Class of 2019 Paper 2 Preparation

Compare/Contrast
IB English Language and Literature

Fill in the following chart in detail. Include quotations and examples whenever possible with act/scene numbers.

Aspect A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen A Streetcar Named Desire by Tenessee Williams

Author’s context Background: Background:

-background
-how context of life is seen in
the play
-connections between the
playwright and their work
How context of life is seen in the play:
Connections between the playwright and their work:
- Ibsen was a Norgeian playwright of the 19th century
- Born into a family of merchants, but the family went
bankrupt and Ibsen spent much of his life in poverty
- Ibsen married Suzannah thoresone and felt that husband
wife shouldl ive in equal
- unsuccessful attempts at therapy, she became paranoid.
- Ibsen started to depict realism in his plays, displaying aspects
of society that were not meant to be revealed (as he lived a
hard life in poverty)
- Ibsen raised social issues in his work and criticized marriage
in society
- The play is originally written in Norwegian
- Born in Columbus, Mississipi in 1911
- The family moved to St. Louis in 1918, where Williams
realized the difference between rich people and the poor
- and they were poor
- Williams was close to his sister Rose who had perhaps
the greatest influence on him. She was a slim beauty
who was diagnosed with schizophrenia and spent most
of her adult life in mental hospitals. After various
- Rose's failed lobotomy was a hard blow to Williams, who
never forgave his parents (and partly himself) for
allowing the operation, and this may have been one of
the factors that drove him to alcohol and drug addiction
- He was homosexual
How context of life is seen in the play:
Connections between the playwright and their work:
- Indeed, certain elements of Blanche’s behaviour, specifically
her desire to create a more genteel, more perfect fantasy world,
seem to reflect almost directly Williams’ own motivation for
writing
-relationship between Stella and Blanche
- Blanche’s alchoholism
first introduced his homosexuality in this work through the
represenation of Blanche’s ex husband.
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Context of the work
(event/ movement)
- historical context and how it
is reflected in the work (think
back to the context shared
documents we filled in class.)
-socio-political context
-religious context
-economic context
-time in history (think about
shifts and changes in the social
fabric of the time)
Historical context reflected in the work:
- -Louisiana founded in 1718 by the French Mississipi company
Socio-political context:
Religious context:
- The main religion in Norway -or Europe in general - during
the 1800’s are mostly Evangelical Lutheran Christianity. The
Victorian religion believed in superiority of their religion
compared to other religions of the world. This extended to
white man’s superiority over other classes and races.
- Religious values include values that espouse sexual
constraints, low tolerance towards crime, and a strict social
code of conduct, marriage and kids, no divorce.
- Going to church every Sunday became a part of their
lifestyle. Textbooks and games are based on religious dogma
and moral standards based on religion.
Economic context:
- Financial issues in 19th century cause by the Napoleonic
wars
- People were village oriented, industrialization was just
beginning to develop.
- 1870-1890: Relative stagnation with Industrialization
- Resulted prices falling, emigration from Norway to North
America, “international slowdown
- Works: agricultural, mining, construction workers
- The Victorian Era middle class can be divided into the upper
middle class, which consists of bankers, solicitors, and large
industrialists. The lower middle-class includes
Historical context reflected in the work:
- the french colony was ceded to the spanish empire and
remained under their control for 40 years, and referred back to
french control in 1812
- As a principal port, New Orleans had a leading role in the slave
trade, while at the same time having the most prosperous
community of free persons of color in the South. The population
of the city doubled in the 1830s, and, by 1840, New Orleanshad
become the wealthiest and third most populous city in the nation
partly as a result of trade in tobacco, indigo, rice and cotton
grown on plantations.
Socio-political context:
Religious context:
Economic context:
- A streetcar named desire represent the decline of
aristocratic families that are traditionally associated
with the south. The south agricultural base could not
compete with industrialization
- Workforce had turned radically to include women,
immigrants, and people of colour
Time in history (shifts and changes in the social fabric):
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Production/reception
-audience and critical
reception
-was this a groundbreaking
production? - think about new
techniques and approaches
-Controversial?
Social criticism
-Does the work criticise or
challenge widely held values of
the time?
-Did the work contribute to a
shift in perspective?
-Was the work indicative of a
greater social change
happening at the time?
Time in history (shifts and changes in the social fabric):
Audience and critical reception: Audience and critical reception:
- Ibsen’s critics attacked him for failing to respect the
institution of marriage. Like his private life, Ibsen’s Was this a groundbreaking production?
writing tended to stir up sensitive social issues, and
some corners of Norwegian society frowned upon his Controversial?
work. Sensing criticism in Oslo about not only his work
but also his private life, Ibsen moved to Italy in 1864
with the support of a traveling grant and a stipend from
the Norwegian government. He spent the next twenty-
seven years living abroad, mostly in Italy and Germany
Was this a groundbreaking production?
Controversial?
Does the work criticise or challenge widely held values of the time?
