WE D N E S D AY, D E C E MB E R 3 , 2 0 0 8

Student Packet for A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE

A Streetcar Named Desire

By Tennessee Williams

About the Author

Tennessee Williams is one of the foremost playwrights of the twentieth century.
He won numerous awards and has created some of the most memorable
characters in American theater. In an interview, Williams said, I have always
been more interested in creating a character that contains something crippled. I
think nearly all of us have some kind of defect, anyway, and I suppose I have
found it easier to identify with the characters who verge upon hysteria, who were
frightened of life, who were desperate to reach out to another person.

Written in 1947, A Streetcar Named Desire explores the themes of desire,
loneliness, and human fragility (Andrews 628). The story is set in New Orleans,
Louisiana in the month of May, sometime after WW II.

Background

Tennessee Williams play A Streetcar Named Desire is set in New Orleans in the
late 1940s. Blanche Dubois leaves her dismantled life in Mississippi to start over
in New Orleans.
She arrives at her sisters home, but quickly falls into conflict with her macho
brother-in-law, Stanley. Their lives get tangled up as Blanche falls deeper into
despair.
Blanche misuses alcohol to deal with her overwhelming problems. She is forced
to deal with poverty, sexual assault, domestic abuse, and depression.

A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE:
UNIT PLAN

Essential Questions
In what ways does fantasy help and harm people trying to cope with reality?
How far should people go to show loyalty to people they love? To friends? To
family?
What are the consequences of pursuing overwhelming desire?
Is deliberate cruelty the only unforgivable crime?
How do characters simultaneously represent and deconstruct the American
Dream?
How do humans primal instincts both strengthen and destroy them?

Unit Goals
Answer the Essential Questions using examples from the text, both orally and
in writing.
Respond to class texts in journals and analytical writing assignments.
Read a Young Adult Literature book that parallels the themes in A Streetcar
Named Desire.
Complete a student-selected final creative project that explores one of the themes
in Streetcar: deliberate cruelty, noble vs. primal instinct, desire, loneliness,
illusion vs. reality, the decaying American Dream.
Unit Assessments
Maintain a notebook of reading reflections which demonstrate mastery of
analytical writing, text interpretation, and understanding of literary devices used
in the text.
Participation in class discussions and activities.
Various quizzes on vocabulary, reading comprehension, and text interpretation.
Complete a Character Trait Poster on one of the main characters in the play.
Write an R.A.F.T. Letter to a character from Streetcar.
An Alternative Book Report project which compares A Streetcar Named Desire to
your Young Adult Fiction Companion Text.

Streetcar Companion Texts: Independent Reading Project
You can read any of the following Young Adult texts for independent reading. The
goal of using Young Adult Fiction to supplement A Streetcar Named Desire is for
you to read about similar experiences that happen to people your own age in a
contemporary setting. You will be required to write a text comparison essay
addressing both a Young Adult novel, and A Streetcar Named Desire.

Young Adult Selections:
Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak. New York : Farrar Straus Giroux, 1999.
Cormier, Robert. Tenderness. New York : Delacorte Press, 2004
Dessen, Sarah. Dreamland. New York: Viking, 2000.
Flinn, Alexandra. Breathing Underwater. New York: Harper Collins Publishers,
2001.
Plummer, Louise. A Dance for Three. New York : Delacorte Press, 2000.

Character Trait Poster Project
Choose one of the four main characters (Stella, Stanley, Blanche, or Mitch). Draw
a picture or illustration of your character in the middle of a poster board. Then
find and write the following neatly and attractively on the poster:
Two quotes that show the characters personality(and page #s)
Two quotes that show the characters wants/desires/ambitions (and page #s)
Two quotes that show relationships with other characters (and page #s)
Two quotes that show the characters appearance (and page #s)
This project will be graded on appearance (attractiveness) and appropriateness of
quotes in each category. See the project rubric for more info. Make your project
unique!

