I love words. So small, so random, yet so large in their meaning! They each have their own significance, along with the unspoken connotations and feelings that accompany them...
So anyways, here are a few words from the play, A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams, that are so much more than they first seem, said or used to describe Blanche or Stanley, two very different people.
______________________________
Blanche, in my view, is an outcast of society trying to fit in or at least pretend that she is needed in the world. Words that represent Blanche depict her as a fragile and childlike girl, without a strong foundation anywhere.
sprays (41): This word particularly contrasts Blanche with Stanley, as with the same object (the atomizer) Blanche playfully sprays it whereas Stanley seizes it and slams it instead. The difference between the actions, Blanche's childlike action to Stanley's powerful one shape each character.
shrilly (77): Blanche's voice gets "shrilly" sometimes, which is something that is quite high and associated with girls. When one thinks of "shrilly" it's usually piercing and overdone. This establishes Blanche as someone who is very emotional and excitable and overdoes things a bit. Surrounded by those who are always practical- Stella, Stanley, Steve, Eunice- she clearly stands out.
inert (162): This reminds me of how in the language packet we read words often give females a passive role. Blanche, despite her attempts to control her future, has little control. Inertness is weakness, and immobility, something that is very unmanly.
daisy (49): Stella describes Blanche as a "daisy", to make her feel better. As the packet remarked, flowers, and plants in general, are often used to describe girls. It may be pretty, but it is also easily unrooted and ruined. This reflects Blanche's character, as someone who strives to be beautiful but feels that she has no other attributes.
snatches (78): Twice I noticed Blanche "snatches" things, unlike Stanley who either takes, grabs, or rips away. Snatching is a furtive movement, one that is nervous, quick, and uncertain, much like Blanche. Also, her snatching implies that she does not confidently own much, a reminder that she is already fading away from the present.
breathlessly (94): This is a very light and weak word; one is breathless when they are exhausted, excited, or nervous. Blanche is all three of those things. She rarely states things loudly and confidently, but flits around from one place to another. She has no constant ground she can stop in.
delicate [piece] (136): Stanley calls here a "delicate piece". Not only does "delicate" establish Blanche as fragile and vulnerable, the "piece" added at the end suggests that she is not even a human or someone worthy- she is merely an object to be moved around to others' advantages. At the end of the play, Blanche is sent off much like this.
whispering (171): Again, this emphasizes the differences between Blanche, who whispers, and Stanley, who bellows. Blanche doesn't want to make a strong impression on anyone, and so she whispers- a light and un-intrusive action. She takes the passive role instead of the active one.
_______________________________
Stanley, on the other hand, has not past, and lives fully in the present, as a person who fits completely in the world. He is very confident and primitive... the words used to describe him are ones that show that he takes an active role, instead of a passive one. He needs power and control.
lordly 29): Not only does this have the masculine root word, "lord", but it is just filled with the connotation of power and righteousness. In the scene where this word appears, Stanley "lordly" accepts Stella's kiss, as if he doesn't really enjoy it at all but bears it for 'his girl'. This is how he acts- Stanley is always the one who gives- he is independent, and doesn't need or want to change.
ominously (30): Oftentimes Stanley says things "ominously", which again has that connotation that one would want to be weary, as well as do what Stanley says or beware of the consequences. It ties into Stanley's power and how he can make others fear him, without having to even move much.
smoldering (37): Another thing he does is give "smoldering" looks- really, Stanley defines himself the guy with control over everything. It's his house and it's his things: and if you do anything that he doesn't really like, out comes the "smoldering" glance. He is taking the active role, judging others. Blanche, on the other hand, is judged by others, and needs others to make herself feel confident and young again.
sub-human (83): Blanche calls Stanley "sub-human", which is interesting. The way Stanley acts, based on his sexual needs and always in the moment, drunk or not, he is kind of like the last survivor of the stone age. Blanche is an English teacher, who believes in proper manners, whereas Stanley views the world in a direct way.
baying (66): This word caries an animal tone to Stanley, which is similar among many of his other actions. Wolves bay at the moon- as Stanley bayed at Stella. He uses Stella, but in the end he is a very independent guy. As a self-proclaimed king, in the play people work around him, even the men who play poker with him.
napoleonic [code] (32): The Napoleonic Code was a code that was created in Bonaparte's time, and this correlates with the tradition of a patriarchy- something Stanley clearly agrees with. Even though it's French (which would seem to side with Blanche), it is a plus for males. Family wise, husbands got the supremacy. Take a look at this website- here's a quote on how marriage should work (among many):
"The husband owes protection to his wife, the wife obedience to her husband."
booming (40): Stanley, whenever he talks, does so loudly and confidently. It's his character. He does what he wants and no one can ever say otherwise. Thinking about it actually, I think Stanley really starts to dislike Blanche because she threatens his way of life- mainly, Stella and poker. He blames her for Stella's comment on his roughness (as Stella tries to show Blanche Stanley in small bits), and I think he also is a bit miffed that he can't have much of a romance with Stella either because Blanche is there.
