A Streetcar Named Desire: Language and Imagery
Understanding language and imagery.
- “A Streetcar Named Desire” is celebrated for its rich language and vivid imagery which helps communicate the tensions, themes and personalities of the characters.
- Tennessee Williams cleverly uses various literary devices such as symbolism, metaphors, and figurative language to add layers of interpretation to the play.
- Understanding this can enhance one’s appreciation of the depth of portrayal and insightfulness of the play.
- The streetcar itself is a powerful symbol, reflecting the path that Blanche has taken in her life. Its name - ‘Desire’ - represents her past promiscuity while ‘Cemeteries’, its final destination, could represent the end of Blanche’s life as she knows it.
- Light and Darkness : Blanche’s constant need to hide her age and her past is emphasized through the frequent mentions of light, shadows and darkness. Light represents reality, which Blanche fears, while darkness stands for illusion and secrecy.
- The paper lantern she puts over the bulb is another symbol representing her attempts to mask and soften the harsh truth of her life.
Metaphors and Figurative Language
- Animalistic Imagery : Williams frequently uses animal metaphors particularly to describe Stanley’s behaviour, emphasizing his primal, raw, and physical nature.
- Floral Imagery : Blanche is often associated with flowers, signifying her frailty, delicacy and transient beauty.
- Tarantula Arms : This metaphor underscores Stanley’s predatory nature against Blanche’s delicate vulnerability.
Significant Quotes
- “They told me to take a streetcar named Desire, and then transfer to one called Cemeteries and ride six blocks and get off at - Elysian Fields!” – Blanche’s arrival sets up the symbolic trajectory of her character through the play.
- “I can hardly stand it when he is away for the night” - Stella’s description of Stanley uses sensual, passionate language that demonstrates their carnal relationship.
- Stanley’s description of Blanche as “the Queen of the Nile setting in state” is heavily saturated with sarcasm , highlighting his sneering contempt for her pretentious airs.
Key Themes Highlighted Through Language and Imagery
- Illusion vs. reality : The deceptive nature of Blanche’s character and her desire to escape the reality of her past are amplified through symbolic use of light and darkness.
- Animalistic Desire : Stanley’s raw and primitive character is emphasized through repeated use of animal metaphors.
- Decay and death : The journey of the streetcar and its final destination, the decay of Blanche’s beauty and former life, all point towards the pervading theme of decay and death.
Studying the Use of Language and Imagery
- An understanding of Williams’ use of language and imagery adds depth to the character analyis, offering insights into their motivations, conflicts, and complex personalities.
- Attention to these details will provide a richer analysis in your critical essay, supporting your interpretations and arguments with textual evidence.
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Higher English sample critical essay George Orwell's 1984 and 'A Hanging'
Subject: English
Age range: 14-16
Resource type: Other
Last updated
22 February 2018
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118 x A-grade Higher and National 5 English Folio and Critical Essays
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Higher RUAE Resources
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Higher English Terminology List
Higher RUAE Introductory Homework Book
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Newspaper Analysis Instructions and Examples – Instructions and example of Newspaper Analysis. Also includes instructions and example for Comparative Newspaper Analysis
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Discursive Essay Guide (for Nat 5 and Higher)
Other Resources
BBC Bitesize – Higher English – hints, tip, notes and guides to RUAE, Folio Writing and some of the key texts texts studied on this course.
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MacCaig Poetry – Pupil Booklet
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National Qualifications 2020/21
National 5 & Higher Folio SQA Template – copy and paste both folio pieces into this template. Put your SQA candidate number in the footer boxes. Type word count at the end of each piece. Do not include your name. Do not staple pages together.
SQA Past Papers – familiarise yourself with the structure of the exam papers here.
Pupils who read regularly get better grades than pupils who never read: fact.
This doesn’t just mean novels. In your National 5 and Higher years it is absolutely vital that you are exploring a wide range of non-fiction too. Ideally, this will be in the form of broadsheet journalism: articles from the more sophisticated newspapers like The Guardian, The Herald, The Telegraph (paywalled) or The Times (paywalled). Tabloids like The Express, The Sun or The Daily Mail are not recommended.
Here are links to some fantastic (free!) sources of quality non-fiction writing on the net. You are bound to be able to find something that interests you, so get reading and raise your grades!
Broadsheet Journalism and Non-Fiction Reading
BBC NEWS – news from one of the world’s most reliable sources.
BBC NEWS: Magazine – a selection of interesting, fun and unusual articles, quotes and quizzes inspired by the news.
BBC NEWS: Special Reports – articles grouped around major news topics.
The Guardian: Comment is Free – opinion pieces from Guardian columnists.
The Independent: Voices – opinion pieces and commentary on current events
The Observer: ‘The Debate’ – a series of articles debating controversial topics from both sides. Useful for discursive writing.
The Herald: Columnists – opinion pieces (with a Scottish focus) from The Herald.
The New York Times: The Opinion Pages – comment articles from one of America’s most respected newspapers
ABC News – the top stories from one of America’s less biased news organisations.
