Oleanna

Carol mentions John's lecture on hazing, and she checks her notes to make sure she is getting it as he said it. He urges her to tell him in her own words, and suggests that you don't necessarily have to put forth maximum effort simply to retain things. He explains hazing: to him, it is a word for the educational process as a "ritualized annoyance," heavily structured but useless. It is a ritual, John says, "that all are entitled to Higher Education," and Carol challenges that. He asks her opinion, which she cannot offer, and when he mentions his example—justice—she cannot repeat it to him without her notes. He explains that justice is a right, rather than a requirement—a person can live a full life without standing trial. In modern times, however, someone cannot live a full life without attending higher education.

Carol attempts to protest, John keeps interrupting her ("Good. Good."), and finally she bursts: "I'M SPEAKING. " He is apologetic, and she asks how he can possibly express that sentiment in a college class. John says that is his job to provoke Carol. He tells her a story: when he was young, he was told that the rich copulate less often than the poor. At various points in his life, he compared his experiences to this, but ultimately it was not a profound statement, nor necessarily true. To John, this is like education—it is not necessarily true that higher education is such a good thing, but it is so dear to Carol that when he questions it, she becomes angry.

John begins to outline reasons people might pursue higher education, but trails off to make a note about his home—about private schools and the school tax. He wishes to challenge the notion that he must send his child to public school and pay the school tax at the expense of his own interests. "Is this not simply The White Man's Burden?" he asks, as Carol takes notes, saying "I want to make sure I remember it." Carol wonders that some people might find college instructive—how might they feel, "being told they are wasting their time?" If education is something so awful, she asks, why does John teach? He says he loves it and suggests she look at some demographic charts to explain his point. She protests that she cannot understand them, but he argues that she can. Carol explodes, yelling that she doesn't understand.

Carol becomes very frustrated at not understanding, and John moves to put his arm around her shoulder. She shouts "NO!" and walks away, another rare stage direction. She sputters about not understanding, but John shushes her, trying to calm her. He asks her to tell him how she feels, and she cannot, only saying "I'm bad." She is about to tell him something she's never told anyone, when the telephone rings once more. He says he can't talk, but whoever's on the other end keeps him on. The agreement, it seems, is void; on the other end is his wife, who is telling John about problems with the agreement. He asks her to put Jerry on; John grows indignant, telling Jerry to take Grace and leave. After he becomes particularly angry, Jerry says something that makes him pause. The rest of the conversation consists of pauses and confusion. When he politely hangs up, Carol asks, "What is it?" John replies that his wife and friends are throwing a party in the new house. The final exchange of the Act is most memorable:

By the time this act ends, the phone has rung five times, and we finally know why. Others wish to communicate with John—this is a reminder that John has a life outside of the office, a life with others who care about him and to whom he holds responsibilities. John will later cite these responsibilities in argument against Carol's actions, and it is important to remember this evidence of John's outside relationships. Carol, in contrast, portrays herself as very alone in this act, but she will later cite a group of supporters with whom she has been consulting.

The most actual teaching takes place in this section. Just as John begins teaching for an extended period of time, however, he trails off into his own thoughts, making notes and prompting Carol to worry, "I'm keeping you." This is nonetheless enough time to set up the fundamental educational conflict between Carol and John—she champions the cause of students who wish to learn and understand as much as possible, while he cautions against taking higher education for granted and generally feels it is conducted in a less-than-optimal manner. A crucial exchange comes when John reminds Carol that his job is to provoke her, and she can't understand this; Carol is mostly concerned with note- taking and fails several times to offer what she thinks on a topic. She is typically fact-obsessed and is not concerned with being provoked to thoughts of her own—she fails when asked point-blank to offer her own opinion.

This section is the most important part of the act for foreshadowing. Carol checks her notes often, saying things like "I want to know everything that went on," and "I want to make sure I remember it." John's story about copulation seems a bit off-topic and possibly inappropriate. Finally, John puts his arm around Carol's shoulder, and she screams, "NO!" All of these pass by with little notice but come back to haunt John in the second act.