The Destruction of Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire A Streetcar Named Desire is an intricate web of complex themes and conflicted characters. Set in the pivotal years immediately following World War II, Tennessee Williams infuses Blanche and Stanley with the symbols of opposing class and differing attitudes towards sex and love, then steps back as the power struggle between them ensues. Yet there are no clear cut lines of good vs. evil, no character is neither completely good nor bad, because the main characters, (especially Blanche), are so torn by conflicting and contradictory desires and needs. As such, the play has no clear victor, everyone loses something, and this fact is what gives the play its tragic cast. In a larger sense, Blanche and Stanley, individual characters as well as symbols for opposing classes, historical periods, and ways of life, struggle and find a new balance of power, not because of ideological rights and wrongs, but as a matter of historical inevitability. Interestingly, Williams finalizes the resolution of this struggle on the most base level possible. In Scene Ten, Stanley subdues Blanche, and all that she stands for, in the same way men have been subduing women for centuries. Yet, though shocking, this is not out of keeping with the themes of the play for, in all matters of power, force is its ultimate manifestation. And Blanche is not completely unwilling, she has her own desires that draw her to Stanley, like a moth to the light, a light she avoids, even hates, yet yearns for. A first reader of Scene Ten of the play might conclude that sex between Stanley and Blanche seems out of place. It might not ring true given the preceding circumstances. There is not much overt sexual tensi... ... middle of paper ... ...al mechanism, and desire only a function of reproduction. Yet, it is not so. Individual human destiny is much stronger than the force of history if only individuals grapple with who they are and the forces pressuring them, and have the courage to meet the mass wave head on. Perhaps no one in this play does so, but the desire is there and we can learn from their failure. Works Cited Bloom, Herald (ed.). Tennessee Williams. New York: Chelsea House, 1987. Donahue, Francis. The Dramatic World of Tennessee Williams. New York: Frederic Ungar Publishing Co., 1964. Hirsch, Foster. A Portrait of the Artist-The Plays of Tennessee Williams. London: Kennikat Press, 1979. Londre, F.H. Tennessee Williams. New York: Frederic Ungar Publishing Co., 1979. Williams, Tennessee. A Streetcar Named Desire. Stuttgart: Phillip Reclam, 1988.
In the first scene, he expresses his anger toward Othello for not choosing him to the position of lieutenant and instead choosing the much younger and unexperienced Cassio. Jealous and resentful Iago wants everyone else to feel how he does so he plans to manipulate the other characters. He manipulates Othello by using his own fears against him and he also takes advantage of his insecurities. Iago makes groundless accusations toward Othello, for example by saying “It is thought abroad that ’twixt my sheets / He has done my office” (I.iii.369–370). Claiming that Othello slept with his wife, Emilia. Later on in the play Iago mentions that he wants to go after Desdemona because Othello went after his wife, he wants to get even he expresses this by saying “wife for wife”
Iago gave the impressions to betray Othello as a friend, and his marriage with Desdemona. Othello is given hints that his new wife Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio and is no longer loyal to Othello anymore. Othello once referred to Iago as “Honest Iago”, because he knew at the time that he co...
Alienation can be dangerous especially when it comes to the minds of individuals. Alienation starts from different things that happen to people in life and sometimes it can lead a person to live in their own fantasy world. In “A Streetcar Named Desire”, Tennessee Williams shows that the difference between real life and fantasy; and that it can lead one to a life of alienation. Blanche uses fantasy to deal with her loneliness which leads her to a life of promiscuity and alcoholism; through this she alienates herself.
In William Shaspeare play Othello, Iago make Othello believe that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio. He does by taking advantage of any situation to make of Othello doubt. Iago make Othello thing a lot of crazy thing on his head, Othello got so jelous leading him to kill his own wife, Desdemona, satisfying iago obseccion for revenge.
As Othello is seen being manipulated by mere scandal, his path to betrayal has just begun. In the beginning, Iago’s determination to become a lieutenant drove him to deceive Othello in order to prove Othello’s wrongdoing for not choosing him—resulting in the fall of Othello and his love ones. In Act Ⅳ, scene ⅰ, Iago keeps Othello focused on the disloyalty of Desdemona, in which made Othello get mad by the idea of his wife with another man. The constant support of
Iago intends to orchestrate the demise of Cassio and Othello. On the surface, winning a promotion was the catalyst for Iago’s rage but bringing down only Cassio does not satisfy his bloodthirsty rage. Although Iago is cunning and ruthless in his pursuit to ruin Othello, the plot spins out of his control and only gains traction when his wife, Emilia unknowingly helps him. At this point Iago is poised to fail but the possession of Desdemona’s handkerchief provides a key piece of “ocular proof (Shakespeare)” that Othello requires to be convinced of Desdemona’s infidelity. Iago loses control of the situation. His stated purpose is to suppl...