During discussion in class:::
Stella:
Stanley:
So masculine that he's almost animalistic- much like a code hero. He's the alpha male.
The words (below) have negative connotation- but only nowadays. Back then, this is what a guy should be.
Motivation:
She's very self-absorbed. Representative of the old South, a well-turned out (though damaged) aristocracy on appearance, with a complexity behind it that almost "shatters those ideas". She is similar to Stanley who had been raised in a different situation. There's a lot of sexual tension (they recognize that they are similar) between the two.
Blanche feels really guilty. She was attracted to a guy who had very feminine qualities.When she's alone, she's drinking, and anxious, and the music keeps playing in her head. She needs to be someone else, to avoid herself and her past.
What's good about Blanche?
What's bad about Blanche?
So anyways, here are a few words from the play, A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams, that are so much more than they first seem, said or used to describe Blanche or Stanley, two very different people.
______________________________
Blanche, in my view, is an outcast of society trying to fit in or at least pretend that she is needed in the world. Words that represent Blanche depict her as a fragile and childlike girl, without a strong foundation anywhere.
sprays (41): This word particularly contrasts Blanche with Stanley, as with the same object (the atomizer) Blanche playfully sprays it whereas Stanley seizes it and slams it instead. The difference between the actions, Blanche's childlike action to Stanley's powerful one shape each character.
shrilly (77): Blanche's voice gets "shrilly" sometimes, which is something that is quite high and associated with girls. When one thinks of "shrilly" it's usually piercing and overdone. This establishes Blanche as someone who is very emotional and excitable and overdoes things a bit. Surrounded by those who are always practical- Stella, Stanley, Steve, Eunice- she clearly stands out.
inert (162): This reminds me of how in the language packet we read words often give females a passive role. Blanche, despite her attempts to control her future, has little control. Inertness is weakness, and immobility, something that is very unmanly.
daisy (49): Stella describes Blanche as a "daisy", to make her feel better. As the packet remarked, flowers, and plants in general, are often used to describe girls. It may be pretty, but it is also easily unrooted and ruined. This reflects Blanche's character, as someone who strives to be beautiful but feels that she has no other attributes.
snatches (78): Twice I noticed Blanche "snatches" things, unlike Stanley who either takes, grabs, or rips away. Snatching is a furtive movement, one that is nervous, quick, and uncertain, much like Blanche. Also, her snatching implies that she does not confidently own much, a reminder that she is already fading away from the present.
breathlessly (94): This is a very light and weak word; one is breathless when they are exhausted, excited, or nervous. Blanche is all three of those things. She rarely states things loudly and confidently, but flits around from one place to another. She has no constant ground she can stop in.
delicate [piece] (136): Stanley calls here a "delicate piece". Not only does "delicate" establish Blanche as fragile and vulnerable, the "piece" added at the end suggests that she is not even a human or someone worthy- she is merely an object to be moved around to others' advantages. At the end of the play, Blanche is sent off much like this.
whispering (171): Again, this emphasizes the differences between Blanche, who whispers, and Stanley, who bellows. Blanche doesn't want to make a strong impression on anyone, and so she whispers- a light and un-intrusive action. She takes the passive role instead of the active one.
_______________________________
Stanley, on the other hand, has not past, and lives fully in the present, as a person who fits completely in the world. He is very confident and primitive... the words used to describe him are ones that show that he takes an active role, instead of a passive one. He needs power and control.
lordly 29): Not only does this have the masculine root word, "lord", but it is just filled with the connotation of power and righteousness. In the scene where this word appears, Stanley "lordly" accepts Stella's kiss, as if he doesn't really enjoy it at all but bears it for 'his girl'. This is how he acts- Stanley is always the one who gives- he is independent, and doesn't need or want to change.
