Dreams and Escape in The Glass Menagerie Essay - 2243 Words

Dreams and Escape in The Glass Menagerie None of the characters in The Glass Menagerie is capable of living in the present. Everyday life is so oppressive that each character, through their dreams, retreats into a fantasy world. This essay will examine the reality faced by Amanda, Tom, Laura and Jim and probe how, through their dreams, each character attempts to transcend reality. Amanda, having lost her husband and having to take care of her two children, namely Tom and Laura, who, in her eyes, are equally lost in their lives, leads a hard life. Having a son whom she considers unrealistic, daydreaming about becoming a recognized poet rather than staying committed to his present job, Amanda is not only overwhelmingly†¦show more content†¦On this occasion, she is dressed in the same girlish frock she wore on the day she met the childrens father, attempting to conceal her shabby present and recapture part of the elegance she associates with her giddy days of entertaining many gentleman callers. Bewildered by her immediate surroundings and unable to cope with the social and economic reality of the Depression days, Amanda is often obsessed with her past as the genteel southern belle dominated by refined social gatherings and elegant living conditions, reminiscing about her own experiences with men in Blue Mountain: One Sunday afternoon in Blue Mountain - your mother received - seventeen! - gentleman callers!... (Williams 16). Attempting to materialize her southern belle past, she even makes constant insistence on Lauras having gentleman callers. Tom, though not physically crippled as his sister Laura, finds himself paralyzed in the warehouse in which he works. Faced with the bleak aspects, and perhaps the bleak prospects, of the day-to-day factory job, he regards the warehouse as a prison that shackles all the basic impulses with which, he believes, men are endowed-Man is by instinct a lover, a hunter, a fighter (Williams 39). In the warehouse Tom cannot find any satisfaction at all - Id rather somebody picked up a crowbar and battered out myShow MoreRelated Dreams of Escape in The Glass Menagerie Essay example2299 Words   |  10 PagesDreams of Escape in The Glass Menagerie    Anyone can handle a crisis, but day-to-day living is the most trying aspect of life (Jackson 19). This is especially true in the drama The Glass Menagerie. None of the characters in this tale is willing to or capable of living in the present. Everyday life becomes so mindless and oppressive that each characters dreams and fantasies become more important than reality itself. Through their dreams, Amanda, Tom, Laura, and Jim attempt to transcend realityRead More Dreams of Escape in The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams2189 Words   |  9 Pages     Ã‚   In The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams presents us with four characters whose lives seem to consist in avoiding reality more than facing it. Amanda lives her life through her children and clings to her lost youthfulness. Tom retreats into movie theaters and into his dream of joining the merchant seamen and some day becoming a published poet. Laura resorts to her Victrola and collection of glass ornaments to help sustain her world of fantasy. Finally, Jim is only able to find some reliefRead More Essay on the Symbolism of the Menagerie in The Glass Menagerie1002 Words   |  5 PagesThe Symbolism of the Menagerie in The Glass Menagerie      Ã‚   Tennessee Williams play, The Glass Menagerie, describes three separate characters, their dreams, and the harsh realities they face in a modern world.   The Glass Menagerie exposes the lost dreams of a southern family and their desperate struggle to escape reality. Williams use of symbols adds depth to the play. The glass menagerie itself is a symbol Williams uses to represent the broken lives of Amanda, Laura and Tom Wingfield andRead MoreEssay Crushed Dreams in The Glass Menagerie1194 Words   |  5 PagesCrushed Dreams in The Glass Menagerie      Ã‚  Ã‚   Tennessee Williams is known for his use of symbols, tension, and irony. Williams uses all of these components to express the central theme of The Glass Menagerie - hope followed by despair. Each of the characters has dreams that are destroyed by the harsh realities of the world.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As the narrator blatantly admits, since I have a poets weakness for symbols, symbols are central to The Glass Menagerie (Williams 30). Symbols areRead MoreConflict Between Reality and Illusion as a Major Theme of ‘the Glass Menagerie’1718 Words   |  7 PagesConflict between reality and illusion as a major theme of ‘The Glass Menagerie’ Introduction The Glass Menagerie is a dramatic play about human nature and the conflict between illusion and reality. An illusion is pretense and not reality. In The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams has made use of both reality and illusion together using conflict between them. Illusion is a misinterpretation of the facts. It is an opinion based on what we think is true rather than on what is actually true. In thisRead MoreAnalysis Of The Play The Glass Menagerie 1281 Words   |  6 PagesThe Glas Menagerie 4/29/15 Within the play The Glass Menagerie, Amanda, Laura, and Tom Wingfield all of have their own dreams that are continuously destroyed by the harshness of reality. Amanda, stuck in the ease of her youth, tries to relive her life through her daughter Laura. Being crippled both physically and mentally, Laura struggles to escape the bubble she has created around herself that her mother Amanda so strongly tries to force her out of. Tom whom, although reads poetry and dreams of escapeRead MoreEscape from Reality in The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams680 Words   |  3 PagesEscape from Reality in The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams The Characters Escape From Reality in The Glass Menagerie The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams centers around a dream of escape. Although everyone wants to escape from a different reality, they all feel that need to get away. The father is the most successful in his escape because he never has to deal with anything at home. He actually leaves and doesnt look back. As for the other four: Laura, Amanda, Tom, and Jim, they seemRead More Essay on Stagnant Lives in Streetcar Named Desire and Glass Menagerie1196 Words   |  5 PagesStagnant Lives in Streetcar Named Desire and Glass Menagerie   Ã‚  Ã‚   The Stagnant Lives of Blanche DuBois and Amanda Wingfield  Ã‚  Ã‚   All of Williams significant characters are pathetic victims--of time, of their own passions, of immutable circumstance (Gantz 110). This assessment of Tennessee Williams plays proves true when one looks closely at the characters of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire and Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie. Their lives run closely parallel to one anotherRead More Comparing the Life of Tennessee Williams and Glass Menagerie707 Words   |  3 PagesParallels in the Life of Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie   Ã‚  Ã‚   Tennessee Williams is one the major writers of the mid-twentieth century. His work includes the plays, The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire. One theme of The Glass Menagerie is that hopeful aspirations are followed by inevitable disappointments. This theme is common throughout all of Williams work and throughout his own life as well. It is shown through the use of symbols and characters.    I haveRead More The Importance of Symbolism in The Glass Menagerie Essay1609 Words   |  7 PagesThe Importance of Symbolism in The Glass Menagerie  Ã‚      Tom Wingfield is the narrator and a major character in Tennessee William’s timeless play, The Glass Menagerie. Through the eyes of Tom, the viewer gets a glance into the life of his family in the pre-war depression era; his mother, a Southern belle desperately clinging to the past; his sister, a woman too fragile to function in society; and himself, a struggling, young poet working at a warehouse to pay the bills. Williams has managed

