Sanity & Madness in A Streetcar Named Desire & Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Lesson 13
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ELA

Unit 10

10th Grade

Lesson 13 of 23

Objective


Analyze how the motifs of light and drinking function in Scene 8 and what they reveal about Blanche’s character and tragic flaw.

Readings and Materials


  • Play: A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams  — Scene 8

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A Note for Teachers


  • Big ideas in the text: Light represents life, passion, and vivaciousness whereas drinking, in this scene, is used to control Blanche’s anxiety and nerves.

Target Task


Discourse Questions

How do the motifs of light and drinking function in Scene 8?

What do the motifs reveal about Blanche’s character and tragic flaw?

Key Thinking


Scaffolding Questions

For question 1: 

  • What lines, words, and phrases highlight the motif of light?
  • What lines, words, and phrases highlight the motif of drinking?

For question 2: 

  • When and where do we see Blanche drinking? Why does she drink in these moments? What does this reveal about her character? 
  • When and where do we see Blanche in the light or in the dark? Why does she prefer to be in the dark? What does this reveal about her character?

Key Ideas

  • The motifs of light and drinking create a somber and reflective tone in the scene, which seem to ominously foreshadow a tragic fate for Blanche. In the scene, Stanley first refers to light when he tries to calm Stella and remind her that the passion will come back to their relationship soon. "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!" The lights come on when they are in the midst of passion and desire. The lights also represent their lives—in a more peaceful state—without Blanche. Then, Stella "starts lighting the candles on the white cake." As she lights the candles, Blanche begins to marvel at them and calls them "pretty little candles." 
  • When Blanche thinks about moments of liveliness and celebration and tells Stella she should save the candles for the baby’s birthday, she becomes more somber and contemplative. "I hope candles are going to glow in his life and I hope that his eyes are going to be like candles, like two blue candles lighted in a white cake!" In this case, candles represent celebration, life, and joy. Blanche wants those feelings for the baby since at the moment she cannot really access them for herself. She then starts to bicker with Stanley and feels anxious. This leads her to express feelings of nervousness "I take hot baths for my nerves." Then she "fiercely controls herself, drinking quickly from her tumbler of water." In an effort to calm herself and regain control of her emotions in the moment, Blanche takes a drink of water. 

Homework


  • Read and annotate “First Night at the Theatre” by Brooks Atkinson (The New York Times) (Originally published December 4, 1947) OR “Lower Depths, Southern Style” by Wolcott Gibbs (The New Yorker) (December 13, 1947 Issue).
    • Annotation Focus: What lines reveal the author’s critique or attitude of this production of A Streetcar Named Desire? Is the author’s overall attitude positive or negative?

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Standards


  • LO 1.3B — Analyze how the writer's use of stylistic elements contributes to a work of literature's effects and meaning.
  • RL.9-10.2 — Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
  • RL.9-10.3 — Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

Supporting Standards

LO 1.3A
LO 2.3A
LO 2.3B
LO 2.3C
LO 2.3D
LO 5.1A
LO 5.1B
RL.9-10.1
RL.9-10.4
SL.9-10.1

Next

Analyze and interpret the ambiguity in Scene 10. 

Lesson 14
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