R.A.F.T. Writing Assignment
One assignment that you will complete is a Role, Audience, Format and Topic
(R.A.F.T.) writing task. In order to complete this activity, you will identify and
read a selection from the text that deals with abuse. Next, you will write an advice
letter to a character in the play. In this letter, you will state why you are writing
the letter and why the character needs help. You must also explain how the
character might go about getting help. Tone is especially important during the
writing of this assignment!

Vocabulary Assignments
Vocab #1: appraise, cosmopolitan, decay, evoke, improvident, incongruous,
lunacy, perpetual, peruse, preen, primitive, treachery, valise, vivacity, vulgar,
illusion, allusion, blanche, courtesan.

Vocab #2: bestial, contemptible, coquettish, deluded, dote, emphatic,
incredulous, morbid, peal, precede, quaint, row, serene, solemn, vicinity, wince.

Vocab #3: anxiety, callous, conceit, dismal, enrich, grotesque, implore, obscure,
partial, protrude, repertoire, sinister, slander, sullen, transitory, uncouth.

Extra Credit Vocabulary (5 points per word!) : neurasthenic, contrapuntal[ly],
sotto cove, bohemian. **NOTE** You cannot turn in extra credit if you have
missing assignments. Make up missed work first!
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE: Final Projects

Create a Soundtrack:
Create an 11- song mix tape (CD only, please!) of songs that retell the story of
Streetcar. You may choose songs that tell the story from a specific characters
point of view. For each song, you must write a 1-paragraph explanation of why
the song suits the scene and the characters perspective in that scene. You must
also design a CD jacket that is appropriate for the project.

Design a Graphic Novel:
Design and illustrate a comic book that tells the story of Streetcar. Your graphic
novel must include a frame for at least six major scenes in the play. You must
complete this in pen-and-ink, colored pencil, or marker (no messy graphite pencil
drawings, and no crayons, please!). Each frame of your graphic novel must
include a quotation from the text of Streetcar that is seminal to the scene.

Create a Character Journal:
Write at least four one-page journals (8.5 x 11 page, no more, no less), told from
the point of view of a character in Streetcar. Describe the characters feelings
about the events that occur during the play. Because a diary is very personal,
remember to include the characters hopes, dreams, and fears. Your journals
should be very creative, and include collage elements and artifacts from the
characters lives (Such as scraps of clothing, faded flowers from Blanches dress,
Stellas receipt from the hospital, Stanleys winning poker card, and so forth).

Rewrite the Ending of the Play:
Write a three-to-four page alternative ending for Streetcar. Remember to include
sound, lighting, and music to make your movie dynamic. You will need to use
proper script format and you will have to recruit a few friends from class to read
aloud and act this out for us in class. Be creativeuse costumes and props to
entertain us! (Note: I can give you an example of proper script format. If you
choose this project, you should have reliable computer and printer access at
home because you will need to print the script).
NOTE: You can also write a talk showbut it must be more Oprah than
Jerry. J

How you will be graded:
Create a rubric for the project = 50 points*
Conference with teacher = 30 points
Final Product = 100 points*
Class Presentation = 30 points*

*These assessments count as a test grade.


