ASND context Flashcards
What is the Old South?
rural slave reliant states in southern US
What is a Southern Belle?
A beautiful, upper class, white woman from the Old South
Expected to be innocent and fragile, and submissive to their fathers
Supposed to be virtuous and sexually innocent
Grow to be charming ladies who were elegant in speech, feminine and gentle
Often educated
What was significant about William’s characters in his plays?
they can be seen to represent his family members
what do we know about williams mother and father
Father - alcoholic and abusive
Mother - southern belle who resented her husbands behaviour as it didnt reflect well on her status
what did williams suffer from?
alcoholism and depression
what is ‘plastic theatre’?
where the settings, music and visual effects combine to reflect action, themes and characters
what happened to his sister?
she suffered from mental illness and was institutionalised
what was williams’ sexuality and what did this mean
he was gay
lived in a time where this was frowned upon and seen as an illness
New orleans was a _______ where different ______ intersect/interact
cosmopolitan city
cultures and races
New orleans was seen to have a new idea of the ________ about ________
American dream
equality
wha is significant about the racism in the play?
williams doesnt address the racism against african americans, and instead focuses on the racism faced by european immigrants
How were people with mental health problems seen?
seen to be defective and were sent to asylums
seen to be dangerous and unpredictable
Give some examples of treatments used for mentally ill people?
artificial fever therapy
electroshock therapy
lobotomies
what were the problems with mental institutions?
there were over crowded and under staffed
mental illness was seen as a …
mystery as doctors couldnt find an explanation behind it
how many polish people immigrated to america from 1820-1914?
2.2 million
How were the polish people drawn to america? what was the reality
drawn in by the promise of work, however work was hard to find, hours were long and pay was meagre
when was the biggest wave of polish immigration?
after ww1 (stanley was meant to have been one of them)
