Precarious Education and Employability Crises in Osborne’s Look Back in Anger

Abstract

Rising rates of frustration, anger, psychological disorders, gender conflicts, class conflicts, unethical practices, familial and conjugal disharmony, and job insecurity question the true mission of education. The irony of modern education is that, instead of teaching individuals how to handle the ups and downs of life and family, it complicates life by fostering insatiable desires and illogical competition. Instead of grooming a raw child into a reliable personality, it renders learners vulnerable. If the educated are the greater sufferers, it presents a serious challenge for educators and exposes the precarious outcomes of the current educational system. University education often fails to meet the expectations of students; rather, it deprives them of suitable employment. The paradox of higher education lies in the fact that the very system believed to be a weapon against injustice and victimization has itself become a major force behind the precarization of young aspirants. This paper aims to analyze and understand how far the contemporary education system and university academic culture are capable of achieving the goals of higher education. It also seeks to identify the factors that make education precarious. Further, it examines John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger (1956) from the perspective of precarious education, employability crises, and the shift from violence to empathy. The study explores how literary speculation reflects the consequences of precarious education and the resulting crises of employability.