!. Precis
2. Vocabulary
- menagerie: a collection of wild or unusual animals, especially for exhibition.
- portieres: a curtain hung in a doorway, either to replace the door or for decoration.
- mastication: to chew
- cloche: a woman's close-fitting hat with a deep, bell-shaped crown and often a narrow, turned-down brim.
- martyr: a person who is put to death or endures great suffering on behalf of any belief, principle, or cause
- demurely: characterized by shyness and modesty; reserved
- jonquils: a narcissus, Narcissus jonquilla, having long, narrow, rushlike leaves and fragrant, yellow or white flowers
3. Tone: recollective
4. Rhetorical Strategies
- Imagery: "Tom appears at the top of the alley. After each solemn boom of the bell in the tower, he shakes a little noisemaker or rattle as if to express the tiny spasm of man in contrast to the sustained power and dignity of the Almighty. This and the unsteadiness of his advance make it evident that he has been drinking. As he climbs the few steps to the fire escape landing light steals up inside. Laura appears in the front room in a nightdress. (44)"
- Allusion: "He knew of my secret practice of retiring to the cabinet of the washroom to work on poems when business was slack in the warehouse. He called me Shakespeare. (68)"
- Simile: "A fragile unearthly prettiness has come out in Laura: she is like a piece of translucent glass touched by light, given a momentary radiance, not actual, not lasting. (69)"
- Telegraphic Sentences: "Face the facts. She is. (66)"
- Symbolism: "She carries a bunch of jonquils - the legend of her youth is nearly revived. (71)" - The jonquils were the biggest part of Amanda's youth.
5. Discussion Questions
- Tennessee Williams wanted a drama that expressed something closer to the truth, how would truth be part of this play?
- Why would Tennessee Williams choose to have a screen throughout the play?
- What part of the play would reflect on society today?
6. Memorable Quote
"You are the only young man that I know of who ignores the fact that the future becomes the present, the present the past, and the past turns to everlasting regret if you don't plan for it! (63)"
