Desire

In his national bestseller, The Botany of Desire, journalist Michael Pollan ingeniously illuminates the ever-changing and perplexing relationship between human beings and the domesticated plant. More specifically, he unmasks the four driving desires of human existence - sweetness, beauty, intoxication, and control - while simultaneously exploring the effects that they have on our lives today. In The Botany of Desire, Pollan utilizes his own personal experiences, witty anecdotes, informational passages of history, and surprising statistics to captivate the reader’s attention while also leaving them to flounder in a state of questioning as he unearths the motives behind human existence. First Desire - Sweetness: In this first chapter, Michael…

Tennessee Williams captures New Orleans perfectly through his play, “A Streetcar Named Desire.” Imagine walking through the heat of the summer with the Louisiana humidity, the steam of hot baths coming through the kitchen as you are trying to cool down in a two bedroom apartment, the loud sound of the downtown streets breaking through the windows, or even the spiral staircase that portrays the ionic “Stella!” scene. I never understood the truth of this play, until I was walking through New…

Psychologytoday.com, the term “Desire” derives itself from the Latin word Desiderare, meaning, ‘To long or wish for’. Desires are often regarded as sexual, lustful urges for pleasure and satisfaction. However, our desires can be a result of personal insecurities that we may feel and in turn, we desire to feel secure and comfortable at any costs. A Streetcar Named Desire written by Tennessee Williams is a play that displays the theme of “desire” in many scenes but not only in a sexual way. Desire…

The idealistic view of pure true love that Blanche harbours is in stark contrast to Stella’s animalistic urges of desire and this underlying theme of love in conflict with desire is present throughout the play. ‘Haven’t you ever ridden that streetcar?’ Stella is freely admitting to being driven purely by desire and such a confession brings to light her dependency on these sexual urges and Stanley in a very unhealthy way. This is portrayed through her amusement and dismissal of Stanley’s violent…

Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams, is a playwright that posses multiple themes and motifs. Desire is obviously the central theme of the play, hence the name, A Streetcar Named Desire. Frequently, throughout the play each character seems to be driven by some form of desire; the following quotes will exam the central idea of, desire. the most prominent character in the play that follows their desire is Blanche. Blanche desperately tries to deny her desires; however, desire is the emotion…

and abides by society’s rules. Williams wants to show their differences to emphasise their contrasting worlds and characteristics. This highlights how strange and different Blanche is, referring to one of the main aspects of the play. However at a deeper glance the two sisters are not completely different. Stella and Blanche undoubtedly have a similarly strong libido. As well as Blanche, Stella is a non-conformist in her sexual desires. Stella stated “I nearly go wild” when Stanley is not there…

Stoleru Ioana – Ancuța English A, 3rd year The Function of Music in “A Streetcar Named Desire” Music has always played an important role in arts, but when found in literature, it can either function as a means of characterization (speaking volumes about certain characters) or as a mood setter, helping the reader adjust to the atmosphere of the literary work. “Music is so much a part of our lives that its presence in literature can help readers relate to fictional situations and characters.”…

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…

reality and she dims the lighting (with the paper lantern) to maintain an illusion of “magic” and present “what ought to be truth” (Williams 84). Blanche associates bright light with a time when her life truly was magical; Blanche was young, beautiful and in love before her life was stripped away and her persona suddenly displaced. The paper lantern not only shades Blanche from the world but also works to shade the world from Blanche. Blanche does not want to deal with reality; she cannot…

Tennessee Williams’ play A Streetcar Named Desire is provocative and goes in depth with the lives of his poor creatures. The looming theme throughout the story is the tragedy and cruelty that is experienced or caused by those in Williams’ Elysian Fields. Although I feel a general sympathy for many of the characters and their circumstances, Blanche’s hardships are clearly outlined and plentiful, leading to a deep sympathy for her. Tennessee Williams’ makes Blanche’s unwarranted, selfish and…