In the play Ibsen criticizes the the relationship between men and
women, along with the domination of female by the male in
traditional marriages.
Women in marriage are expected to serve her husband and children,
keep silent about her feelings, and give the impression of a perfect
relationship, despite her husband being disrespectful. Women are
also viewd to be dependant towards the husband, especially
financially, but also to maintain her social status.
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Social/Political?
- does the play explore
oppression and justice? If so,
how and to what effect?
- Does this play have political
significance?
- Can it be considered a
protest piece? If yes, how and
to what effect?
Setting
-how does the playwright
illustrate and convey setting in
the play (stage directions,
detailed or not)
-realistic or not
-how does setting contribute
to characterization? Theme?
- how might setting emphasize
themes and ideas?
- names of places - significant?
In the play Nora follows her own conscience and leaves her family.
She realizes that her marriage
Did the work contribute to a shift in perspective?
Was the work indicative of a greater social change happening at
the time?
does the play explore oppression and justice? If so, how and to
what effect?
Does this play have political significance?
Can it be considered a protest piece? If yes, how and to what
effect?
How does the playwright illustrate and convey setting in the play - The Kowalski’s apartmen in the 1940s New orleans
(stage directions, detailed or not) - The small apartment contrasts Blanche’l lifestyle in the
- detailed illustrations of the setting directly at the beginning South
of the play. - French Quarter represents cultural diversity
- detailed stage direction to addredd gender roles and
symbols
Realistic or not
How does setting contribute to characterization? Theme?
- Throughout the play, Torvald plays the dominant role at
home and controllong over Nora, hence portraying gender
roles
- Nora is seen to be working on chores and taking care of the
children to present the role of women at home
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Dramatic Techniques
- realism
- plastic theatre
- dialogue
- dramatic tension
-dramatic irony
- conflict
- character foils
Themes
- What themes are most
prevalent in the play?
- How are these themes
explored?
Structure
- How is the passage of time
shown in the play?
- How does the separation of
acts and scenes contribute to
plot, tension, theme etc.
- What is the effect of the
ending of the play? Are we left
How might setting emphasize themes and ideas?
- Household to emphasize the role of women at home
Names of places - significant?
● Living room in Torvald’s Household
What themes are most prevalent in the play? ● Desire and fate
● madness
● Marriage and love ● death (reocurring motif)
● Illusion vs. reality
● Work and money How are these themes explored?
● Gender roles - Story of Blanche’s character throughout the novel
How are these themes explored?
- five-act play that denote the structure of dramatic action:
exposition,complication, climax, falling action, catastrophe.
However, Ibsen fused exposition together as he introduces all
major characters and the actions that will lead to major
conflict.
- A doll’s house end as Nora slams the door and leaves
Torvald and her children. Ibsen does not tell use for sure of
the ending.
- The last line of the play seems to suggest that maybe there is
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with questions? Ambiguities?
effect?
Symbolism
- symbols in the play
- links to theme, character
- links to dramatic tension
- How and to what effect are
symbols used within the play
hope for Nora and Torvald to get back together. As Torvald
is left alone in the living room, the stage directions tell us
that, "A hope flashes across his mind" and then Torvald says,
"The most wonderful thing of all?" (3.381). He's referring to
the conversation he and Nora had right before she walked out
of the room. Nora says that if they're ever to be more than
strangers "the most wonderful thing of all would have to
happen," that their "life together would be a real wedlock"
(3.376).
Symbols in the play
● Nora’s dress
● Tarantella dance
● The locked mailbox
● Torvald’s private study room
● The christmas tree
● Macaroons
Links to theme, character
The locked mailbox and Torvalds study room
The locked mailbox represents Torvald as a superior and
controlling husband, in which only he has the key for access.
Similarly, Torvald’s study is a private room that Nora is never
allowed to enter. The fact that Torvald will not even allow Nora
to read the mail shows how far he has kept her apart from the
outside world and kept her under his total control. Torvald does
not recognize Nora as an intellectual person to be involved with
any business or important matters in life. The mailbox also
represents Nora’s submissiveness, which signifies the
oppression of all women during the time period.
Symbols in the play
● Belle Rev
● Steetcar named Desire, Cemeteries, Elysian FIelds
● Light
● Colour
● The blue piano
● The Varsouviana POlka
● Blanche as moth
- Both butterflies and moths start life as ugly caterpillars
and only later transform into something more beautiful.
The butterfly and cocoon symbol reflects Blanche’s
attempts to re-create herself and, so to speak, spring
forth a new, beautiful person from her cocoon of lies. In
contrast to the butterfly, who lives during daytime, the
moth mainly lives during the night, which makes it a
creature of the darkness, and the butterfly one of the
light
- moth stays in darkness for that is the time when it is
feeding. This can be adapted to Blanche as it seems as
though—contrasting with her name—it is her fate to live
in the darkness, which symbolises ignorance. Blanche
does not find a way out: at the end of the play she is
being taken away to the mental institution, which means
that she finally does not conquer her fate.
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Tarantella dance ● Stanley as ape

