Assignment
This assignment is closed research-any use of quoted material or resources other than the poem and course notes will be considered as off-topic and not relevant to this assignment. Evidence of plagiarism will result in an automatic zero for this grade and disciplinary action (see syllabus).
This Report assignment asks you to analyze the play "A Streetcar Named Desire" as a "Modern Tragedy" and the character of Blanche DuBois as a "Tragic Heroine." Your report must take the position that the play and the character fit the two designations, and then describe, through extended analysis and reporting, how and why this fit occurs. This Report is not an argumentative essay, however, because both the play and the character were conceived and understood as fitting the terms "modern" and "tragic." Your goal is to explain the basis of this understanding, by applying notes and ideas from units 9 through 14.
You may write your report as a series of direct paragraphs that answer the given questions and prompts, but remember that this assignment is designed for you to apply some of the practical and interpretive skills that we have been covering in the Homework and Discussion assignments. You will be graded on the following criteria:
• Elaborateness - this report must display the full extent of your knowledge; be thorough. Use examples from the actual text of the play. Make sure that you respond to everything asked in the prompts. Include quotations and page numbers.
• Precision (and Grammar) - choose your words carefully so that your statement gives an exact and specific response to the prompt (avoid vague words and phrases)-this will demonstrate your comprehension of the related literary concepts of drama and character. Proofread your work before you submit the assignment to correct mistakes in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar.
This report must use notes, terminology, historical data, and ideas from the PowerPoint presentations 9-14. If you compose your report without using these materials, the writing will not be accurate or complete. The prompts below will guide you so that you address the appropriate ideas.
• Insight - your responses should build upon existing ideas and knowledge gained from previous readings and Discussions. Read the prompts and assignments carefully so that you provide a thoughtful answer. Strive for depth and complexity (not just a simple, fact-based response).
• Originality - when requested, give your honest opinion or evaluation; be critical when appropriate.
You should write this Analysis Report for the following readers: people who have already read the play (and actually seen it on stage or a movie or TV performance), but who would like to understand the play better through the character.
Your purpose here is to explain, not evaluate. Avoid statements that refer to whether or not you like the play or character, whether or not Tennessee Williams "does a good job" at something, whether or not the play is entertaining, great, etc.
Your response should cover the following (composed as a series of lengthy paragraphs). Feel free to use the uploaded MS WORD document as an outline for your work, but keep the grading criteria in mind as you compose your report.
Part One: Modern Tragedy and the Plot of "A Streetcar Named Desire" (three-four paragraphs, at least; you may combine discussion of the different components in one paragraph as long as the Report is coherent)
Introduce your report with an overall explanation why this play receives the label of "Modern Tragedy." Your discussion needs to address all of the following (all of which are covered in both the PowerPoint presentations and/or the textbook):
• Theme (and the significance of the title of the play)
• Basics of Performance Frames
• Classical definitions of "Tragedy" and updates from the 19th-20th century
• The Three Unities (Aristotle)
• Dramatic Irony and the Plot of this play
• Situational Irony and Cosmic Irony on the stage
• Social Realities and Culture
Part Two: Blanche DuBois, Heroic Characters, and Tragic Heroes/Heroines (four-five paragraphs, at least; you may combine discussion of the different components in one paragraph as long as the Report is coherent)
This part of the report must draw heavily from Units 9 and 13 (character) in order to make sense of Blanche DuBois as a literary personage, with agency, the capacity for development, roundness, and redemption. Then you must fit this character into the framework of the "Tragic Hero" (or "Heroine" in this case). Since this play was published (and staged) well into the 20th century, you should keep in mind that the term "Anti-Hero" may apply in this case (so you don't have to "like" Blanche DuBois or find her behavior to be "acceptable" to complete this section).
Your report needs to address all of the following:
• Round Characters and Flat Characters (and Foils)
• Characterization (Direct and Indirect)
• Character Agency, Internal/External Conflicts, and Development
• Redemption and Resolution (possibility, success, and failure)
• Classical Heroes, Modern Heroes, and Anti-Heroes
Part Three: Setting ³ Character (four paragraphs, at least; these should be separate)
This part of the report must draw heavily from Unit 10 and 12 (setting) in order to make sense of the circumstances and physical realities of this play. For each of the four components of Setting, choose one outstanding detail that contributes to the formula of "Modern Tragedy." Your objective here is to provide a link between the ultimate outcome of the play (Scenes 10 and 11) and Place, Space, Year/Season, and Interval. Each paragraph should describe the specific connection in terms of cause and effect.
For example, in Session 9, we considered the fact that the widespread availability of heroin in Harlem (PLACE) from the 1920s-1950s (YEAR) contributed to Sonny's downfall, and in Session 10, we studied the roles that summertime (SEASON) and the layout of Connie's house (SPACE) played in the plot outcome in "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" So your report needs to address each of the following:
• Place (choose one significant locale)
• Space (the layout of the Kowalski's apartment and Elysian Fields)
• Year/Season (1947/Summertime, but preceding years hold weight as well)
• Interval (total duration, time gaps, and embedded time).