Lesson 4 | Illuminating Illusions: Truth and Fantasy in A Streetcar Named Desire | 11th Grade English

Lesson Map

Gain background knowledge on A Streetcar Named Desire by exploring a text set on the Southern belle, women's roles in the post-war era, New Orleans culture, the Southern Gothic genre, and the life of Tennessee Williams.

Materials

“The Southern Lady and Belle: The Companion to Southern Literature by Joseph Flora and Lucinda MacKethan”
“Women and Work After World War II”
“New Orleans Multicultural Stew”
“Tennessee Williams Family Letters”
French Quarter Life
“Tennessee Williams: No Refuge but Writing”
“Gone with the Wind Clip”
“Jazz & Spectacle: New Orleans in the 1940s”
“Southern Gothic Literature in 60 Seconds”
A Streetcar Named Desire Text Set Handout (G11, U4, L1)

Standards

RI.11-12.7SL.11-12.2

Lesson

Analyze how Williams uses characterization and setting to create contrast.

Materials

A Streetcar Named Desire — Scene One, pp. 3–10

Standards

RL.11-12.3RL.11-12.4

Lesson

Use a historical lens to analyze characters and conflict in A Streetcar Named Desire.

Materials

A Streetcar Named Desire — Scene One, pp. 10–28
Literary Lenses (G11, U4)
Historical Lens Graphic Organizer (G11, U4)

Standards

L.11-12.6RL.11-12.2RL.11-12.3RL.11-12.4

Lesson

Compare the film version of scene one of A Streetcar Named Desire with the play in a jigsaw discussion.

Materials

A Streetcar Named Desire pp. 12–28
A Streetcar Named Desire
Film Terms
Film Comparison Graphic Organizer (G11, U4)

Standards

L.11-12.6RL.11-12.7SL.11-12.1SL.11-12.1.aSL.11-12.1.bSL.11-12.1.cSL.11-12.6

Lesson

Analyze how Williams uses characterization to portray gender dynamics and class conflict.

Materials

A Streetcar Named Desire pp. 29–45 — Scene Two
Literary Lenses (G11, U4)

Standards

L.11-12.6RL.11-12.3RL.11-12.4

Lesson

Analyze how Williams portrays the relationships between characters and how Kazan uses film techniques to emphasize aspects of these relationships.

Materials

A Streetcar Named Desire pp. 46–69
A Streetcar Named Desire
Film Comparison Graphic Organizer (G11, U4)
Film Terms

Standards

L.11-12.6RL.11-12.3RL.11-12.7

Lesson

Apply the feminist lens to a poem.

Materials

“After the Loss of a Limb”

Standards

L.11-12.6RL.11-12.2RL.11-12.4RL.11-12.5RL.11-12.6

Lesson

Analyze characters and their conflicts using a psychoanalytic lens.

Materials

A Streetcar Named Desire pp. 70–99
Literary Lenses (G11, U4)

Standards

L.11-12.6RL.11-12.2RL.11-12.3RL.11-12.4

Lesson

Writing

Write a short review about how well Kazan captures characterization and conflict in a scene from the film version of A Streetcar Named Desire.

Materials

A Streetcar Named Desire
Film Comparison Graphic Organizer (G11, U4)
Film Terms

Standards

L.11-12.6W.11-12.1.aW.11-12.1.bW.11-12.4

Lesson

Writing

Analyze a cultural artifact using a literary lens.

Materials

Applying a Literary Lens to a Cultural Artifact Prompt and Rubric (G11, U4, L10)
Applying a Literary Lens to a Cultural Artifact Graphic Organizer (G11, U4, L10)
Literary Lenses (G11, U4)

Standards

L.11-12.6W.11-12.1.aW.11-12.1.bW.11-12.4