Lesson Overview:

Students study setting, plot, character development in Tennessee Williams' play, A Streetcar Named Desire and discuss its impact on American theatre. Students will participate in a group reading and analysis of the play and share their collective findings with the class.

Length of Lesson:

Four 45-minute periods

Instructional Objectives:

Students will:

• explicate and appreciate the power of visual and auditory expressionistic elements to help shape set design, narrative, characterization, and theme in the building of dramatic scripts
• exercise skills of explication
• craft essays of critical analysis
• recognize elements that build artistic tension in dramatic scripts
• experience growth in the writing process, oral skills, skills of research, and contextual analysis

Instructional Plan:

Note: The Tennessee Williams: Themes and Forms handout introduces characteristics of Williams' works as well as those of American playwrights in the mid 20th century. Distribute to students as appropriate or use as background material in planning your lesson. Be sure that the students have read and discussed the Biographical Information of Tennessee Williams handout.

Setting the Scene

Tell students that they will be studying the Tennessee Williams play, A Streetcar Named Desire. Note that Williams' work is often reflective of the "Southern Gothic" aesthetic, which presents a lurid, decadent, and macabre vision of the American South. The setting of the play, New Orleans, is an essential element of Williams' play.

Ask if any students have lived in or visited New Orleans, which is the setting of A Streetcar Named Desire. If so, have them share their impressions of the city. Expand this discussion by asking other students to share any perceptions they have of New Orleans.

To provide further background for the study of the play, consider assigning students, either in collaborative groups or independently, to research the following references related to New Orleans. Advise them to take notes as preparation for brief class presentations of the information they have gathered. A display map of New Orleans would be a useful backup for the presentations.

• the French Quarter
• Elysian Fields
• Bourbon Street
• Preservation Hall
• Lake Pontchartrain
• location of the New Orleans street Desire

Related References:

• an overview of the antebellum South in comparison to the pre-Civil War "plantation" life
• French Hugenots (note that Blanche makes reference to her French Hugenot background)
• the implication of the Napoleonic Code

Note: Because the Blues and polka music are such important elements in the development of the play, consider allowing time for special background work on the following references:

• ask one or more volunteers to prepare a special presentation on the "birth" of the Blues
• encourage students talented in instrumental music to give a "live" demonstration of the Blues; if possible, add a student vocal accompaniment.
• as an option, a vocal rendition could be performed separately
• as a backup for the above suggestion, play a student selected tape or CD of Blues music
• initiate a discussion concerning the tone quality of the Blues, the type of themes in the lyrics, and the connotative implications associated with Blues music
• encourage an instrumental presentation of polka music or play a vignette of a tape or CD; ask a student interested in dance to give a brief demonstration of polka dance steps

Experiencing the Play

Initiate the reading of A Streetcar Named Desire in a large group format. Consider assigning one student to read all of the long italicized passages. Select a starting position in the room; ask each student to pick up the reading of a line of Scene I in sequence (circling the room) through to where Eunice exits and Stella enters. (The brevity of the lines in the opening dialogue lends itself to this pattern of oral reading; such an approach seems to help draw students quickly into the "magic" of the play.)

Raise the question: What "two worlds" are juxtaposed in the opening of Scene I? Ask for detailed descriptions of each “world” based on the context clues of the italicized descriptions and the dialogue.

In his italicized account of the setting of the first scene, Williams calls attention to the music coming from a “tinny piano” being played at a barroom around the corner. He comments that "This 'Blue Piano' expresses the spirit of the life which goes on here." Ask students to draw from other remarks Williams makes in the italics, and from events and characterizations in the opening of the play, to define specifically their perception of this spirit.

Divide students into small oral play reading groups. Suggest that a director be named in the group to parcel out and rotate the reading of roles and the italicized passages. Assign the groups to read through to the end of Scene Two and prepare to discuss the Discussion Questions for Scenes 1 and 2 Handout.

Realign the oral play reading groups for the reading of Scenes Three and Four. Ideally, if time allows, these scenes would be read in class. If time is a factor, however, consider assigning these scenes as homework to be discussed in class before reading proceeds. Distribute the Discussion Questions for Scenes 3 and 4 Handout.

Scene Five lends itself well to large group in-class reading. The end of the scene, where the Young Man enters, offers a good opportunity for experimentation in how the scene should be acted out. You may wish to enlist the help of your school's drama coach to run this classroom experiment. Divide the students into at least three groups and have them stage the scene as they believe it should be played. Have the class evaluate the success of each interpretation.

Assign Scenes Six and Ten as outside reading assignments, covering Scenes Seven, Eight, and Nine in play reading groups, and reading Scene Eleven in the large group (perhaps staging it).

In preparation for the large group reading of Scene Eleven:

• ask each student to briefly notate how the narrative unfolds in scenes six through ten.
• encourage students to give particular attention to the relationships of Stanley and Stella, Stanley and Blanche, Stella and Blanche, Blanche and Mitch as they are developed in scenes six through ten.

Analyzing the Play's Impact

Divide the class into small collaborative groups. Assign the groups to negotiate and record conclusions about the Study Questions Handout. Advise students that the conclusions will be shared in class. Dissenting opinions, if the group cannot reach a consensus, also can be shared.

Assessment:

Assess the students based upon the following criteria:

• level of serious and cooperative participation in research and collaborative assignments
• level of discernment in contributions from research and to collaborative work - substantive contributions to class discussion and special projects
• range and depth in analysis
• evidence of creative thinking
• organization, meaningful substance, rhetorical skill, and poise in formal oral presentation
• thoughtful response in pre-writing, pre-discussion "brainstorming" activities - seriousness of purpose in following through on creative and expository writing assignments
• solid preparation for performance activities
• alignment of written performance with good practices of the writing process
• general level of engagement in all activities and assignments

Authors:

• Jayne Karsten, English, Grades 9-12
  The Key School
  Annapolis, MD US