Streetcar - Complex lexis and definitions

Scene 10

Complex feelings in reaction
Annoyed at Blanche but Stanley crosses a line - disgusting
Stanley at peak
Rape on night he becomes a father
Stella and Stanley have everything Blanche doesn't
Off stage - difficult to stage - adds to tension - ambiguous - Stella's point of view

Scene 9

Dramatic purpose -
Makes you feel sympathy for Blanche
Develops backstory - monologue - confession
Show development of mitch - how truth affects him
= sees her as someone he can rape - lowly
Mirrors/shadows next scene
Pity for Blanche - is she deluded? Insane?
Hints at losing grip on reality

Scene 11

Building up to being taken away
Stella conflicted but choose Stanley over Blanche
=> Impossible choice - Dramatic - Has to stay with Stanley
Stanley wins
Blanche lost reality/confidence - still pedantic
Mitch feels sorry for her?
Blanche rambling - nervous?
Blanche has no power and no say
Lantern - light
Made more dramatic by Blanche
Insight into Stella's decision - wants to be with Stanley - Does she have a choice
Stanley's victory/Blanches defeat
Starts with Blanche entering and ends with Blanche leaving
Last line - return to normality - Stanley's friend has the final say
Matron
Blanche trusts the doctor more than Stella
Blanche's deterioration
Blanche becoming more withdrawn/submissive


Themes
Betrayal
Power

Scene 4

"He's left?"
Blanche sees Stanley as the cause of conflict between her and Stella
A barrier to getting what she wants

• Stanley's volatility/violence/strength/unpredictability escalates/fuels the conflict
• Power battle between Stanley and Mitch
• Suspicions and secrets (around Belle Reve) - Right to investigate?
• Blanche's clothes, like Blanche herself have a glamorous exterior
• Jealousy - Blanche is jealous of Stanley and Stella - Jealous of her lose of control over Stella

Escalating conflict that leads to climax

The audience feels a connection with...

Stella because she is a victim and is caring, kind and tries to do the right thing

=> we feel sympathy, empathy

Mitch because he is caring, polite, gentlemanly, he tries and is a contrast to the other men

=> we feel sympathy for him because he is socially awkward and because of his backstory

Blanche because she has lost and is insecure and out of place

She is also funny, intelligent, witty

=> rapport

Stanley because he has loss (power and control), Blanche is a nuisance 

He is also in love, vulnerable and emotional

Scene 2, 3 and 4 - Tensions and relationships between characters

• Blanche demanding
• Stanley blunt rude - fixated on Belle Reve
• Stella trying to be loving - preoccupied doesn't care just wants to leave Blanche alone - making excuses for Blanche
• Blanche fishing for compliments - acts strong, light hearted, flirtatious

Poker night

• Stella fights back against Stanley but he is having none of it and lashes out
• Blanche acts intelligent and composed for Mitch
• Blanche flirts - Mitch responds
• Stella too confrontational - Stanley hits her

• Stanley regains himself and breaks down
• Stella is dazed
• Both go away to bed together
• Blanche is shocked by the reconciliation
• Stes Blanche back to the lost girl she was at the start

• Stella gets a thrill from the violence
• Stella used to it and questions why Blanche is so upset by it
• Stanley overhears Stella talking about him and knows he has Stella - he flaunts it

Scene 8

Narrative - awkwardness as birthday party and Mitch stands Blanche up

Page 76-77

Long story - unfunny - awkward - pathos
"He hurls a plate to the floor"
"'Pig - Polack - disgusting - ..."
Taking control - now he nows he's in the right

Page 78-9
Stanley manipulating Stella
"I hope you're pleased... and the empty chair" - Stella emphasising Pathos
Phone never works for Blanche - Symbolic of Blanche not being able to get through to people
"Stella it's gonna be alright..."
Stanley trying to get Stella back on side
"get the coloured lights back" - all about sex for him - what Stella loves him for

Page 80
"She was tender and trusting... People like you abused her."
=> Justification for Blanche
Clothes symbolic - "Brilliant silk bowling shirt" - victory
"I was common" "I pulled you down off them columns" - Stella enjoyed it and he knows it

End of scene Stella goes into labour

Scene 7

Narrative - Blanche is in the bath tub singing - Stanley telling Stella all the lies that Blanche has told.

Purpose/Narrative developments

=> tells audience about Blanches past/backstory

Page 69-70

Revelation

Highlighting class difference - Stella and Blanche bound together by class

Stella calmly supports Blanche

Stanley is frustrated by hearing about Blanche

"and told and told and told" - shows frustration

Interrupting Stella - Confident because now has knowledge

Pleased with himself - Revelling in bring Blanche down

"Sister Blanche" he is making a joke out of it - he is enjoying himself

"Some lily she is"

Stanley is approaching victory and is revelling in it

Page 72-73

Awkward for Stella and the audience by dramatic irony

Tension

Stanley feels strong enough to openly attack Blanche in front of Stella

"Posses your soul in patience" - symbolic

"Laughs harshly" - enjoys it

Page 74 - 75

Stanley buying ticket - actually doing something - confident enough now

"In the first place Blanche won't go on a bus" - too delicate, upperclass

Stella worried about Blanche - Try to come to terms with rhetorical questions

Last line - "The distant piano goes into a hectic breakdown."