READING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

When we first meet Blanche DuBois, she has traveled to see her sister Stella. She
took streetcars named Desire and Cemeteries to arrive at her sisters apartment.
What might these names represent?
What does Blanche do while she is waiting for Stella to come home?
What does Belle Reve mean? What does it refer to in the play?
Why does Blanche say that she has left her teaching job to visit Stella?
Why does Blanche say that she lost Belle Reve?
Near the end of Scene One, what do we learn about Blanches husband?
In Scene Two, Stanley finds out about the loss of Belle Reve. What is his reaction?
What does Stanley think that Blanche has done with the money he believes she
made from selling Belle Reve?
What does Stanley tell Blanche about Stella as they are going through her
business papers?
Where are Stella and Blanche going while the men play poker?
When Blanche and Stella return to the apartment, the men are still there playing
poker. Which one does Stella introduce to Blanche? What does Blanche say about
him?
Blanche goes to the back room, a bedroom, to relax until the men finish playing.
She turns on the radio. Stanley asks her to turn it off, but when she doesnt, what
does Stanley do?
Why does Blanche lie to Mitch about being younger than Stella? Why doesnt she
like bright lights?
What happens between Stella and Stanley that ends the poker game?
How did Stella say she reacted to Stanleys breaking all the light bulbs on their
wedding night?
What idea does Blanche have to escape New Orleans with Stella?
When Blanche and Stella are discussing Stanley, what does he hear Blanche say
about him?
In Scene Five, Blanche discusses astrological signs. What sign does she think
Stanley was born under and why? What sign does she say she was born under?
What does it mean?
Seemingly out of the blue, Stanley asks Blanche if she knows someone named
Shaw. What is Blanches response?
Who is coming over to see Blanche on this night?
After Stella and Stanley leave, a young man comes to the door collecting money
for the local newspaper, The Evening Star. What does Blanche do when he
arrives?
Blanche and Mitch discuss Stanley. She asks him if Stanley talks much about her
and explains how horrid he is making her life there with them. What does Mitch
respond?
At the end of Scene Six, Blanche is confiding in Mitch by telling him the story of
how her husband died. How did he die? What events led to his death?
Stanley lets Stella know that he has learned some things about Blanche. What
things?
During their talk, Blanche is in the tub and singing. What does she sing about?
Who is supposed to come over for Blanches birthday? Why does Stanley say this
person wont be coming?
What has Stanley bought for Blanche?
Stanley gets angry at Stella for telling him his face and fingers are disgustingly
greasy. What does he do in response?
What happens at the end of Scene Eight?
In Scene Nine, who stops by unexpectedly to see Blanche?
Blanche makes a very telling statement about reality. What does she say?
What does Blanche admit happened after her husbands death? Why did she say
she did this?
Why does Mitch say he wont marry Blanche now?
Who does Blanche tell Stanley she heard from? What invitation does she say he
extended?
Blanche tells Stanley that Mitch came to see her that night. What does she tell
him the reason was?
What happens at the end of Scene Ten?
37. Several weeks have passed and Stella is packing Blanches things. Where does
Blanche think she is going? Where is she actually going?
Recommended Young Adult Literature Selections:

You will select one of the Young Adult Literature books described below and read
it as your Independent Reading Book / companion text for our unit on Tennessee
Williams A Streetcar Named Desire. If you know of another book you would like
to read, bring it to class and get my approval in writing, in advance. I am open to
your suggestions! J

A Dance for Three by Louise Plummer: "Milo wasn't the first boy to kiss me but
he was the first one to bite me." He's also the first boy to slug her when she tells
him she's going to have his baby. Hannah Ziebarth, 15, had felt loved by rich,
good-looking Milo and his cool, elegant family, and as she leans on the dumpster
in the alley bleeding on her dowdy Burger Bar uniform, she is in shocked denial.
The pregnancy is only one of Hannah's troubles. Her beloved father has died
suddenly from a freak accident, and her mother has retreated into agoraphobia;
Hannah must care for her feeble and self-absorbed Mama just when she needs
mothering herself. When she hides in Milo's car and overhears him having sex
with his old girlfriend, her world finally collapses. A psychotic break lands her in
a mental hospital for juveniles, and she begins the long step-by-step process of
putting the pieces of her life back together with the help of a compassionate
young therapist.

Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn: It was only a slap. Well, maybe more than
one. And maybe Nick used his fist at the end when the anger got out of control.
But his girlfriend Caitlin deserved it--hadn't she defied him by singing in the
school talent show when he had forbidden her to display herself like that? Even
though he'd told her that everybody would laugh at her because she couldn't sing
and was a fat slob? Both were lies. Because Caitlin was so beautiful, the only
person who understood him. Out of his desperate need for her came all the mean
words and the hitting. But now Caitlin's family has procured a restraining order
to keep Nick away, and the judge has sentenced him to Mario Ortega's Family
Violence class, to sit around every week with six other angry guys who hit their
girlfriends. And to write a journal explaining how he got into this mess.

