Critical Essay Flashcards
Who wrote a street car named desire
Tennessee Williams
Where and when is a streetcar named desire set
It is set in the late 1940s just after WW2 in New Orleans in the french quarter
Who is Blanche
Blanche is Stella’s older sister who recently got fired from her job as an English teacher and kicked out of her old town due to having sexual relations with many different men including a 17 year old boy Blanche then comes to New Orleans because she knows that is where her sister lives. We learn that Blanche lies a lot to protect herself including lying about her past which in time her brother in law Stanley exposes
Who is Stella
Stella is blanches younger sister and wife to Stanley
Who is Stanley
Stanley is Stella’s husband and blanches brother in law who came from a poorer background ground and is looked down apron by Blanche and Stanley dislikes blanches due to her lies and not being able to tell the truth hence why he exposes her for what she truly is.
What is Blanches past trauma
When blanche was younger she had a husband who she fought cheating on her with another man and then they went dancing and Blanche said she was disgusted by him and he then went outside and shot himself. While all this happened at the dancing a polka tune was playing and now whenever Blanche gets flashbacks or is upset she hears the same tune.
What does belle reve mean
Belle reve = beautiful dream
Belle reve was Blanche and Stella home ( plantation / antebellum mansion) when they were younger which they ended up loosing due to the lack of money
What does Elysian Fields mean
It means paradise and that was the Greek god afterlife was called
What are difference between the old and new south
old south - Blanche
-socially conservative
-segregated
-aristocracy and slave
-agriculture
new south - Stanley
-more socially liberal
More ethnically mixed
-democratic
-industry
What are the central concerns / themes
- fantasy
- fantasy vs reality
- desire
- lies and deception
- old south vs new south
- class conflict
- gender conflict
- the relationship between sex and death
Fantasy / illusion
This is represented by blanches constant lying and being in her own fantasy world and protecting herself from the real world and being able to face reality
What does Blanche represent
- fantasy
- desire
- illusion
- old south
What does Stanley represent
- reality
- New south
- masculinity
- violence
Fantasy vs reality
This is represented by Stanley and Blanche as Stanley represent the hard reality and is for telling the truth and exposing Blanche where as Blanche represent fantasy and using her lies to protect herself including self but in the end reality wins over fantasy as Stanley rapes Blanche then gets her sent off to a mental hospital
Desire
This is represented by blanches need to feel desired by men due to her past trauma with her husband ever since then she has filled her life with meaningless sexual relations with strangers so she can feel desirable but her constant need to be desired leads to her down fall as her past catches up with her and everyone learns the truth
Lies and deception
This is represented by blanche and how she’s lies to everyone about her past and how she makes herself look innocent and delicate by the way she dresses and makes herself look self younger by staying out of strong light but in the end she gets exposed for who she truly is and he lies no longer work
Old south Vs new south
This is represented by Stanley and Blanche as Stanley represents the new south which is industrial and mixed cultured where as Blanche represents the old south which is agricultural and dominantly white but as these 2 characters argue the split between the 2 sides becomes bigger but in the end Stanley - the new south - wins over Blanche - the old south - as Stanley rapes blanches and gets her sent to a mental hospital
Class conflict
This is represented when Blanche first arrives to New Orleans in her fancy clothes and she looks out of place and is also represented in the way Blanche treats Stanley as Blanche comes from a wealthy back ground where as Stanley doesn’t and Blanche thinks that she is better than Stanley due to this reason
Gender conflict
This is represented by the way Stanley treats Stella for example when he throws meat at her or hits her during the poker night because he think he can and get away with it and there will be no consequences for him as he is the man of the house , it is also represented when Stanley rapes Blanche because he can and he has the power to do so and in his eyes no can stop him from doing it.
What is plastic theatre
Plastic theatre is the mix of realist theatre and expressionist theatre
What is expressionist theatre
- It is more dramatic and it doesn’t resemble real life
- characters may be read symbolically
- uses more exaggerated staging to coney emotional tone of the play
What is realist theatre
- it is supposed to look like real life
-characters are ordinary people dealing with real issues - set design , lighting & costumes reflect the real world
What is the name of the prize a street car named desire won
Pulitzer prize
Introduction ( TART )
T - Title : a streetcar named desire
A - Author : Tennessee Williams
R - Revisit : summarise key events and basic plot
T - Tie to question : make it clear what question you are responding to include a statement of intent ( in this essay I will … )
Main body paragraphs
T - Topic sentence : establish the focus of your paragraph and link clearly to the essay question
R - refer to context : introduce your quote by outlining what is happening in the play
E - Evidence : add a quote that backs up the point you were making
A - analysis : Explain your quote. Discuss any techniques in the quote and discus the impact of the quote on the audience.
