"Heroines Retreating into Illusion in two of Tennessee Williams's plays".

"Heroines Retreating into Illusion in two of Tennessee Williams's plays" This essay studies Williams's heroines who are unable to face their reality so they retreat into illusionary worlds created by themselves. Laura in The Glass Menagerie and Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire are the most outstanding examples. They are so fragile that facing reality will destroy them. Their creation of illusions makes them feel safe away from the real world they cannot cope with, and the harsh realities that destroy both their dreams and hopes. In the Wingfields, Laura is the lost child. Because of being crippled, she cannot face the outside world. She is always afraid of relationships and is terribly shy. In addition, she always feels rejected and inadequate. In short, she has an inferiority complex. Her only way out is to retreat into a world of her own creation. Living in a world of tiny glass animals is her way of escape. "They are her escape mechanism as the movies are Tom's and the past is Amanda's" (Griffin 29). Those glass animals stand as a symbol of Laura herself. They are so fragile, and even unique. Her separation gradually increases till she becomes like a piece of her glass collection. " she lives in a world of her own- a world of- little glass ornaments,...she plays old phonograph records and-that's about all..." (scene five) Laura is totally unable to

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"It is impossible to feel sympathy for Blanche" - Discuss.

"It is impossible to feel sympathy for Blanche." Discuss. Blanche in "A Streetcar Named Desire" is a character who will throughout the duration of the play invoke all sorts of contrasting, even opposite emotions. To analyse one's emotions is no easy task, and to do so most effectively one must break the play into different parts and analyse them separately. The problem with Blanche is that she presents a character so mixed up in her own motives and opinions that one never knows if it is really her or an act she's putting on. The audience will find itself constantly readjusting its position towards Blanche and the other characters as the play unfolds and we learn more about her story and the reasons behind her inadequacies. Williams makes sure nothing is white or black but grey so that at some moments in the play we struggle to find a reason for her cool manipulation and hunger for power while at others we pity her pathetic life founded on lies and misconceptions. Even when she tries to break up Stanley and Stella's relationship we don't immediately brand her as a villain, we remember that if Stella hadn't left than maybe Blanche would have become what she had wanted to become rather than what society dictated her to become. When we see Blanche for the very first time we know right away that she does not belong in Stella's neighbourhood, she is "daintily dressed" and her

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"Death is my best theme, don't you think?" (Williams). Explore the varied uses Tennesse Williams makes of death and dieing in "A Streetcar Names Desire"

"Death is my best theme, don't you think?" (Williams). Explore the varied uses Tennesse Williams makes of death and dieing in "A Streetcar Names Desire" Referring to "A Streetcar Named Desire", I completely agree that death is Williams' best theme, closely followed by sex. There are many references to death as well as imagery and symbolism. He also uses many varied points on death. The first major speech about death is when Blanche is talking about her losing Belle Reve - "Blanche: All of those deaths! The long parade to the graveyard! Father, mother! Margaret, that dreadful way! So big with it, it couldn't be put in a coffin!" This is the first thing that Blanche says that has any power and real feeling behind it and the topic is death. This is showing that death is going to play a large part in the feeling in and behind the story. "Blanche: You just came home in time for the funerals, Stella. And funerals are pretty compared to deaths. Funerals are quiet, but deaths-not always." Stella is being associated with the funerals and Blanche with the deaths. This is showing Stella being quiet and Blanche being louder and more highly strung as that is how she has described the difference in her speech. Although on the outside this speech made by Blanche may sound like she is just talking about the deaths of all her family members but it is also relating to the death of

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Scene V, Blanche: "Come in"-"Ahhh Merciii" Discuss this extract in relation to the rest of the text paying attention to structure, form and use of language.