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen: Strange, sleepy Rogerson, with his long brown
dreads and brilliant green eyes, had seemed to Caitlin to be an open door. With
him she could be anybody, not just the second-rate shadow of her older sister,
Cass. But now she is drowning in the vacuum Cass left behind when she turned
her back on her family's expectations by running off with a boyfriend. Caitlin
wanders in a dream land of drugs and a nightmare of Rogerson's sudden fists,
lost in her search for herself.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson: Since the beginning of the school year, high
school freshman Melinda has found that it's been getting harder and harder for
her to speak out loud: "My throat is always sore, my lips raw.... Every time I try to
talk to my parents or a teacher, I sputter or freeze.... It's like I have some kind of
spastic laryngitis." What could have caused Melinda to suddenly fall mute? Could
it be due to the fact that no one at school is speaking to her because she called the
cops and got everyone busted at the seniors' big end-of-summer party? Or maybe
it's because her parents' only form of communication is Post-It notes written on
their way out the door to their nine-to-whenever jobs. While Melinda is bothered
by these things, deep down she knows the real reason why she's been struck
mute...

Tenderness by Robert Cormier: A psychological thriller told from the points of
view of a teenage serial killer and the runaway girl who falls in love with him.


Text Comparison Essay Rubric
Teacher Name: Ms. Smith Student Name:
____________________________TOTAL POINTS: ______

CATEGORY
25
20
15
10
5
Evidence Paragraphs
Evidence Paragraphs and quotes selected clearly related to and supportive of
thesis.
Both evidence paragraphs and quotes clearly support thesis. One paragraph has
minor weaknesses or is incomplete.
One of the evidence paragraphs/ quotes support thesis. One or more paragraphs
have minor weaknesses or are incomplete.
An attempt has been made to add support information, but it was unrelated or
confusing.
Response is off-topic, illegible, blank or incoherent.
CATEGORY
25
20
15
10
5
Text Evidence
Text evidence consists of specific, developed details and direct quotes from both
texts.
Text evidence consists of some specific details, but no direct quotes, or only
quotes one text.
Text evidence consists of general and/or undeveloped details; uses examples
instead of quotes from texts.
Elaboration is sparse; almost no details, no quotes from texts.
Elaboration is almost nonexistent, missing, partial, or illogical.
CATEGORY
10
8
6
4
2
Thesis Statement
Thesis statement is clear, insightful, accurately relates to both texts, and can be
proven with text evidence.
Thesis statement is sound, accurately relates to both texts, and can be proven
with text evidence.
Thesis attempts to relate to both texts, but reflects a flawed interpretation and/or
cannot be proven with text evidence.
Thesis relates to only one text, and/or cannot be proven with text evidence.
Thesis statement is missing, off-topic or incoherent. Or, no thesis statement
exists.
CATEGORY
10
8
6
4
2
Conventions
Exhibits expert control of conventions writing task: including use of
capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.
Exhibits control of grammatical conventions appropriate to the writing task;
including use of capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.
Exhibits some control of conventions including use of capitalization, punctuation,
and spelling; errors do not hinder comprehension.
Exhibits emerging control of conventions appropriate to the writing task: but
some errors hinder comprehension.
Exhibits little control of conventions, is incoherent, illegible, or unreadable.
CATEGORY
20
16
12
8
4
Organization
Information is very organized with well-constructed paragraphs and
subheadings. Contains a well-crafted introduction and conclusion, and at least
two evidence paragraphs.
Information is organized with well-constructed paragraphs. Contains an
introduction and conclusion, and at least two evidence paragraphs.
Information is organized, but paragraphs are not well-constructed. Contains an
introduction and conclusion, and at least two evidence paragraphs.
An attempt was made at organization but disorganization hinders
comprehension. May not contain required paragraphs.
Shows little or no organization. Writer rambles, include irrelevancies; work is
messy or illegible. Work may also be incomplete.
CATEGORY
10
8
6
4
2
Reader Response
The essay is engaging, interesting to read and takes a definitive stance on both
texts that gives the reader a precise sense of both texts and the reader's response
to the each.
The essay is interesting to read and takes a definitive stance on both texts that
gives the reader a sense of the reader's response to the both texts.
The essay is somewhat interesting, but the reader's response seems detached or
disinterested. The essay does not reflect a response to both texts.
The essay relies on plot summary, repeating details; does not give insight into the
reader's response to both texts.
The essay contains scant or no detail about either text, and makes no attempt to
connect to text.
Text Comparison Essay:
A Streetcar Named Desire



All Essays MUST Meet the Following Requirements:

1) All essays are a minimum of four paragraphs: an introduction, two evidence
paragraphs (which must include at least one quotation from each text), and a
conclusion. Rememberthere is a seven- sentence minimum per paragraph.