ominously (30): Oftentimes Stanley says things "ominously", which again has that connotation that one would want to be weary, as well as do what Stanley says or beware of the consequences. It ties into Stanley's power and how he can make others fear him, without having to even move much.
smoldering (37): Another thing he does is give "smoldering" looks- really, Stanley defines himself the guy with control over everything. It's his house and it's his things: and if you do anything that he doesn't really like, out comes the "smoldering" glance. He is taking the active role, judging others. Blanche, on the other hand, is judged by others, and needs others to make herself feel confident and young again.
sub-human (83): Blanche calls Stanley "sub-human", which is interesting. The way Stanley acts, based on his sexual needs and always in the moment, drunk or not, he is kind of like the last survivor of the stone age. Blanche is an English teacher, who believes in proper manners, whereas Stanley views the world in a direct way.
baying (66): This word caries an animal tone to Stanley, which is similar among many of his other actions. Wolves bay at the moon- as Stanley bayed at Stella. He uses Stella, but in the end he is a very independent guy. As a self-proclaimed king, in the play people work around him, even the men who play poker with him.
napoleonic [code] (32): The Napoleonic Code was a code that was created in Bonaparte's time, and this correlates with the tradition of a patriarchy- something Stanley clearly agrees with. Even though it's French (which would seem to side with Blanche), it is a plus for males. Family wise, husbands got the supremacy. Take a look at this website- here's a quote on how marriage should work (among many):
"The husband owes protection to his wife, the wife obedience to her husband."
booming (40): Stanley, whenever he talks, does so loudly and confidently. It's his character. He does what he wants and no one can ever say otherwise. Thinking about it actually, I think Stanley really starts to dislike Blanche because she threatens his way of life- mainly, Stella and poker. He blames her for Stella's comment on his roughness (as Stella tries to show Blanche Stanley in small bits), and I think he also is a bit miffed that he can't have much of a romance with Stella either because Blanche is there.
During discussion in class:::
Stella:
- She is attracted to his animalistic character- which is both passion and violence.
- Is she delusional? Holding on to Stanley and pretending it's perfect.
- or not- she is happy, and loves Stanley despite his violence.
- Blanche's company adds stress- she reminds Stella of a past that wasn't with Stanley. And then Stella has to choose between Blanche and Stanley.
Stanley:
So masculine that he's almost animalistic- much like a code hero. He's the alpha male.
The words (below) have negative connotation- but only nowadays. Back then, this is what a guy should be.
Motivation:
- power
- feels threatened by Blanche, for he loses his power over Stella and Mitch. She is everything he isn't- old blood, educated, vs. primitiveness.
- poker, Stella
- practical.
- After he does something bad, he immediately regrets it. He is sincere? In this setting, it's not that uncommon.
- A bit immature.
- He has a habit of bullying, then apologizing, then going on with life, and then back again.
- He doesn't really plan anything- he does things on whim. No intentions- he reacts. But is he still responsible for his actions?
- personally, it doesn't matter whether he's manipulative or plans things out before hand- he's still responsible.
- animalistic:
- whelp
- sub-human
- baying hound
- richly feathered (male) bird
- primitive
- hunking
- ape-like
- grunt
- stalk
- slammed
- ideals of masculinity
- rutting hunk
- richly feathered (male) bird
- working
- rough
- manhood
- king
- Unrefined
- clumsy
- unshaven
- working
- straightforward
- comfortable
- simple
- coarse
- madman
- straightforward
She's very self-absorbed. Representative of the old South, a well-turned out (though damaged) aristocracy on appearance, with a complexity behind it that almost "shatters those ideas". She is similar to Stanley who had been raised in a different situation. There's a lot of sexual tension (they recognize that they are similar) between the two.
Blanche feels really guilty. She was attracted to a guy who had very feminine qualities.When she's alone, she's drinking, and anxious, and the music keeps playing in her head. She needs to be someone else, to avoid herself and her past.
What's good about Blanche?
- she wants to get her sister out of Stanley's life.
What's bad about Blanche?
- materialistic
- self absorbed
- manipulative
- proving her worth
- Brutishness
- liar
- fierce
- empress
- queen
- tiger
- feminine, innocent
- fresh
- honey
- daintily
- delicate [piece]
- daisy
- honey
- sweetie
- feathered
- powdered
- playful
- romance
- glamorous
- dressing
- vivacity
- moth
- doll
- insecurity
- illusion
- dame
- old maid
- slipped
- fading
- desperate
- canary bird
- dame aux camellias
excellent! Ms. M
ReplyDelete