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Sociology social construction of gender roles
Sociology social construction of gender roles
Sociology social construction of gender roles
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The definition of submission is to acknowledge the legitimacy of a superior force and yield to it. It is commonly thought of in association to women, due to their long-lasting subordination throughout history. In Tennessee Williams' play, A Streetcar Named Desire submission is presented through the female characters of Stella and Blanche through exploring sexual relationships as well as the contrast of how the two genders act differently towards each other. On the other hand, Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie focuses more on the familial aspect of submission, particularly in the case of Beatrice and Kambili. However, Adichie manages to make a case against female submission through the growth of Kambili’s character in the novel as
The woman in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple and the woman in Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire both struggle with discrimination. Celie, a passive young woman, finds herself in mistreatment and isolation, leading to emotional numbness, in addition to a society in which females are deemed second-rate furthermore subservient to the males surrounding them. Like Celie, Blanche DuBois, a desperate woman, who finds herself dependent on men, is also caught in a battle between survival and sexism during the transformation from the old to the new coming South.
Each and every individual develops some sort of perspective and opinion on many different subjects, objects, and people throughout life. However, these perspectives are prone to change. The play, A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams is a great example of new outlooks on life making an effect on personal beliefs. It shows the denouement of two opposing perspectives and how they can eventually damage or even destroy an individual. Some ideas established by Tennessee Williams are shown by incidents such as Blanche's gay husband committing suicide, Stanley and his perspective of reality revealing the fantasy in which Blanche confides herself in, and Mitch's aspect that every individual is to be given an equal opportunity in life.
Blanche DuBois, a schoolteacher from Laurel, Mississippi, arrives at the New Orleans apartment of her sister, Stella Kowalski. Despite the fact that Blanche seems to have fallen out of close contact with Stella, she intends to stay at Stella’s apartment for an unspecified but likely lengthy period of time, given the large trunk she has with her. Blanche tells Stella that she lost Belle Reve, their ancestral home, following the death of all their remaining relatives. She also mentions that she has been given a leave of absence from her teaching position because of her bad nerves.
Scene One of A Streetcar Named Desire What is the dramatic significance of scene one of the play A Streetcar named Desire? Scene 1 of this play has great dramatic significance. In this essay, I will be looking at key points throughout the scene that reveal the key features of the plot, characters, theme and imagery plus how it is used to give the audience a taster for what is to come.
told Allan "I saw, I know, you disgust me…"( p.96). To Allan, Blanche seemed to
Social upheaval in many senses was explicit through the beginning of the twentieth century; two world wars had - for a short time - shifted the balance of power between men and women. Women were increasingly employed to fill positions which had previously been considered masculine. This was not to last however, and by the fifties men had reassumed their more dominant role in society. People were finding new voices at this time by taking pre-existing forms and pushing the boundaries to re-voice established literary forms. Tennessee Williams wrote A Streetcar Named Desire around the time this reversal was occurring in American society. Williams was a homosexual from the deep south of America, and his play is about physical, emotional and sexual conflict. We also see a discourse about the qualities of an Old South and a New America. It is an astute depiction of the continual metamorphosis gender roles were encountering; and in the play Williams highlights this gender struggle to represent the continual fight for supremacy on the one hand - and equality on the other - in the home between men and women and in the country between the Old south and the New America. Williams depicts "otherness" describing how people are marginalized and objected from society, for example Mitch and Blanche, he is also interested in femininity. Williams take on femininity is interesting as his female characters are central figures that are focused on as primary desiring subjects.
The ideology of male dominance has existed since the beginning of mankind. In the play A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams, it is especially apparent that Stanley, who is a working class man, feels the need to assert and reassert this principle of power constantly. Williams makes clear, through the character of Stanley, that the yearning for others’ recognition of their power and capability is the motive behind men’s masculine inclinations.