Even worse by how optimistic and relaxed Blanch is when audience knows everything is about to fall apart

Pathos - intense pity

The song

• Song about wanting to be believed - ironic - ironic counterpoint - draws attention
• About illusion - things not being what they seem
• Only true if you believe it
• Life is cheap, worthless, shallow, without your love
• Barnum and Bailey - circus - just made up show
• More real if you believe it

Stella is much more than just a simple house wife

In the light of this comment, discuss the role of Stella in A Street Car Named Desire

• Contrast to Blanche - "I never had anything like you energy Blanche"
• Overpowered - "You haven't given me a chance to, honey." page 6
• Strong willed, defiant, assertive - "That's not fun Stanley."
• She looks out for Blanche -"Stanley! You come out hear and let Blanche finish dressing." pg 22

Introduction

• Focus on the question
• The ways... e.g. language
• Contextualise the main poem

E.g. How Rossetti presents men

How to start - contextualise

Maude Clare is a poem about a strong women called Maude Clare who turns up at a wedding and confronts the groom and his new wife.

or

No, Thank You, John is a poem in which a female narrator dismisses the affections of a male suitor who she pokes fun at.

Final sentence - the ways - what the essay is going to focus on

Rossetti presents the male character through/with/by... (the portrayal of the characters/ the dialogue of the characters)

Rossetti presents the male character from the first person perspective of the female character's monologue, where her rhetorical questions and sarcastic tone suggests her low opinion of 'John'.

Contextualise every time you introduce a poem

Good Friday

• Repetition
• ABBA rhyme scheme
• Figurative - stone, sheep
• Personification of sun and moon
• Stone begins and ends the poem
• Narrator associates self with the rock
• Role of women in the crucufixion, religion - their feelings shouldn't be dismissed
• Worried she's a stone - lacking in humanity - questioning emotions and faith
• Sheep - Christians a flock under the protection of Jesus
• Wants to be a sheep and respond to religion in the same way as others
• Too analytical - counting drops of blood - wants to know too much - not unquestioning
• Comparing to all thosr who had emotional reaction
• Character having a crisis of faith
• Last stanza - don't give up - look for me - smite me - ask for lack of faith to be destroyed
• Part of devotion to be unquestioning

Up-Hill

• Journey of life - a road - uphill
• Uphill journey to afterlife
• Straightforward lexical choices
• Naturalist, obvious, common
• Hard to imagine - not a lot of description
• Uphill - getting higher, better - struggle
• Weariness in first stanza
• Emphasises the length
• Worked with people worse off than her
• Resting place - security - might be love - church, faith, religion
• Those who have gone before - dead people - memories - souls
• Who is the second voice? Voice of God? Faith?
• Religious journey
• Poem about faith and reasurance
• Beds for all who come - place for you as long as you can accept faith

A Birthday

• Heart symbol - centre of being
• Repetition of similes
• Natural imagery - influence of Romantics
• Repition - Rephrain - emphasises joy
• Repition of imperative - commanding, commanding tone - feeling power
• Biblical connotations - apple tree, rainbow - fulfilled

From the Antique

• Rhyme constant
• Lots of nature
• Interesting first line - third person
• Complicated
• Alienation
• Exclusion of power for Victorian women
• Lack of female identity through oppression
• Addressing a woman's place in society

It's a weary life...
Weary - view of lots of Rossetti's narrators
No one would miss me in all the world...

• Pessimistic
• Melancholy
• Self pitying - stops us feeling sympathy?
• Self absorbtion

Cherries ripen...
Can't if no water - figuritive

Positive? saying small things don't matter - the world goes on

Good Friday - attitudes of the narrator

• Confused
• Guilty
• Respectful
• Reverent

Up-Hill - attitudes of the narrator

Narrative - question and answer between two people

• Ambigous
• Inquisitive
• Comforting
• Reasuring
• Kind
• All knowing
• Concerned seeking reasureance

A Birthday - Attitudes of the narrator

Narrative - Happy because a loved one has come

• Happy
• More positive
• Optimistic
• Glad
• Celebratory
• Relieved
• Full of joy

From the Anitique - Attitudes of the narrator

Narrative - Live is pointless nothing would notice if I died.

• Fed up
• Depressed
• Reseigned
• Melancholy
• Dispondent
• Feeling Obectified
• Suicidal
• Composed
• Sadness
• Cynicism
• Feels insignificant
• Unloved
• Calm