A Streetcar Named Desire is a brillant play which expresses America as a corrupted and desolate world. Through the eyes of Blanche DuBois, an incongruous figure in the play, she constantly lies to escape the harsh reality of her past and present. However, Stanley Kowalski, an animal breathing brute, tears down her vision and destroys her every last bit of hope of her dreams. Tennessee Williams intends to reveal the ruthless state that America has now become. He wants to illustrate that the people’s desires are violent, shallow, and submissive. Many people, such as Blanche, still hang on to the past and have a hard time distinguishing between fantasy and reality. Williams uses different strategies to enhance these ideas in his play. He commonly
Othello kills his wife Desdemona falsely believing that she has cheated on him. The reader knows that Desdemona has been faithful to her husband, but Othello thinks his wife has cheated on him because he is tricked by Iago. Iago is able to trick Othello because Othello does not think he is worthy of Desdemona’s love. Iago tricks Othello into believing Othello’s wife has cheated on Othello using a handkerchief. Iago has his wife Emelia steal the handkerchief and he leaves it for Michael Cassio to find. When Othello sees Cassio has the handkerchief he assumes Cassio is sleeping with Desdemona because Iago has told him that Cassio admitted to sleeping with Desdemona.
A Streetcar Named Desire is a play founded on the premise of conflicting cultures. Blanche and Stanley, the main antagonists of the play, have been brought up to harbour and preserve extremely disparate notions, to such an extent that their incompatibility becomes a recurring theme within the story. Indeed, their differing values and principles becomes the ultimate cause of antagonism, as it is their conflicting views that fuels the tension already brewing within the Kowalski household. Blanche, a woman disillusioned with the passing of youth and the dejection that loneliness inflicts upon its unwilling victims, breezes into her sister's modest home with the air and grace of a woman imbued with insecurity and abandonment. Her disapproval, concerning Stella's state of residence, is contrived in the face of a culture that disagrees with the old-fashioned principles of the southern plantations, a place that socialised Blanche to behave with the superior demeanour of a woman brain-washed into right-wing conservatism. Incomparably, she represents the old-world of the south, whilst Stanley is the face of a technology driven, machine fuelled, urbanised new-world that is erected on the foundations of immigration and cultural diversity. New Orleans provides such a setting for the play, emphasising the bygone attitude of Blanche whose refusal to part with the archaic morals of her past simply reiterates her lack of social awareness. In stark contrast Stanley epitomises the urban grit of modern society, revealed by his poker nights, primitive tendencies and resentment towards Blanche. ...
drafts to lead to a perfect final paper. Able to write on college level, I am going
Iago is one of the most complex characters in William Shakespeare’s Othello. To most of the characters, he is “Honest Iago” (Shakespeare, 5.2.73). however, the audience knows that Iago is the furthest thing from honest. Iago is a devil bent on destroying the lives of everyone around him. At the beginning of the play, the audience learns that Iago is determined to ruin Othello’s marriage to Desdemona. He has appointed a new lieutenant, Michael Cassio. This angers Iago because he feels that he has much more military experience and should be the lieutenant. Iago has also heard rumours that both Othello and Cassio have slept with his wife Emilia. He concocts a malicious plan to ruin the lives of all who have wronged him, and consequently establishing
Iago now plans to trap Othello’s friend. A whole plan is thought up to trick Othello into thinking his wife, Desdemona, is cheating on him with Cassio.
As a current college student and future educator, remaining open-minded is a goal I strive towards. There are many times where I am close-minded and can not understand the "diversity" within an area. Rider campus is my biggest example because when I first stepped onto it, I felt alone and isolated. Due to class discussion and experience, I realized diversity could apply to everything that makes a person unique. With this knowledge I looked at my fellow students and friends in a new light, with not one person being exactly like the other even if they share the same ethnicity, religion, or gender. After learning this, I forced myself to push my negative feelings towards religion away and attend St. Francis Catholic church. This church is in my hometown of Hoboken, NJ and I visited an early Sunday mass on the 7th of February. I used to attend the
In Tennessee Williams’ A Street Car Named Desire, the reader is shown human nature through desire and the power desire has over the plays characters. Stanley Kowalski, the plays antagonist, is used to demonstrate animalistic masculinity with vary basic human urges. He uses his unrefined sexuality and desire as power over those around him as the reader sees with his hold over Stella and ultimately over Blanche. Stanley’s character is important to the play as he is used to level the playing field with Blanche and bring her back into reality. Stanley Kowalski, however a controversial character, is important to the plays demonstration that desire, power and fantasy are all inter connected and if not controlled can lead to destruction and turmoil.
Assessment is a tool used in the classroom every day. It is used to measure a student’s mastery of a skill or knowledge of a given subject. It is also what demonstrates to the teacher what the students have learned. Educators use that information to determine if they need to re-teach to a specific student, group, or the entire class. They can also use that information to determine the rate of their teaching. Assessments are important because, as teachers, we need to know what difficulties our students have and what needs to be refined for them. While I do believe in assessment and feel that it is one of the key components of teaching, I am more concerned with a child’s process of learning rather than the overall product that comes from it. This is where grades come in for me. Grades determine the students’ level of mastery on a subject, nothing more. Grades should not be the exclusive indicators that a student has learned the information that is presented to them. It is the things a student learns along the way that truly matter and sometimes cannot be measured.