How does Death contribute to Blanche's impending madness throughout the play?

How does Death contribute to Blanche's impending madness throughout the play? Death is a recurring theme throughout 'A Streetcar Named Desire' and is established as part of Blanche's neurosis from the first scene. It also provides Blanche a link to Mitch as he also has been affected by death. However the death of their romance signifies the beginning of the end for Blanche's descent into madness. We get our first hint that death will be prominent in this play from the first few lines of script where Blanche says: "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 line is Blanche's first and allegorically represents the journey through her life. It symbolizes that desire will lead to her death (the reference to cemeteries) and she will then go to Elysian Fields, which in Greek Myth was the equivalent of heaven. Towards the end of the same scene, we learn in a very aggressive and erratic monologue just how affected by death Blanche has been. The frequent but scattered punctuation as well as the repetition of phrases and descriptive metaphors all adds to the impression that maybe Blanche isn't mentally stable. This connection between death and madness is brought up again briefly in scene 2 when Blanche reacts fiercely to Stanley touching letters her dead husband

  • Word count: 752
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Holes-Why is it a good novel for teenagers?

Holes-Why is it a good novel for teenagers? In this essay I intend to look at why the book 'Holes', is a good novel for teenagers to read. Written by Louis Sachar in 1998, it is a modern novel telling readers a story about the life experiences of a young boy called Stanley. The story revolves around Stanley being unfairly acquitted for a crime leading to him being faced to cope with life at a juvenile detention centre. Along with this main plot, there are several other underlying smaller plots that contribute towards the success of the story as a whole. I will examine the various reasons for why this book would appeal to teenagers. There are three simultaneous plots, which creates more excitement and suspense for the reader. But the main theme is how young Stanley Yelnats IV comes to redeem the curse which was visited upon his great-great-grandfather and all the Yelnats family, through the generations, by Madame Zeroni. Stanley, the main character in the story, is falsely accused of stealing a pair of trainers, which had been donated to help raise money for the homeless shelter. These trainers weren't any ordinary trainers; they had belonged to the most famous baseball player in history, Clyde Livingstone. Stanley isn't too disheartened when he is sent away from his family to a juvenile delinquent's camp (Camp Green Lake) for a crime he did not commit, due to his

  • Word count: 1322
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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TO WHAT EXTENT CAN A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE BE CALLED A TRAGEDY?

TO WHAT EXTENT CAN 'A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE' BE CALLED A TRAGEDY? 'A Streetcar Named Desire' was written by Tennessee Williams in 1947, eliciting the most critical commentary of any of his works, as well as being highly divisive: upon its release, one reviewer defined it as the product of an "almost desperately morbid turn of mind"1; George Jean Nathan criticised the "unpleasant"2 nature of the play, calling it "'The Glands Menagerie'"3. Williams' focus on realism, and the subsequent omission of clear-cut protagonists and antagonists in 'Streetcar', also drew glowing reviews, from the pre-eminent theatre critic Brook Atkinson, for example, who called Williams "a genuinely poetic playwright whose knowledge of people is honest and thorough"4. This difference in opinion does not stop at subjective criticism of the play, but even the specific genre which 'Streetcar' falls into. Many assume it to be a tragedy of some type, and there is indeed much to commend this view. However, the ambiguous nature of many aspects of the play and Williams' inclusion of alternate dramatic devices has led many to believe that 'Streetcar' should not be classified as a tragedy, but as a melodrama. In any tragedy, the tragic protagonist is of vital importance: everything is centred on the protagonist, their flaw and subsequent downfall. However, in 'Streetcar', there is large uncertainty as to who

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  • Level: AS and A Level
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Relationship between Blanche and Stanley