The Tarantella dance relates to Nora as trying to rid herself of
the pain and problems in her life. Additionally, Nora’s
infuriating movements implies her suicidal intentions after the
dance to save her husband’s reputation.
- In contrast to Blanche, Stanley displays brutal and wild
behaviour, and compared to an ape
- Characteristic traits of apes are mobility, intelligence,
deceit, but also lasciviousness, which is seen through
can his love for wild sex, and his raping Blanche.

The christmas tree

The Christmas tree has a decorative purpose and symbolizes

Nora’s position in her household as a plaything who is pleasing
to look at and adds charm to the home. There are several
parallels drawn between Nora and the Christmas tree in the
play: 1) Just as Nora instructs the maid that the children cannot
see the tree until it has been decorated, she tells Torvald that no
one can see her in her dress until the evening of the dance 2) at
the beginning of the second act, after Nora’s psychological
condition has begun to erode, the stage directions indicate that
the Christmas tree is correspondingly “dishevelled.”

Macaroons
Torvald bbans Nora from eating macaroons. Although Nora
claims that she never disobeys Torvald, this is proved false in
the very opening of the play when Nora eats macaroons while
she was alone in the living room. The macaroons come to
represent Nora’s inner passions which she must hide within her
marriage.

As Nora tells Mrs. Linde, “the fact is, he’s afraid they will ruin
 Class of 2019 Paper 2 Preparation
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IB English Language and Literature

my teeth”, Ibsen shows that Torvald is not forbidding the

macaroons out of care, but out of worry about how his wife
looks. These rules are made out of selfish reasons and not for
Nora’s wellbeing.

- links to dramatic tension

- How and to what effect are symbols used within the play
Universality / timelessness The setting (Torvald’s household) reflects a universal place that
- are themes and ideas could be replicated anywhere, as no cultural significance is seen in
explored in the play relevant the setting.
today?
- does the play have timeless
appeal? Why or why not?
- Has the meaning of this work
changed over time?
- Can this text be interpreted
differently by different
readers?
Important quotations
-list at least 4 additional · STELLA: “I can hardly stand it when he is away for a night…”
important quotations from the - Dependence of women on men’
play with act/scene numbers
BLANCHE: · “There’s so much - so much confusion in the
and a brief explanation of how
world… Thank you for being so kind! I need kindness now.”
and why they are important
and effective - Blanches seek for comfort, desire to be loved

· “they told me to take a streetcar named Desire, and then

transfer to one called Cemeteries”
Class of 2019 Paper 2 Preparation
Compare/Contrast
IB English Language and Literature