Post 3

In my opinion the most important ideas/themes in the play are:
 Illusion: Blanche lives a fantasy; she is seeing the world not as it is but as it ought to be, she`s not able to face problems by her own. Stella must also resort to a kind of illusion, forcing herself to believe that Blanche`s accusations against Stanley are false so that she can continue living with her husband.
"A while later that evening--Blanche is seated in a tense hunched
position in a bedroom chair that she has re-covered with diagonal
green-and-white stripes. She has on her scarlet satin robe. On the
table beside chair is a bottle of liquor and a glass. The rapid,
feverish polka tune, the "Varsouviana," is heard. The music is in her
mind; she is drinking to escape it and the sense of disaster closing
in on her, and she seems to whisper the words of the song" (Scene 9. Page 151)
STELLA:
"And admire her dress and tell her she's looking wonderful. That's important with Blanche. Her little weakness!" (Scene 2. Page 34)
BLANCHE:
"You saw it before I came. Well, look at it now! This room is almost--
dainty! I want to keep it that way. I wonder if this stuff ought to be
mixed with something? Ummm, it's sweet, so sweet! It's terribly,
terribly sweet! Why, it's a liqueur, I believe! Yes, that's what it is, a
liqueur!" (Scene 9. Page 154)
BLANCHE:
“I like it dark. The dark is comforting to me” (Scene 9. Page 155)
BLANCHE:
I don't want realism. I want magic!
[Mitch laughs]
Yes, yes, magic! I try to give that to people. I misrepresent things to
them. I don't tell truth, I tell what ought to be truth. And if that is
sinful, then let me be damned for it!--Don't turn the light on! (Scene 9. Page 157)
“Now she is placing the rhinestone tiara on her head before the
mirror of the dressing-table and murmuring excitedly as if to a group
of spectral admirers” (Scene 10. Page 164)
 Desire: This is the central theme of the play. Blanche deny it, although we later in the play, desire is oone of his driving motivations, her desires has caused her to be driven out of town. Physical desire, and not intellectual or spiritual intimacy, is the heart of Stella's and Stanley's relationship. Desire is also Blanche's undoing, because she cannot find a healthy way of dealing with her natural urges, she is always either trying to suppress them or pursuing them with abandon.
 Sex: It`s represented when Blanche went out with her student.
STANLEY
“...They locked her out of that high school before the spring term ended and I hate to tell you the reason that step was taken! A seventeen-year-old boy she'd gotten mixed up with! “(Scene 7. Page133)
In my opinion the title comes from a streetcar that ran along Desire Street, there are two important New Orleans neighborhoods mentioned, Desire and Cemeteries. This name is use to set one of the main themes of the play, we live our lives as if on a streetcar of desire unable to control our passions until the end…death.
The play made me think about people`s feelings as regards loneliness, for example people who live in the street alone homeless, without family or a friend just to talk and share her/his life and feelings, that`s why I think they look for a way out like drogs or alcohol. In this case, in the play, Blanche feels alone and her way out is by creating a new wold full of fantasy and illusion.
If I have the chance to ask the writer one question I would ask him: What about a happy ending? Maybe, if Stella and Stanley helped Blanche, she`ll be better during her days there, and she`ll be married with Mitch and maybe having a big family, something that both of them want.

Poetry Anthology

My own poetry anthology from cintiaroberto

Post 2

My predictions have already been confirmed, as regards the description of the place and the description of the play. But the house belongs to Stella and Stanley, and Blanche came from Mississippi.
In my opinion the best character is Stella, because on the contrary of Blanche she is always the same and she has made a new life for herself in New Orleans. She is madly in love with her husband Stanley, and she is pregnant, so I think she is very sensitive and trust her sister above all.
Stella: sensitive, noticeable, tender, comprehensive and a very honest person.

Particularly, the stage directions, light and music are very important, indispensable and necessary for the play. They give us the possibility to imagine ourselves "inside" every scene and also not to lose any detail.

The quotation I`ve chosen is:
"It`s a French name. It means woods and Blanche means white, so the two together mean white woods. Like an orchard in Spring! You can remember it by that". (Scene Three, Page 66)
I`ve chosen it because I like the way Blanche refers to herself. As pure, as a virgin, trying to impress Mitch.