2) You must use formal, academic language.

3) Your essay must be typed in 12 point Arial or Times New Roman Font, and it
must be double-spaced. If you do not double space, your essay will be returned to
you and you will accrue late penalties until it is resubmitted.

4) Appropriate Themes: Fantasy vs. Reality; Cruelty; Primitive/Primal instinct;
Desire; Loneliness; Violence and Passion. See me if you have other ideas and I
will accommodate you if you can justify it via the text.

Theme essay: Select a concept or theme from your themes shared by your
companion text and A Streetcar Named Desire. Explain how the characters
actions, plot, setting, and style reinforce this theme throughout both texts. You
may also refer to other literary elements such as symbolism, metaphor, tone, and
motif.
This essay is worth 100 points !!!!


A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
Main Themes

Fantasy/Illusion: Blanche dwells in illusion; fantasy is her primary means of self-
defense. Her deceits do not carry any trace of malice; rather, they come from her
weakness and inability to confront the truth head-on. She tells things not as they
are, but as they ought to be. For her, fantasy has a liberating magic that protects
her from the tragedies she has had to endure. Unfortunately, this defense is frail
and will be shattered by Stanley. In the end, Stanley and Stella will also resort to a
kind of illusion: Stella will force herself to believe that Blanche's accusations
against Stanley are false.

The Old South and the New South: Stella and Blanche come from a world that is
rapidly dying. Belle Reve, their family's ancestral plantation, has been lost. The
two sisters, symbolically, are the last living members of their family. Stella will
mingle her blood with a man of blue-collar stock, and Blanche will enter the
world of madness. Stanley represents the new order of the South: chivalry is
dead, replaced by a "rat race," to which Stanley makes several proud illusions.

Cruelty: The only unforgivable crime, according to Blanche, is deliberate cruelty.
This sin is Stanley's specialty. His final assault against Blanche is a merciless
attack against an already-beaten foe. On the other hand, though Blanche is
dishonest, she never lies out of malice. Her cruelty is unintentional; often, she lies
in a vain effort to please. Throughout Streetcar, we see the full range of cruelty,
from Blanche's well-intentioned deceits to Stella self-deceiving treachery to
Stanley's deliberate and unchecked malice. In Williams' plays, there are many
ways to hurt someone. And some are worse than others.

The Primitive and the Primal: Blanche often speaks of Stanley as ape-like and
primitive. Stanley represents a very unrefined manhood, a romantic idea of man
untouched by civilization and its effeminizing influences. His appeal is clear:
Stella cannot resist him, and even Blanche, though repulsed, is on some level
drawn to him. Stanley's unrefined nature also includes a terrifying amorality. The
service of his desire is central to who he is; he has no qualms about driving his
sister-in-law to madness, or raping her.

Desire: Closely related to the theme above, desire is the central theme of the play.
Blanche seeks to deny it, although we learn later in the play that desire is one of
her driving motivations; her desires have caused her to be driven out of town.
Desire, and not intellectual or spiritual intimacy, is the heart of Stella's and
Stanley's relationship. Desire is Blanche's undoing, because she cannot find a
healthy way of dealing with it: she is always either trying to suppress it or
pursuing it with abandon.

Loneliness: The companion theme to desire; between these two extremes,
Blanche is lost. She desperately seeks companionship and protection in the arms
of strangers. And she has never recovered from her tragic and consuming love for
her first husband. Blanche is in need of a defender. But in New Orleans, she will
find instead the predatory and merciless Stanley.