E6R A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams

Lesson 9 ( Scene 8) 


Aim: How is the theme of "rawness of the world", "loss of gentility", "insensitivity" and "brutality" explored in this scene?

Do Now: Journal Writing-
Mitch did not come to Blanche's birthday party. We, the audience, know why, but Blanche was totally unaware of it. What could she be thinking while waiting for Mitch to turn up? What reasons could she think of to defend Mitch's absence? Why?

Procedures:
Discuss the following questions after reading scene 8
1. What  seems to be the reason that Stanley is not amused by Blanche's story? Why is Blanche the only one laughing?
2. How has Blanche awoken some "old" senses in Stella?
3. What does this speech( page 108-109 "Stella it's got be all right after she goes... God, honey, it's gonna be sweet when we can make noise in the night the way that we used to and get the colored lights going with nobody's sister behind the curtains to hear us!" reveal about Stanley's personality?
4. When Stanley gave Blanche the  ticket   to  Laurel  as her birthday gift, what could be   Blanche's reactions ? If you were Blanche, how would you feel about it? Again, how does this incidence prove Stanley is more like an animal rather than a human being? What is lacking in him?
5. What makes a human being a human?
6. Why does Blanche always hear the Varsouviana music? Is the music physically audible? When does the music appear in Blanche's mind?
7. On page 111, Stella said to Stanley:" You didn't know Blanche as a girl. Nobody, nobody, was tender and trusting as she was. But people like you abused her, and forced her to change." What kind of people does Stanley represent? How true is this statement? Defend your answer.

Homework Assignment:
Find an article or a story that seems to describe the same theme-"rawness of the world", "loss of gentility", "insensitivity" and "brutality"; Or make a collage presenting one of the themes.