Post 1- A Streetcar Named Desire

The characters mentioned are:

• Blanche: she is the protagonist, an English teacher.
• Stella: Blanche´s sister
• Blanche´s husband: the mechanic. He is quick tempered, scornful and violent (as regards the review).

As regards the setting it is very interesting because it´s a drama about sex, death and humor; seems to have everything to catch my attention. Some events are in Blanche´s house, which is very small, monotonous and dirty and Stella cames from another place so she has to get used to it.

Assignment Nº1

Post 1 and 3

·         So far my predictions in the Voice Thread have been very well! I said that it was a Modernist novel in the Jazz Age during 1920s, with lots of drama involved, parties and a love story.

·         The quotation I selected is:

“… Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven`t had the advantages that you`ve had”.

I chose it because every part of the novel I read this sentence (that Nick`s father told him) came to my mind. I tried not to criticize or judge the character but it was impossible to me! For example, Myrtle`s behavior, her choice of life; the same thing for Tom, having another woman and enjoying every moment without thinking in her wife, Daisy. Every part in the story needs to be “criticized”.

·         Characters:

ü  Nick Carraway: One of the main characters and the novel`s narrator.

He came from a well-to-do family descended from the Dukes of Buccleuch. He graduated from New Haven in 1915.

He lives in West Egg in Long Island Sound (next to Gatsby`s mansion)

He likes Gatsby.

ü  Tom Buchanans: Knows Nick from College. He was a national figure who played football at New Haven. His family was enormously wealthy. He is a sturdy straw-haired, a man of thirty with a rather hard mouth and a supercilious manner; he has arrogant eyes, cruel body with enormous power and a gruff husky tenor. Daisy`s husband.

ü  Daisy Buchanans: She`s the second cousin of Nick. Tom`s wife. Charming woman with sad and lovely face.

ü  Jay Gatsby: Main character. Nick`s neighbour. Everyone felt curiosity about him.

ü  Jordan Baker: She comes from Louisville. She plays a sport (golf). She`s a beautiful white.

ü  Myrtle Wilson: Tom`s lover. George`s wife. Wrong marriage. Unhappy.

ü  George Wilson: Myrtle`s husband. Old man. “Dumb”

ü  Catherine: A slender worldly girl about 30. Myrtle`s sister.

ü  Doctor T.J Eckleburg: Has blue and gigantic eyes with a “non-existence” nose.

ü  Mr. and Mrs Mckee.

·         I think the best part is coming in the next chapters. Gatsby must have an important role in Nick`s life. The same thing for Daisy, who in my opinion tries to catch Nick`s attention.

Ø  I think the most striking moments in the novel are:

1.      “…This is an unusual party for me. I haven`t even seen the host. I live over there”- “…and this man Gatsby sent over his chauffeur with an invitation…”

“…I`m Gatsby, he said suddenly…” (Chapter III)

-          Nick finally meets Gatsby

-          Nick is surprised because he had expected that Gatsby woud be a florid and corpulent person.

-          Nick likes, sympathized Gatsby.

2.      “…He had discovered that Myrtle had some sort of life apart from him in another world, and the shock had made him physically sick. I started at him and then at Tom, who had made a parallel discovery less than an hour before…”

-G. Wilson (suspects from Tom, but he never knows) and Tom realized about their wife`s affair.

3.      “…Your wife doesn`t love you, said Gatsby. She`s never loved you. She loves me…”

“…Even alone I can`t say I never loved Tom…”

-Daisy rejects Gatsby in front of Tom

-Daisy will never leave Tom.

4.      –Myrtle`s death (By Daisy)

-Gatsby died in an unexpected and unfair way by George.

Ø  While I was reading I tried to predict what was next, but I`ve never imagined how things were from bad to worse for all of the characters, especially Myrtle and Gatsby. I thought that maybe all characters could have a happy ending.

Ø  The text made me think about how people can change and how money can change people. Woman to find a place in society need to get married that will give them power and a comfortable life. Daisy did it; she chose a life full of money and power instead of love and happiness. Of course made me think about my life and how different people can be to get what they want.

Ø  I would ask the author: Don`t you think that this novel could be different? As regards values and less care about money.

I would ask him too: Why Nick didn`t get involved in any loving relationship?

I thought that he`ll have an affair with Daisy instead of Gatsby.