T - Tie to task : finish by tying back to essay question
Conclusion ( QRF )
Q - Question : remind your reader what your essay has focused on. Use they key word from the essay question
R - Recap : sum up the main things you have shown in the essay. Address the broader themes of they play
F - Final point : end on a memorable point , try to sum up the min message of the story or give your opinion about how the plays theme might be relevant to us in the modern world.
Blanche :“ her delicate beauty must avoid strong light. There is something about her uncertain manner, as well as white clothes , that suggests a moth “
As Blanche is first introduced to the audience she looks out of place due to what she is wearing and how she presents herself as she enters the place. As Blanche is wearing all white we are made to think that she innocent and pure and she presents herself in the same way as she is quite reserved and held back. Later in the play we find out that this is innocent persona is a lie as we are exposed to her seedy past. Which involves many different relations with many men which during this time that this play is set is seen as disgusting and no one would want to marry Blanche if they know this which proves to be true as Mitch no longer wants to be with Blanche after finding this out . This highlight the key themes of fantasy and lies and deception
Blanche :“ they told me to take a streetcar named desire and then transfer to one called cemeteries and ride six blocks and get off at - Elysian Fields “
This symbolises blanches fateful end as “Elysian fields” is the name for the Greek after life and a cemetery is somewhere most folk go to be put to rest after dying. “Desire” is what leads to blanches fateful end as her desire to be desired by men and the people around her lead to her being sent to a mental hospital as at the start of the play blanches is seemed to be innocent but her seedy past life gets exposed which is her many relations with many men and when this happens her mental state starts to worsen and her lies start to unravel which then leads to her and Stanley arguing due to her lying to Stanley and then Stanley proceeds to rape Blanche and after this is when she gets sent to a metal hospital which shows how desire leads to blanches downfall which highlights the key themes of desire and the relationship between sex and death
Blanche on Stanley :“ he acts like an animal , has an animals habits ! There’s even something - sub - human - something not quite to the stage of humanity yet ! “
This shows Blanche opinions on Stanley and the way he acts towards the people around him. Blanche compares Stanley inhuman and that is incapable of being human and is more like and an animal than a human due to his behaviour. This also suggests the on going feud between Blanche and Stanley and highlights the key theme of old south vs new south and fantasy vs reality as Stanley represents the new south and reality where as Blanche represents the old south and fantasy.in the end of the play reality and new south win over illusion and old south as Stanley rapes Blanche and blanches gets sent to a mental hospital
Blanche :“ I don’t want realism … I’ll tell you what I want . Magic .. I don’t tell the truth. I tell want ought to be the truth “
This highlights the key themes of fantasy vs reality and lies and deception. As Blanche uses her lies to protect herself and her past, as she creates her own world of delusion as she starts to believe her owns lies and tries to get everyone to believe them as well and she believes that what she says should be what is the reality instead of what really is true. But as her seedy past of many sexual relations with a lot of men get exposed, her lies start to unravel and her mental state get worse as she used her lies to protect herself and protect her mental state and now as no one believes what she says anymore her mental state is at a all time low. This is when she lies to Stanley but he doesn’t believe her and the argument gets worse and in the end Stanley rapes Blanche and she gets sent of to a mental state hospital as no one believes what she says about what Stanley did to her now due to her lies in the past.
Description of Blanche :“ a somewhat soiled and crumpled white satin evening gown “
Blanche :“ deliberate cruelty is not forgivable … it is the one thing of which I have never been guilty “
Blanche :“ whoever you are - I have always depended on the kindness of strangers “
Blanche :“ desire - the name of that - rattle-trap streetcar that bangs through the quarter .. it brought me here - where um not wanted and where I’m ashamed to be “
Stanley :” animal joy in his being is implicit in all his movements and attitudes. He sizes women up at a glance, with sexual classifications, crude images flashing into his mind “
Stanley :” the kowalskis and the Dubois have different notions “
Stanley :” pig - pollack - disgusting - vulgar - greasy ! … I am the king around here, so don’t forget it ! “
Stanley :” when we first met … you thought I was common … I was common as dirt … I pulled you down off them columns and how you loved it “
Stanley :” take a look at yourself in that worn-out mardi-gras outfit, rented for fifty dents from some rag picker ! And with that crazy crown on ! What queen do you think you are ! “
Stanley :” we’ve had this date with each other from the beginning! “