Scene V, Blanche: "Come in"-"Ahhh Merciii" Discuss this extract in relation to the rest of the text paying attention to structure, form and use of language. The ending section of scene five of Tennessee Williams's play 'A Streetcar Named Desire' has provoked much confusion and debate as to the writer's motives in regards to the portrayal of Blanche. One school of thought on the matter is that, in spite of the fact that Williams largely based the character of Blanche upon himself his primary aim in the play is to punish her for her failure to show empathy towards her homosexual husband Allan. Williams was of course a homosexual himself, living in a largely homophobic world where gayness was not a talked about subject. He often brought the issue up in his other works such as 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' where the characters Brick and Skipper and both portrayed as possible homosexuals. Blanches lack of empathy and compassion are highlighted once again in this extract when she totally fails to take into account the feelings of a second young man, and instead uses him to live out her fantasies of desire for her late husband. During the exchange between Blanche and the young man she is portrayed as seductive and dominant "I want to kiss you" making it clear that she is the one initiating the situation, this is a dramatic contrast to her normal persona around other men such as Mitch

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  • Level: GCSE
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A Streetcar Named Desire - Tennessee Williams

0SA YEAR 10 INTERIM TEST Matthew.A.Hobson A Streetcar Named Desire Tennessee Williams Question 1: When Blanche DuBois entered the play she took two Streetcars (Trams) to arrive at her sister's apartment. The Streetcars were called Desire and Cemeteries which are areas of New Orleans. They have a metaphorical meaning that is relevant to the story. I believe that all that Blancher's desires were Belle Reeve and her husband who has died. Stanley Kowalski's desire for inheritance from Belle Reve died when it was lost. *Blanche's desires lead to her downfall. Question 2: When Eunice leaves the apartment to tell Stella that Blanche is there, Blanche sits on a chair and looks around the room. She notices half a bottle of Whisky and takes it and fills a 'Tumbler' half way with the Alcohol then rapidly swallows the Liquid and replaces the bottle and washes the tumbler. Question 3: Belle Reve translated means beautiful Dream which is also the name of the (Estate) House. Question 4: Blanche comes to visit Stella because she was given a 'leave of absence' from teaching in Laurel because of her nerves (a lie!). Question 5: Blanche explains that with the cost of funerals and with people dying left, right and centre there were mortgages taken against the house that were not repaid so the company repossessed the house Question 6: Near the end of scene one the music of Polka rises

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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A Streetcar Named Desire

A Streetcar Named Desire How does Tennessee Williams use the dramatic device of conflict in "A Streetcar Named Desire?" Write about the different types of conflict in the play. Overview In this assignment, I am going to write about conflict and how it is represented in the stage production 'A Streetcar Named Desire', as well as describing how it is used as a dramatic device, by Tennessee Williams. The play is revolved around a feeble yet elegant woman named Blanche Dubois. Blanche Dubois, a schoolteacher from Laurel, Mississippi, arrives at the New Orleans apartment of her sister, Stella Kowalski. Despite the fact that Blanche seems to have fallen out of close contact with Stella, she intends to stay at Stella's apartment for an unspecified but likely lengthy period of time, given the large trunk she has with her. Blanche tells Stella that she "lost" Belle Reve, their ancestral home, following the death of all their remaining relatives. She also mentions that she has been given a leave of absence from her teaching position because of her bad nerves. The area, Stella and her husband, Stanley, live in is a rather poor, deprived one and it becomes no surprise, when we discover Stanley is determined to get away from it and fulfil the American dream. He is then disgusted, when he receives the news that Blanche 'lost' Belle Reve, as it may have been the only chance he gets to

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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The story of 'A Streetcar Named Desire' focuses around the life of a woman used to having lots of money, maids and slaves.

The story of 'A Streetcar Named Desire' focuses around the life of a woman used to having lots of money, maids and slaves. The story is about her moving to the poorer, friendly, less sophisticated, multiracial city of New Orleans to live with her worse off sister and brother in law in their small, messy apartment. Blanche, the woman, used to be a wealthy landowner but gradually lost it all as time went on. She was sacked from her teaching job because she was on the early stages of a nervous breakdown and lost her home, Belle Reve, which is why she 'temporarily' moved in with her sister. Stella is Blanche's sister. She used to live with Blanche when she was younger but has moved to New Orleans and become used to life there with her husband and friends. She lives in a small apartment block called Elysian Fields. She is pregnant when Blanche moves in. Stanley is Stella's husband. His family are polish but he says he is 100% American. He is quite rough and violent but he loves his wife. He also loves bowling and gambling but he dislikes Blanche simply because she owns more expensive property than Stella does. Stanley sizes up a woman's personality just by looking at her. His first impressions of Blanche are not too bad but as the play progresses and he learns more about her past his impressions get worse. Blanche and Stanley want to destroy each other from the start. Their

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Lighting, Music and other effects in 'A Streetcar named Desire'.

