" They told me to take a Streetcar named Desire and then transfer to one called Cemeteries and ri... more " They told me to take a Streetcar named Desire and then transfer to one called Cemeteries and ride six blocks off at-Elysian fields " 1The opening lines of Blanche Dubois-(the leading protagonist of Streetcar named Desire)establish the insidious nature of sexual desire in the play " A Streetcar named Desire "-the reference to both Cemeteries and Elysian fields alluding death since Elysian fields 2 represents the land of dead in Greek mythology. However, it is noticeable that it is not just Blanche who destroyed herself by succumbing to her sexual desire but other characters display the same tendencies-particularly women and sexual minorities. Although the theme of sexuality within this play has been extensively discussed by literary critics, very little attention has been paid to Williams' critique of hetero patriarchy and the role it plays in oppression of sexual minorities. " The word " hetero patriarchy " is derived from the words " heterosexuality " and " patriarchy " and refers to the socio-political system where cis gendered males and heterosexuality have authority over cis gendered females and over people of other sexual orientations`thus, hetero patriarchy is an overarching system of male dominance through 1 Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar named Desire(London: Martin Secker and Warburg ,1949), 2 2 In Greek mythology Elysium, Elysian Fields or Elysian Plain refers to the paradise in which immortal heroes were sent by the Gods.
" They told me to take a Streetcar named Desire and then transfer to one called Cemeteries and ri... more " They told me to take a Streetcar named Desire and then transfer to one called Cemeteries and ride six blocks off at-Elysian fields " 1The opening lines of Blanche Dubois-(the leading protagonist of Streetcar named Desire)establish the insidious nature of sexual desire in the play " A Streetcar named Desire "-the reference to both Cemeteries and Elysian fields alluding death since Elysian fields 2 represents the land of dead in Greek mythology. However, it is noticeable that it is not just Blanche who destroyed herself by succumbing to her sexual desire but other characters display the same tendencies-particularly women and sexual minorities. Although the theme of sexuality within this play has been extensively discussed by literary critics, very little attention has been paid to Williams' critique of hetero patriarchy and the role it plays in oppression of sexual minorities. " The word " hetero patriarchy " is derived from the words " heterosexuality " and " patriarchy " and refers to the socio-political system where cis gendered males and heterosexuality have authority over cis gendered females and over people of other sexual orientations`thus, hetero patriarchy is an overarching system of male dominance through 1 Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar named Desire(London: Martin Secker and Warburg ,1949), 2 2 In Greek mythology Elysium, Elysian Fields or Elysian Plain refers to the paradise in which immortal heroes were sent by the Gods.
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Drafts by Aiesha Qureshi