the poor background she’s from portraying a ‘trapped’ perspective and the lyrics conveying her need for fame. There is an innocent stigma attached to Allen however, displayed through the use of bright colours and teddy bear. She visually entices the audience with rhetorical lyrics referring to getting naked when she says ‘cause everyone knows that’s how you get famous’ which not only depicts the superficial values of modern society but shows what she believes to be a very shallow and naïve world we live in.

‘The Fear’ and ‘Educating Rita’ both disclose the longing for change and to escape the societal factors holding them back. Both oppressed by materialistic values, evident when Rita refers to her working class background, ‘what you’ve got to be into is music an’ clothes an’ lookin’ for a feller, y’know the real qualities of life’ contrasted with Allen’s lyrics ‘it’s not my fault it’s how I’m programmed to function’. Although both protagonists are from different contexts and are representing different long-term goals, they both desire one thing; to change and move into the new world of their choice. Evidently, moving into the world is a complex process, which can be shaped by societal expectations.

The pathway that leads an individual into the world is meant to be challenging and testing of one’s drive to change, but results in understanding themselves if the transition is completed. ‘Educating Rita’, ‘The fear’ and ‘Sky High’ all follow a series of phases of an individual progressing into the world. Growth, self-development and individual freedom are consequences of moving into the world.