LIGHTING, MUSIC AND OTHER EFFECTS IN 'A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE' Colours, lighting and Music in 'A Streetcar Named Desire' have many uses, and symbolize the tension between the two main protagonists in the text - Blanche and Stanley. These two characters are constantly trying to win the attention of Stella by vigorous arguments and confrontations with each other. Throughout the text, Blanche is represented by light or subdued colours. These light colours are meant to portray her innocence and her ignorance of her own thoughts and the real world around her. Stanley is represented by more vivid and almost obnoxious colours, which are meant to represent his prejudiced, harsh and jealous nature. The colour schemes between the two characters clash, just as their personalities do in the story. Inward emotions are also presented to us by certain sounds or music throughout the text. A wide spectrum of light, colours, and sound give us the structure of each of the characters and there conflicts. The 'Blue piano' plays a key role in the tension felt between the characters in the story as well as it reflecting the overall attitude of the text. The key points in the plot are also emphasised by the music and the volume at which it is played. It is stated in the beginning of the drama, that "this 'Blue piano' expresses the spirit of the life which goes on here" (Scene 1). New

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  • Level: GCSE
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Examine the Plays Success As a Piece of Drama - streetcar named desire , Tennessee Williams

EXAMINE THE PLAYS SUCCESS AS A PIECE OF DRAMA Streetcar Named Desire was written to be performed. It was written to be watched. Tennessee Williams wrote it as a piece of theatre to deal with and convey contemporary ideas at that were profound at the time. Ideas of homosexuality and mental disorders were among the ones dealt with in this play. Evidently audiences were moved and touched by the play as critics later wrote that it was "a searing drama of love and passion, life and death, truth and honesty." Audiences were said to have come away "moved yet elated after having been sitting in the presence of truth." So it must have had some sort of effect. The techniques used must have done something to win over the hearts of both audiences and critics alike. Tennessee Williams was not only an amazing playwright but also theatrically brilliant. His use of theatrical symbols, stage directions and attention to close details makes an evident difference in the quality of his plays and their successes as dramatic pieces. One thing Tennessee employs often in this play is music. Some of this music has a symbolic use such as the polka tune 'Varsouviana" which plays as we enter the thoughts and the past of the main character Blanche DuBois. This tune not only serves to differentiate the present day world from her thoughts but also may serve to unsettle the audience and hint

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Discuss the way Williams Presents the relationship between Blanche and Stanley explaining what you think is at stake in the conflict between them.

Name: Camille Reid Form: 6A Novel: A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE Instructions: Discuss the way Williams Presents the relationship between Blanche and Stanley explaining what you think is at stake in the conflict between them. Tennesse Williams is a brilliant playwright. He is the author of numerous well-known and excellent plays and his mastery of symbolism is obvious in the way he uses it to convey significant situations and qualities in his main characters. In A Streetcar Named Desire, two of his main characters, Blanche and Stanley, have conflicting personalities and it is in this particular play that his skill in the use of symbolism is most evident as he uses it to depict the relationship between the two, using many relevant symbols. In so doing, he manages to clearly identify to his audience what is at risk in the battle between Blanche and Stanley. This raises questions like who will win, how will he or she win and what will result from this victory or loss as the case may be. The imagery, which best describes the relationship between Blanche and Stanley is that of "the moth versus light", with Blanche being the moth and Stanley being the light. Williams achieves this effect by likening Blanche to a moth by constantly portraying her as being frail. For example, "her white clothes that suggest a moth" and "her delicate beauty must avoid strong light" are in the stage

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