Sample Task III- A Streetcar Named Desire

(Introduction)   The loss of gentility has been a common theme in works of literature throughout the twentieth century.  Many authors have depicted the world as a place of increasing brutality, insensitivity, and degradation, showing how people have lost their human refinement and manners.  Both passages clearly express the idea that the world is becoming more harsh and cruel, using several literary techniques to convey this message.

(Meaning of Poem) The first passage shows the loss of gentility through the eyes of a mother.  The poem strikes us over and over again with contrasting images of beauty and honor that the woman seeks, such as "vines and olive trees" and "marble well-governed cities", and the images of darkness and death that she finds in reality ("an artificial wilderness and a sky like lead"). The poem explores how the world has changed from its former state of gentleness and grace to a state of ugly destruction.

(Literary Elements) The poet uses several literary techniques to describe this change in the world from gentility to horror.  He uses repetition, beginning every three stanzas with the line "She looked over his shoulder..." in order to emphasize the contrast between what the woman expects to see- a civilized world- and what is actually revealed- a wasteland.  The imagery of the poem completes this contrast.  For instance, instead of discovering, "the altar", "athletes at their game" and "men and women in a dance", the woman finds "three pale figures led forth and bound" and "a weed-choked field", suggesting the loss of beauty and life.  The next stanza continues to describe a scene of brutality in which "girls are raped" and "two boys knife a third".  The poet also uses allusion as he refers to Achilles, Hephaestos, and Thetis, creating a sharp contrast between these honorable and heroic times of the past and the present atrocities that are apparent in this modern world.

(Meaning of Second Work) The second passage, a drama excerpt, also depicts the loss of gentility, particularly through the cruel and violent character of Stanley. However, one character, Blanche Dubois, is able to maintain her manners and refinement until the very end, even as she is carted off to a mental institution. Her statement, "I have always depended on the kindness of strangers" reveals that Blanche will only respond to those who treat her like a lady.  The author uses these characters to show that this world has become more rough and brutal, leaving those who are gentle and fragile with no real place to exist in it.

(Literary Elements) Several elements in the play's final scene illustrate the loss of gentility.  Tennessee Williams has characterized Stanley as a rough, thoughtless, brutal man.  Even as Stella seeks his comfort, Stanley "kneels beside her and his fingers find the opening of her blouse," showing that he is concentrating only on his own physical needs. His brutality is symbolized by the inhuman jungle voices that are heard throughout this scene, linking Stanley with the image of an animal.  There is evidence, however, that Blanche has not lost her gentility, even at the end.  It is the play's inherent irony that although Stanley believes he has conquered her completely, she walks out the door with head held high, responding only when the kind doctor refers to her as "Miss Dubois".  Though she has lost her mind, she has not lost her gentility.

(Conclusion) Both passages depict the world's degradation, revealing scenes and characters that have lost their gentility.  Both offer this depressing idea that the world of refinement and gracefulness has changed to one of brutality and lifelessness.  This scenario is a reality of our every day lives, as we struggle to adapt to its harsh consequences.