Male-dominated-society PDF

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Blanche a victim of male dominated society Task: Looking at the CCEA Markscheme and assessment matrix, try to place this essay in a band. Please also colour code the essay so that you are aware of how well it meets each of the assessment objectives. AO1: Argument – Highlight in yellow and any time ‘male dominated society’ is mentioned write QT in the margins AO2: Methods – highlight in pink or underline in red. (did the person include: language devices, punctuation, tone, symbolism, staging, props, sound effects, stage directions, costuming etc.) AO3: Context – highlight or underline in green AO5: Interpretations: any details from critics or any contrary opinions on the QT set e.g. Blanche is not the victim of a male dominated society to be highlighted or underlined in blue.

b) It can be argued that Blanche is a victim of male dominated society. Through her interactions with males in the play. Male dominance is evident through her interactions with Stanley as she “draws back” from his “smouldering look” and the sexual antagonism between the two. In scene two, Blanche transforms from her Southern Belle character into her role as a cheap seductress as the stage directions state “she comes out of the bathroom in a red satin robe.” The colour red used to highlight her promiscuity, unlike the typical Southern Belle who was meant to be a respectful, proper and virginal character. However, despite her attempts, Stanley remains dominant dampening her attempts. Such as when he “seizes the atomizer.” The violent verb ‘seizes’ emphasises his control. He refuses to give her what she wants – a compliment. His short, sarcastic monosyllabic responses further emphasise his unwillingness to comply with her wishes. He even states “I have never met a woman that did not know if she was good looking or not.” He uses sarcasm to highlight he is in fact dominant and will not back down for her. His violation of her personal belongings again highlight the male dominance over Blanche. The violent verbs “he tosses” open the suitcase emphasises the power he holds both in his household and over Blanche. He believes he has the right to go through her personal belongings. This scene foreshadows the later rape and emphasises the liberties Stanley is willing to take and his power over her. Poker night is also a clear example of male dominance over Blanche. The game poker providing connotations of masculinity as it was a popular

game amongst males at the time. The opening stage directions describing “Van Gough’s painting” emphasise the importance of visual imagery in the scene. The stage directions also highlight the costume of the males in the “brightly coloured” and “blue shirts” emphasising their raw masculinity. This is juxtaposed with the attire worn by Blanche. When she is first introduced she wears a “white suit.” This reinforces the idea of male dominance. The question posed by Stanley “why don’t you women go up and sit with Eunice?” implies he does not desire female company. He is the master of the household and is dominant therefore the women should not be there. The incident concerning the radio also emphasises the sense of male dominance over Blanche. The exclamatory imperative commands directed at Blanche, “Turn it off!” highlights the dominance of Stanley and his control over her. In his role as head of the household he believes he has authority to give commands to his guest, Blanche. This was common of the time period due to the fact that the male role of breadwinner ensured his position as head of the household. Despite his commands, Blanche continues to use the radio. This therefore causes him to take action as he “tosses” the radio out the window. The violent verbs emphasise that he uses his violent nature to remain dominant. Blanche tries to challenge his power within his home causing him to react with force. The elements of violence within the character of Stanley allow parallels to be drawn to Williams’ father. Stanley is based on Williams’ father who was an alcoholic fuelled by violence and masculinity. The elements of domestic violence again emphasise the gender divide. Stanley also dominates Stella with the threat of violence. After the incident, Mitch presents the point that “poker should not be played in a house with women.” This implies the male dominance over both Blanche and Stella, proving they are both victims of a male dominated society. At the time the play was written, society was patriarchal and women occupied the submissive role which is highlighted through the poker night scene. However, it can be opposed that Blanche is a complete victim of male dominance. The interactions between Blanche and Mitch tend to suggest that she is the one in control and dominant over him. His shy nature is juxtaposed with her flamboyant and romanticised approach. When he first meets Blanche, he forgets to put the towel back. However, his actions are consistently awkward as he “shuffles” and “coughs” in her presence. He also asks a fragmented question “ can –I – kiss you goodnight?” This highlights that he is perhaps not dominant over her as he is both nervous and asks for her permission. She also demands for him to bow stating “Bow to me” and the stage directions tell us the stage directions tell us “he does so.” Her imperative statement implies that she is dominant over him and that he is in fact the victim of her dominance.

The incident with the young man also suggests that she is not a victim of male dominated society. The repetition of “young man” emphasises that she is taking advantage in the situation and the young man is in fact a victim. She also states “I want to kiss you soft and sweetly on the mouth” despite his awkward laughter. This interaction is a clear example of role reversal where the young male becomes a victim of Blanche’s desires. The quicksand imagery used to describe her marriage with Alan also emphasises that they were both powerless in the relationship. Due to his homosexuality he was powerless, therefore could not be a victim of male dominance in this case. It is evident that Blanche is clearly a victim of male dominated society on various occasions such as interactions with Stanley, on poker night and during the rape scenes. However, she also can be the dominant character in many situations. Role reversals occur in her interactions with the young boy and her relationship with Mitch that emphasise they are in fact the victims of female dominance. It can therefore be agreed that she is a victim of male dominated society on many occasions. However, this was not uncommon for the time period as the play is based in a patriarchal society....