Concentrating on the dynamics of each character and his stance during the climax, feminists present an intelligent discussion on the inevitability of the rape and its effect on the characters. Unfortunately, many feminists have a tendency to become focused on the morals of rape, rather than exploring the symbolic nature of rape. Many feminists have also let their emotions and personal values sway their arguments, even to the point where they personally attack Tennessee Williams. However, a correct reading of the climax should focus on the symbolism of the event and the positioning of characters. From this stance, it becomes much clearer why this disturbing climax was essential, especially when considering the shocking conclusion to the play.
“But there are things that happen between a man and a woman in the dark—that sort of make everything seem—unimportant” (Williams 70). These words, spoken by Stella Kowalski in Tennessee Williams's 1940s, American play, A Streetcar Named Desire, demonstrate Stella’s case of abused woman syndrome. Williams carefully constructs Stella’s character to reflect the idea of male dominance which was especially prevalent during the time period. Scientifically, battered woman syndrome is defined as a pattern of psychological and behavioral symptoms found in women living in abusive relationships as a result of cumulative abuse: physically, emotionally, sexual, or otherwise. Throughout the play, Stella and Stanley’s marriage proves incredibly toxic and
The concept of power in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ can be split up into two distinct but related categories. The first category is dominance and the masculinity and physicality that go along with it and the second is subservience which is related to dependance and femininity. However, emotional manipulation and Williams own personal experiences also contribute to the representation of power.
Desiree is deeply in love with her husband and could not be happier in life. When she realizes her son is of a darker skin color than her own she panics. This causes her husband to fall out of love with her, which forces her to move on with her life as a single mother. She told her mother days before, Oh, mamma, I’m so happy; it frightens me” (171). Desiree could not be happier in life, which scares her because she doesn’t want it to end. Which she has good reason to feel this way since she then realizes that her newborn son is of a darker skin color. When her husband realizes this he loses his love for her, thinking that she must come from a family of darker skin. This breaks Desiree’s heart. She loves her husband and he no longer feels that
First, suspense one of the most annoying yet amazing part of a narrative/movie. Suspense is a state or feeling of excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen “I will not lose my nerve. I will not.” (32). Suspense plays a huge part in this story. Throughout the whole story suspense is everywhere, it’s in a tree and on the ground and in the air and just all around. One scene Rainsford is in a tree while Zaroff was right next to him about to be alerted by Zaroff. “If you are within the sound of my voice I congratulate you” (33). Rainsford made a trap to distract/kill Zaroff and it ended up wounding him causing him to say what he said. Not one person has made it that far according to Zaroff.
The title of the play is mentioned when Blanche is muttering to herself in Scene 1, ‘They told me to take a streetcar named Desire, and then transfer to one called Cemeteries and ride six blocks and get off at – Elysian Fields.’, which is effective as it encourages the audience to realise the importance of these different locations. Blanches desire is what she has followed which has led to a kind of death within herself. This is suggested in the name ‘Cemeteries’. The noun ‘Desire’ is used here to refer to Blanche’s past, both with Allan and in Laurel. The desire that she experienced with Allan was a desire for love which led her to temporarily ignore his attraction to males. Blanches desire for love was presented as more of a desperation when
she was told "to take a streetcar named Desire, and then to transfer to one
“Illusions commend themselves to us because they save us pain and allow us to enjoy pleasure instead. We must therefore accept it without complaint when they sometimes collide with a bit of reality against which they are dashed to pieces” (Sigmund Freud). Illusion can be a part of our lives; however, if taken to the extreme, it can lead one to forget reality. Every individual has problems in life that must be faced with reality and not with illusion, even though it might throw one into flames of fires. Tennessee Williams' play of a family reveals the strength of resistance between reality and desire, judgment and imagination, and between male and female. The idea of reality versus illusion is demonstrated throughout the play. Blanche's world of delusion and fantastical philosophy is categorized by her playful relationships, attempts to revive her youth, and her unawareness in the direction of reality of life. In Tennessee William’s play, A Streetcar Named Desire, through the study of character and tropology, fantasy and illusion allow one to make life appear as it should be rather than as it is.