Intelligent Life – sophisticated lifestyle magazine for thoughtful people. The language may be challenging at times, but some amazing and fascinating articles if you look for them. Includes excellent writing on pop culture, food, music, film, tv and art too!
Focus Magazine – a science and technology magazine.
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N5 English Revison
Prose the telegram.
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S4 N5 Critical Essay Perfecting Expression
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PROSE Revison Questions
The Telegram Quick Start Quotes, Analysis, Evaluation
telegram-story-with-annotations
Essay planning with quotes
Remember for this section you will only be writing a short essay, discussing one aspect of the story, such as an important character or a main theme. You need to comment on basic techniques such as characterisation, plot, symbolism and theme , but this does not need to be as detailed as your poetry analysis.
The main focus should be on using the KEY WORDS of the question in each of your topic sentences. So if asked about a character who is sympathetic , you would say At the start of the story, Crichton Smith establishes the thin woman as sympathetic when he describes how she is isolated in the island village in which she lives. For example… (see below for structure plan)
You would approach the essay in a similar way if asked about a significant setting . In this story the setting – both in time and place – is of major significance. The isolated community is oppressive and judgmental, and the war creates destruction – physically and emotionally. This use of setting allows the author to create a backdrop of conflict, which is reflected in the tensions between the two central characters.
Typical Essay Structure for Sympathy Question
SPECIMEN PAPER – for Morgan and Prose Fiction Essay (at the end)
The Telegram
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The-Telegram-analysis-powerpoint
Essay Structure
ICS-Higher-Revision-Guide
The Telegram Sample Quotes and Techniques
The Telegram text
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Our top 10 tips on how to write your National 5 Critical Essay
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SQA specifications for Higher English. BBC Bitesize Revise and Learn - Higher English. The National Parent Forum of Scotland - Higher Summary. Pupil Resources: Critical Terminology. Higher English RUAE Support Booklet KHS 2020. Higher Critical Essay - All the Little Loved Ones by Dilys Rose. Higher Scottish Text - Poetry by Norman MacCaig
How to answer Higher Modern studies Paper One exam essay questions
Critical Essay Writing - Use the BBC Bitesize sites for their tips on improving critical essays. - Use the English Departments resources to show you how to write good introductions, essay paragraphs, analyse and evaluate correctly. - Read over your notes and texts so that they are firmly embedded in your mind. You should revise English at
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Your critical essay is worth 20% of your overall grade at Higher, and is part of your hr and a half long critical reading paper, alongside the textual analysis. Try to dedicate more time to writing your essay than your textual analysis-if you have revised properly, the textual analysis should not take you more than 40 mins. Critical Essay Tips
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Writing Folio. You can help your child with their writing folio by doing the following: Read over their drafts and check for accuracy in terms of punctuation and paragraphing. Help them with research and ideas for discursive essays by discussing topical subjects that are on TV and in the quality press.
A Streetcar Named Desire: Language and Imagery A Streetcar Named Desire: Language and Imagery Understanding Language and Imagery "A Streetcar Named Desire" is celebrated for its rich language and vivid imagery which helps communicate the tensions, themes and personalities of the characters.; Tennessee Williams cleverly uses various literary devices such as symbolism, metaphors, and ...
Age range: 16+. Resource type: Assessment and revision. File previews. docx, 17.79 KB. This resource included an annotates 'A' example of a critical essay on this piece of prose non-fiction by George Orwell. Ideal to be used as an exemplar with a Higher or string National 5 class in order to teach detailed analysis.
Age range: 14-16. Resource type: Other. File previews. docx, 21.53 KB. docx, 17.69 KB. Higher English sample critical essay George Orwell's novel 1984. Approx 1100 words. Higher English sample critical essay on George Orwell's essay 'A Hanging'. Approx 1100 words.
Have a look at these critical essay questions from the prose section. They should all be suitable for "Sunset Song" but some are more suitable than others. CHALLENGE YOURSELF to tackle a more complex or unusual question to get a broader knowledge of the text.
BBC Bitesize - Higher English - hints, tip, notes and guides to RUAE, Folio Writing and some of the key texts texts studied on this course. BBC Bitesize - National 5 English - hints, tips, notes and guides to RUAE, Folio Writing and some of the key texts studied on this course. Study Skills. Critical Reading (Set Text and Critical Essay ...
BBC Bitesize English National 5; BBC Bitesize Higher English; BBC Skills Wise; Cliff Notes; Glow Login Page; Grade Saver; Lit Charts; No Fear Shakespeare; Shakespeare Online; Spark Notes; Reading for UAE. BBC Bitesize Higher; BBC Skills Wise; Buzzword in the Media; Knowledge About Language - Education Scotland; National 5; SQA Past Papers ...
S4 N5 Critical Essay Perfecting Expression. Quote reminder. PROSE Revison Questions. The Telegram Quick Start Quotes, Analysis, Evaluation. telegram-story-with-annotations. Essay planning with quotes. Remember for this section you will only be writing a short essay, discussing one aspect of the story, such as an important character or a main ...