Pygmalion The play, Pygmalion, by Bernard Shaw, takes place in the early twenties century in London, England. The play illustrates how significant social class and education is in the English culture. In the play social class is determine by the individual’s use of language. In that society, people would only see the lower class as nobody. The play is based on a poor flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, who is illiterate and defensive when somebody disrespects her for the dialect she speaks. Eliza is a bit naïve as well. Henry Higgins a well- educated man and a professor in phonetics, notices Eliza and quickly assumes that she is poor. Higgins and Colonel Pickering experiment on whether Higgins can transform Eliza into a sophisticated and upper-
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Pearce, and his mother. Higgins treats women as an object. Pickering teaches Eliza to have self-respect for herself by treating her as a lady. During the six months of teaching, Eliza encounters that her independence has been taken away by Higgins. Shaw also shows some feelings Higgins has for Eliza. Shaw shows through Eliza that people are more likely to respect others by the way they speak. Though Eliza is willing to be educated, in order to have education benefits such as equality and self- worth. In the beginning of the play, Eliza, a poor flower girl, is wandering around trying to sell flowers. Eliza offers to sell flowers to Pickering, instead of taking the flowers he just gives her change. A bystander walks by Eliza and tells her to be cautious for a policeman, who is observing her activities. Eliza feels threatened and causes a scene. Higgins, the man observing Eliza, gives her a hard time. He also lets her see his notes, but reveals to Higgins that she can’t read. Higgins reads it to Eliza which he insults the dialect of her language. Higgins studies phonetics and knows how to determine someone’s social class. Shaw uses the beginning of the play to show the different classes of …show more content…
She becomes dependent on Higgins, financially. For instance, Higgins demands that Eliza clothes to be burn; he instantly starts treating her as an object. As Higgins starts to teach Eliza the proper education, she does not realized what’s to come. Mrs. Higgins believes that Higgins experiment is going to cause conflicts and Higgins is also too careless towards Eliza. When Eliza becomes transform into a lady, she takes her first test by passing as a duchess at the ball. After Eliza feels that the education and change in social status would make her unfit to sell, Eliza tells Higgins “I sold flowers. I didn’t sell myself. Now you’ve made a lady of me I’m not fit to sell anything else. I wish you’d left me where you found me” (52). Eliza believes that she has no role in society, now that she is in the upper class. Now, it seems that Eliza regrets the change to improve her social status due to feeling worthless. Additionally, Shaw illustrates how noble girls target rich men to marry, so they can be dependent on them; however, Eliza provides for herself and believes she does not need to marry a rich man. This also shows that money does not buy respect nor does it make someone an honorable person. Eliza believes that her independence was taken away by Higgins, she tells Higgins, “I should be independent of both you and father and all the world! Why did you
Pearce, and his mother. Higgins treats women as an object. Pickering teaches Eliza to have self-respect for herself by treating her as a lady. During the six months of teaching, Eliza encounters that her independence has been taken away by Higgins. Shaw also shows some feelings Higgins has for Eliza. Shaw shows through Eliza that people are more likely to respect others by the way they speak. Though Eliza is willing to be educated, in order to have education benefits such as equality and self- worth. In the beginning of the play, Eliza, a poor flower girl, is wandering around trying to sell flowers. Eliza offers to sell flowers to Pickering, instead of taking the flowers he just gives her change. A bystander walks by Eliza and tells her to be cautious for a policeman, who is observing her activities. Eliza feels threatened and causes a scene. Higgins, the man observing Eliza, gives her a hard time. He also lets her see his notes, but reveals to Higgins that she can’t read. Higgins reads it to Eliza which he insults the dialect of her language. Higgins studies phonetics and knows how to determine someone’s social class. Shaw uses the beginning of the play to show the different classes of …show more content…
She becomes dependent on Higgins, financially. For instance, Higgins demands that Eliza clothes to be burn; he instantly starts treating her as an object. As Higgins starts to teach Eliza the proper education, she does not realized what’s to come. Mrs. Higgins believes that Higgins experiment is going to cause conflicts and Higgins is also too careless towards Eliza. When Eliza becomes transform into a lady, she takes her first test by passing as a duchess at the ball. After Eliza feels that the education and change in social status would make her unfit to sell, Eliza tells Higgins “I sold flowers. I didn’t sell myself. Now you’ve made a lady of me I’m not fit to sell anything else. I wish you’d left me where you found me” (52). Eliza believes that she has no role in society, now that she is in the upper class. Now, it seems that Eliza regrets the change to improve her social status due to feeling worthless. Additionally, Shaw illustrates how noble girls target rich men to marry, so they can be dependent on them; however, Eliza provides for herself and believes she does not need to marry a rich man. This also shows that money does not buy respect nor does it make someone an honorable person. Eliza believes that her independence was taken away by Higgins, she tells Higgins, “I should be independent of both you and father and all the world! Why did you