Every person has had a traumatic past or an unfortunate event that has affected them one way or another; all have a different way of coping, and for Tennessee Williams it was writing. One of his better known plays,“A Streetcar Named Desire”, is a play constructed of pieces of his past childhood. The play is constructed of symbolism, aggressive diction, and conflict to be as a stage for William’s broken, beaten down mind. Tennessee Williams was born in Columbus, Mississippi; he had two siblings and his mother and father- a full house. Though it may seem like he had a complete undamaged family, life wasn’t easy for him.…
To communicate the truths of history is an act of hope for the future-Daisaku Ikeda. The influence of history greatly affect literature and how we view it compared to other times. By using the historical/topical theory we bring to light how the major issues, circumstances that produced it, and main aspect of the book were influenced by the time period it was wrote in. The major issue in “a streetcar named desire” is the idea of sexuality.…
1. What mood do the opening stage direction and setting description create? What effect is created with the music of the “blue piano”? The opening stage direction and setting description create a calm and soothing mood of the town.…
Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, has many realistic elements as well as non- realistic elements. One of the non- realistic elements is music heard by Blanche whenever she thinks of her dead husband which adds to her losing a grip on life. The songs used in the play intensifies and heighten the action of the play. In scene one the sound of “Blue Piano” plays when Blanche goes to Alysian Fields,and is dominant when she recounts the deaths at Belle Reve.…
This play written by Tennessee Williams was powerful and had fundamental parts that reflected the power and manipulation of men versus the power of women. He also demonstrated how vulnerable and weak women can be when danger or pleasing men becomes part of a routine. In the play Stanley was describe as the typical violent and possessive man that had control towards Stella. While his wife Stella was very vulnerable and did not had voice or opinion at home, which reflected the power of men in women behavior. Blanche Stella’s sister was different, she seems a strong person but in reality she is fragile, and her past relationship was very tragic.…
The movie Whiplash from 2014 follows the story of Andrew Neiman as he is a jazz major student at Shaffer Conservatory in New York City. The movie starts out with Andrew playing the drums in the music room, when Terence Fletcher, a well-known conductor, walks in to see him playing. Fletcher invites Andrew to be a part of his studio band as the alternative drummer. When Andrew arrives to band practice the next day, he realizes Fletcher’s true personality. He is insulting, abusive, and a bully to everyone.…
The title of this play can be deceiving, but in actuality this play shows the twisted boundary between reality and illusion. Blanche and Stella cross the border between reality and illusion many times in the story. Although, distinguishing which is reality and illusion is quite a difficult task. Tennessee Williams uses symbols, stage directions and mood to show how Blanche’s world differs with that of reality. Meanwhile, Stella suffers a world that is as real as Blanche’s world.…
In the 1940’s, New Orleans itself can be seen as an oddity within the Southern states, free and liberal, it gave its citizens life, party and jazz. It’s a state that clearly marks the beginning of the end of the traditional South, a South that valued religion, manners and etiquette. But it was a South that had a darker side, exploiting minorities for cheap labour and slavery. Although we observe both Blanche and Stella, our two female protagonists, as stemming from the traditional Southern Background, we soon learn that Stella has left the South and married a working class man in the Jazz city of New Orleans. Yet we still see remnants of the old South in Stella, although it is arguably personified by Blanche.…
Tennessee Williams’ dramatic presentation of violence in A Streetcar Named Desire is evident within relationships of the play. Prominent scenes from the play include intense portrayals of violence, such as Stella being domestically abused by her husband Stanley, Blanche recalling the suicide of her past closeted boyfriend Allen and when Stanley rapes Blanche at the end of scene ten. However, physical abuse is not the extent of this key motif as Williams’ presents verbal and emotional violence as well. These are all further intensified by the stage directions, physical theatre, lighting and sound- all of which are key ingredients in Williams magnetically ravenous play. Evidence of violence are explored through physically abusive relationships…
Blanche Dubois is a wealthy, up-scaled, classy woman, at least that is what she wants people to believe when she visits her sister in New Orleans. Blanche, a character in Tennessee Williams’ play, “A Streetcar Named Desire”, has gone through many tough trails in life. Although she would like nothing more than to forget her past and start fresh, she makes decisions that end up hurting her rather than helping. Throughout the play Blanche’s sanity slowly fades away as she finds turning her fantasy into a reality more difficult than she once believed.…
In Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf and in A Streetcar Named Desire, Edward Albee and Tennessee Williams use fear and anxiety to present social criticism. Through symbolism, subtext and stage direction, high emotional tension becomes a focal point which allows audiences to question the morality of both the characters’ choices and their own. Symbolism in both plays demonstrate fear of reality. In A Streetcar Named Desire, “delicate beauty” (1. 5) Blanche DuBois uses darkness as a method of illusion to hide her true mentally unstable nature.…
Student: Teresa Nguyen Class: English Communications Date: Grade: 12 Teacher: Mrs De Blasio What film techniques does Tate Taylor use to engage the viewer and present the ideas of injustice? Director Tate Taylor, in The Help, explores, through the lives of black maids, the injustice and imprudent judgments made towards the African American community in the 1960s. Camera work, dialogue, mise-en-scenè, and colours reveal the juxtaposing lifestyles of the racial classes, and the lack of development in society’s treatment of coloured people. Sounds expose the inferiority and challenges that African Americans experienced in attempting to display basic human behaviours, whilst historical context refers to the Jim Crow laws that…
The study of literature is very complex and multifaceted. While writing can and does often speak for itself, a great deal of works can be understood more thoroughly by understanding the historical and social influences that may have impacted the author. The most affecting stylistic influences often take the form of literary movements. Studying these various movements can help offer insight into the mind of the author and the story they are telling. One of the more interesting and lesser known literary movements is naturalism (Newlin 24).…
Society of Tennessee Williams’ time saw sexuality as a negative aspect of ourselves that should be suppressed because of its destructive nature. Throughout A Streetcar Named Desire Williams showcases his characters in this anti-sex society. He presents his characters in this society, not to praise it, but instead to highlight the negative effects of existing in such a world. Furthermore, through the actions and consequences his characters face in conforming to society’s standards, Williams manages to communicate a story that condemns society for keeping people from expressing their sexuality and from being stable, whole and sexual human beings. Expressing sexuality or sexual desires leads the plays’ characters to death or to ruin.…
The play, written by Tennessee Williams, “A Streetcar Named Desire,” is rife with illusion and misdirection of character development. The protagonist of the story, Blanche Dubois is on the surface the epitome of a southern lady. Due to the loss of the ancestral home, Belle Reve in Laurel she is reduced to seeking shelter with her sister Stella and husband Stanley who live in an impoverished section of New Orleans. Blanche superficially may represent a delicate well-bred southern lady, but behind this illusion is a woman reduced to using her looks and sex to gain favors and protection for the last couple of years. For Blanche the reality of that is too harsh to face, “I never was hard or self-sufficient enough.…