Consider The Relationship Between Blanche and Stanley As Shown in Scene 10. Where Does The Conflict Lie? This scene presents the final confrontation between Blanche and Stanley, with Stanley emerging as the undisputed winner. It begins with Blanche being in a drunken state of mind in a fantasy world far from reality. She is dressed in a "soiled" wedding dress looking unclean and symbolizing that her innocence is lost. When we first see Blanche in this play, she is in clean white clothes giving the impression she was completely innocent but as we got to know more about her, her innocence kept fading away, she is "soiled" just like her dress is "soiled". We also learn that she was planning on marrying Mitch because she was wearing a wedding dress but Stanley has ruined her hopes of doing this causing her to be depressed, this also provides the basis for a conflict in this scene because it might cause Blanche (especially now she is drunk) to have an argument with Stanley. Blanche imagines her past is reliving it, she even imagines people she knew from the past and communicates with them showing she is drunk and also depressed, "murmuring excitedly as if to a group of spectral admirers." She has a mood swing and goes from illusion to reality "she lifts the hand mirror for closer inspection. She catches her breath and slams the mirror face down with such violence that the glass

  • Word count: 1534
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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In Tennessee Williams play A Streetcar Named Desire the character of Mitch is used to present many themes within the play.

Leanne Davies 224977 Analyse the character and roles of any one character in A Streetcar Named Desire. How does Williams present and develop this character? How does this character contribute to the presentation of any of the themes of the play? In Tennessee Williams’ play A Streetcar Named Desire the character of Mitch is used to present many themes within the play. Mitch also acts as a foil character to help reveal more to the audience about certain characters, mainly Blanche. Mitch’s roles include being both a contrast character and a comparison character to Blanche. A prominent theme throughout the play is that of fantasy clashing with reality. It is through this theme that Mitch contrasts with Blanche. Mitch lives in a world of tangible truths and reality. The first time the audience sees Mitch, he is talking with Stanley about some sort of bet. The stage directions reveal Mitch as ‘roughly dressed in blue denim work clothes.’ This shows that he is a working man- he relies on himself and is independent. It is also revealed later in the play that he was also a soldier in the war and served in the same ‘outfit’ as Stan. Since leaving the Army and returning to America Mitch has had to move forward with society. He has had to take a civilian job and adapted to the ‘new’ America. This is a direct contrast to Blanche who tries to stay in the old world of

  • Word count: 1420
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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What are the contrasts between Stanley and Blanche in "A Streetcar named Desire"?

What are the contrasts between Blanche and Stanley in 'A streetcar named desire'? Blanche and Stanley are at juxtaposition towards each other, there is a conflict between them that goes beyond simply disliking one another. One of the explanations for this is that Blanche comes from a very different world to Stanley. In many ways Stanley's represents new America whereas Blanche represents the old, America. This contrast of hard working, manual labour against well mannered, chivalrous and delicate is one of the very first conflicts of culture. In a way Blanche represents the old south, which in history supported slavery. We can see Blanche representing the confederacy, the posh upper class slave owners and Stanley as the would-be slave, resentful of his treatment from the South and by Blanche. Another contrast is the animalistic natures of the two characters. In many ways Blanche is like a moth. Her delicate nature and fragility invoke images of the cover of the book. Stanley is more like a bear, a heavily territorial creature that will fiercely protect its mate. Further evidence that Blanche is like a moth can be seen in her behaviour. Moths never really stay in one place; they flit from place to place, and in Blanches case from one danger to another. The cover shows a harsh light bulb, which is the harsh reality of the world in a sense. Blanche often seeks out the light

  • Word count: 997
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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How does Williams use dramatic devices in A Streetcar Named Desire to heighten the tragic aspects of the play?

How does Williams use dramatic devices in A Streetcar Named Desire to heighten the tragic aspects of the play? Williams uses many dramatic devices to develop the play as a tragedy including: symbolism, stage directions and sounds. A Streetcar Named Desire can be seen as a modern domestic tragedy as the characters are not of noble birth and the play has specific focus on a female protagonist and anti-heroine, in this case Blanche. Blanche is often difficult to have an affinity with as she can come across as snobbish and over dramatising however, her fragility leads her to be a truly tragic figure much like that of Ophelia in Hamlet. Both characters are destroyed by the death of their loved ones and both suffer deaths themselves; albeit, in different ways. Williams uses symbolism to great effect within the play. In scene 1 the stage directions describe Blanche as “a moth”. William’s uses stage directions as a crucial dramatic device, making them highly detailed so when performed on stage it could be exactly as described; they became a signature of his. Instantly, a scene of tragedy is set as a moth is fragile however essentially a creature of self destruction, in its quest towards light it often ends up destroying itself. This sense of foreshadowing intensifies the tragedy from the very beginning, suggesting no matter what Blanche does, or how hopeful things are the

