A Streetcar Named Desire Rhetorical Analysis

A Streetcar Named Desire is focused almost completely on its three protagonists: Blanche, Stella, and Stanley. It could be suggested that this play was influenced by Williams’ own upbringing: his sister Rose was mentally ill, and Williams’ was a doting older brother. Potentially, Blanche was inspired by Rose and that this play uses his unique perspective to comment on the treatment of the mentally ill. Williams may be using Stella’s conflict to highlight this.

The play A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams, is a play about a woman named Blanche Dubois who goes to live with her sister after she loses her home in Mississippi. Between the hardships of her previous life and the way she is treated now, she is not in a good way by the time the play ends. She basically has a mental breakdown. There are three stages of Blanche’s mental state. She lives in a fantasy, Mitch rejecting her, and Stanley raping her, Blanche is mentally unstable by the end of this ply.

and self - pitying ways from the death of her husband and the lies of

A short amount of time has passed after Blanche’s encounter with the stranger following the departure of her to the mental institute, Blanche is wearing her piece of silky white robe. In her bag is a small bottle half full of liquor that she has slipped past the doctor. Whilst Blanche drinks to escape the feeling of regret she sings “Paper Moon” just so the doctor in the front seat of the car cannot hear her. Constantly taking sips of the strong liquor, she hums the song to herself until there is no more liquid in the glass bottle. Blanche looks up into the ceiling and tips the bottle upside down in hopes of the small puddle at the bottom to come out. With no liquor left in the bottle, Blanche frustratingly throws the bottle out of the window

The low moans of the clarinet and the blue piano all portray the image of what an animal would do. (Williams 129) Another form of imagery in the play is broken images. There is the broken mirror and Mitch tearing the lamp. There is also Blanche’s husband Hickey killing himself. There is also the loss of the baby which is a broken part of the story.

“he’s just not the type that goes for jasmine perfume, but maybe he’s what we need to mix with our blood now that we’ve lost Belle Reve.” (Scene 2, Page 45)

She lies to others to hide her past. Blanche’s series of lies did not bring her comfort instead leading her to tragedy. “Mr. Graves is suggested I take a leave of absence”(14) and “ I guess you are hoping I’ll say I’ll put up at a hotel, but I am not going to put up at hotel I want to be near you” (17) and the other lie is Bell Reve was his headquarters! “Honey that is how it slipped through my finger” (22). Blanche is telling these lies to her sister hoping Stall will believe her and accept her as she is now. Blanche is constantly lying to Mitch, who is Stanley’s friend and the only hope for life. “I called her little in spite of the fact she’s somewhat older than I” (60) and “Married? No. No I am old maid schoolteacher” (60). Blanche’s fake

In the excerpt given, the audience will react by understanding how Blanche feels, then afterward be surprised by how she reacts to this. In the scene, Blanche is seen sitting stiffly in a chair and tightly clutching her purse. From this text, the audience will begin to understand that Blanche is feeling uncomfortable and out of her element because she seems nervous. Furthermore, the stage directions state: “suddenly she notices something in a half opened closet. She springs up and crosses to it, and removes a whiskey bottle. She pours a half tumbler of whiskey and tosses it down.” When at first Blanche notices the half open closet, this sparks curiosity because it is currently unknown what is inside. Then when Blanche discovers it was whiskey

Blanche lost power to control her life. Stella was calling Blanche but she did not turn “ Blanche walks on without turning, followed by the Doctor and the Matron. They go around the corner of the building” (Williams, P. 178). This quote helps audience to understand what is happening with Blanche after being rapped by stanley. Her sister and brother in law sent her to mental hospital when she was going somewhere in her mind she has a thought that she is going with a doctor who will stay with her and love her as she was rejected from everyone and she want someone who wants her and takes care of her but she do not in reality she is going in a place where she won’t be loved. So, this quote shows that she lost a sense of thinking of what is happening

I agree that characters in the book A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, use lying and deception to fuel their social status. These lies develop trust and relationship issues and threaten the wellbeing of everyone involved. Blanche, was a high school english teacher in mississippi who was forced to leave her life behind there. With nowhere to go Blanche moves in with her sister Stella and husband Stanley, who has a suspicion about Blanche's past life which lead to some unwanted events.

That must be Blanche? I remember Stella talking about her sister once or twice, though Stella didn’t say anything about her coming into town. How rude that she’d just barge into my house like this, this is not hotel.This is getting me all worked up, I think I need a drink. What’s this? Looks like she’s already helped herself to a couple of drinks.

The Raw Power of A Streetcar Named Desire         Tennessee Williams's play A Streetcar Named Desire contains more within it's characters, situations, and story than appears on its surface. As in many of Williams's plays, there is much use of symbolism and interesting characters in order to draw in and involve the audience.   The plot of A Streetcar Named Desire alone does not captivate the audience.  

In the beginning, it isn’t obvious that Blanche is mental instable especially since she later reveals her struggles of trying to keep Belle Reve. Even though in the beginning she breaks down when Stanley tries to read the letter from Allan Grey, this seems like a rather normal reaction since his suicide is still s0mething fresh in her mind. Later in the story when Blanche is telling Mitch of Allan Grey, it becomes apparent that there is something odd about her since she mentions how she hears the Varsouviana Polka, which then ends with a gunshot. Finally, it is revealed that Blanche lives in her own reality when Stanley confronts her (by telling her that he knows the bad reputation she has in Laurel and the action she

This 1950's theatrical presentation was directed by Elia Kazan and written by Tennessee Williams. It is about a southern bell by the name of Blanche Dubois who loses her father's plantation to a mortgage and travels to live in her sister's home in New Orleans by means of a streetcar called Desire. There she finds her sister living in a mess with a drunken bully husband, and the events that follow cause Blanche to step over the line of insanity and fall victim to life's harsh lessons.

Some novels and plays seem to advocate changes in social or political attitudes or in traditions. Choose such a novel or play and note briefly the particular attitudes or traditions that the author apparently wishes to modify. Then analyze the techniques the author uses to influence the reader or audience’s views. Avoid plot summary.