An Education...

1) Draw similarities and comparisons with the representation of Britain we see here and the Britain we see in Alfie.

Similarities: - In both films the women know the expectations but they don't stick to them e.g Having sex before marriage. In An Education and Alfie women are expected to marry young, it was acceptable for Jenny to be engaged at only 16. Also both films show women letting men dominate their relationships for instance when David wanted to see Jenny's breasts she did not question it and in Alfie the women did all the house work for him as if it was expected of them. The only woman that didn't allow this was Ruby in Alfie, as she was the more dominant character in the relationship. 

Comparisons: In An Education, Jenny's parents raise her how they should, for example providing for her whereas in Alfie, we do not see that family unit. He has a son by accident but doesn't take responsibility for him by raising him as he should.

2) How typical is Jenny of a British teenager?

In An Education, Jenny is a very strong minded character as we see her being sarcastic and talking back to her parents which is a stage that most teenagers go through. She tells her parents lies about where she is going for instance going to Oxford "to see C.S. Lewis" when actually she was just going for a fun weekend with David and his friends. Again this is typical of a teenager. Jenny is naive like many teenagers are, she thinks she knows best and doesn't listen to advice she is given by older people for example her teacher and head master try to warn her about how important her education is when she wants to drop out of school and marry David. She is driven by fun and likes the idea of living a glamourous lifestyle which David and his friends introduce her to.