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How does Blanche control the agenda and conversation in this dialogue? (Scene 6 pg 68-72, A Streetcar Named Desire)

How does Blanche control the agenda and conversation in this dialogue? (Scene 6 pg 68-72) Blanche very much so leads the conversation between her and Mitch. She speaks in an imperative tone towards him, stating that she ‘wants you to have a drink!’. This portrays how she is in control and can divert the issue of whether she ‘wants a drink?’, by playing the role of the hostess. She insists they have a drink because despite Blanche wanting one, she will not have a drink unless Mitch does so too, and so she manages to hide her weakness and need to drink by demanding that Mitch joins her. Blanche guides the conversation by asking questions because she knows that Mitch is inclined to answer. She asks ‘Why should you be so doubtful?’ in the hope that Mitch will answer in a way that she desires to make her feel wanted. Blanche is careful to guide the conversation around the agenda she wishes to speak about, for example when she speaks of ‘the kiss I objected to’, it makes her feel dominant in comparison to Mitch, and desired. Mitch cannot deviate from the conversation because Blanche always asks a question to bring the focus back to her chosen agenda. This is shown when Mitch attempts to deviate and asks ‘how old are you?’, whereby Blanche replies by questioning ‘Why do you want to know?’. Blanche speaks in an instructive manner and an authoritative tone

  • Word count: 950
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Though A Streetcar Named Desire doesnt end with the protagonists death, it is nonetheless a tragedy. By examining Williams dramatic methods, discuss to what extent you agree with this view.

“Though A Streetcar Named Desire doesn’t end with the protagonist’s death, it is nonetheless a tragedy”. By examining William’s dramatic methods, discuss to what extent you agree with this view. Arguably, despite the fact that “A Streetcar Named Desire” doesn’t end with the death of Blanche, it is still a tragedy for many reasons. However, there has been much debate about whether this play should be called a tragedy, as typically, a tragedy is described as a genre that focuses on failure, conflict and disaster, where the three aspects of suffering, chaos and death are emphasised, and it usually ends in the death of the protagonist. However, as Blanche does not die at the end of the play, some have argued that it should not be a tragedy at all. In the play, Williams uses symbolism as a dramatic method to highlight certain tragic elements of the play. One example is the Varsouvianna polka music heard only in Blanche’s head. This music is first apparent at the end of Scene One, when Stanley asks Blanche about her marriage:”[The music of the polka rises up, faint in the distance]”,and represents Blanche’s tragic past with her husband. When her dead husband is first mentioned by Stanley, her response reveals her strong emotions: “The boy-the boy died[She sinks back down]”.The use of the dash to show the falter in her speech, shows how difficult it is

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Explore the methods used by Williams in the first two scenes of A Street Car Named Desire to introduce the audience to the themes of the play

Explore the methods used by Williams in the first two scenes of A Street Car Named Desire to introduce the audience to the themes of the play Within the first two scenes of A Street Car Named Desire, Tennessee Williams establishes introductions to a number of major themes of the play using various methods. One of the first themes addressed in the play is the contrast between the Old and the New South. Williams uses the device of characterisation and language to show the predominant differences between the old and new areas. For example, through the characterisation of Blanche it is indicated that she represents the Old South’s intellectual romanticism and dedication to appearances. Williams presents this through the juxtaposition of Blanche’s dainty and polished appearance against the shabby and weathered environment of New Orleans. In his stage directions, Williams chooses the word ‘incongruous’ to highlight the significant contrast between the appearances of the Old South (portrayed by Blanche) and the New South. Williams also uses the characterisation of Stanley as a symbol of the New South’s ruthless pursuit of success and economic pragmatism. For example, when he portrays the pragmatic and adamant side of Stanley’s character in his relentless repetition of the Napoleonic Code in Scene Two. Williams utilises the devise of stage directions to show the

  • Word count: 1527
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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