A Streetcar Named Desire :
symbolism and imagery
1. What symbolic/metaphorical references could be made of the following?
Try to give as many references as possible for each one.
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A rose
A goat
A moth
A butterfly
A paper lantern
A streetcar (or a tram)
A piece of blues music
The translation of "Belle Reve" meaning Beautiful Dream
The Elysian Fields (look this one up!)
2. Read the final poem, Vieux Carre. Check every reference that you are
unsure of. Re-write it in the middle of a piece of plain A4 paper. Your task
now is to draw and colour as many of the images and symbols they may
represent in the border around the poem. For example, a picture of the
beating sun could represent the phrase "bleached by the sun", but it also
implies its remorseless qualities, the way it drains life out of things, age
and decay.
3. Think now of how the idea of symbolism, or one thing representing another
is going to be important in your reading of, "A Streetcar Named Desire",
but also for all future English texts… DON'T Forget! Think how symbolism
can be on any level - colour, taste, sound and many many more.
Mr.Burnett's ideas on "A Streetcar Named Desire"