Relationship Between The Nobility And The Peasants

Source 6 Esther English Social Structure in the Early 18th Century. www4.wittenberg.edu/academics/hist/crom/brit/socstruc.html . N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2016 The relationship between the nobility and the peasants is that one group is at the top, while the other is at the bottom. The nobility or gentry, were the dukes, marquesses, earls, viscounts and barons, of which there were about 180 in the early century. These were men who sat in the House of Lords by hereditary right. They lived in wealth, and earned money off of land ownership, while the lower classes, or peasants, were the ones who worked. Poverty was widespread in the 18th century, especially when harvests were poor and food prices rose. The poor would be housed in dormitory conditions, divided by sex, with 2 or more to each bed. Rules were strict, food minimal and work difficult. This information in important in understanding the difference between the lifestyles of the rich and poor in 18th century England. This is a reliable source because the link for this website contains â€Å".edu† which proves that this is an academic website and it is used in schools, making it r eliable because it is used by many students and was created as part of a school’s curriculum. This source is relevant to A Tale of Two Cities because using the information we gathered, we can understand the social and economic differences between characters in the story due to social rank. Source 7 Esther â€Å"English titles in the 18th and 19thShow MoreRelatedThe Decline Of Feudalism From An Economic Standpoint Essay1413 Words   |  6 Pagesin the feudal order was due to changing relations between factors in a network. In various parts of Europe the wealth being found in trade was dominating and being known as the ideal way to increase a peasant s wealth. For the feudal lords, they would subtract a stipend of resources grown by a serf on land owned by a king, and this was given as payment, as the surplus of resources was traded. In Edward J Nell’s paper titled, â€Å"Economic Relationships in the Decline of Feudalism: An examination ofRead MoreFrench Revolution - Fight For Liberty Essay1643 Words   |  7 PagesRousseau is stating that liberty is indeed something that everyone desires, but for those who achieve liberty, it’s something that is difficult to handle, and without proper moderation, liberty can be more of a hindrance than an asset. The relationship between Rousseau and the French Revolution, however, may require some further research years prior to the revolution. Before the French Revolution that occurred during the late 18th century, France was considered one of the most advanced and opulentRead MoreAge of Absolutism essay1174 Words   |  5 Pagesaccountable for their actions because they had no legal superior to judge them. 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Marie Antoinette was the Austrian born queen of France who was married to the weak King Louis XVI and constantly faced challenges throughout her life and during the French RevolutionRead MoreCharacteristics Of The English Language912 Words   |  4 Pagesfirst period was characterized by the relationship between French nobility and common English people; words like baron, servant or messenger were introduced, as well as a great number of words associated with religion. After the Battle of Hastings a great number of English noblemen had died, and William replaced them with Frenchmen. In a similar fashion, Normans came to occupy the higher positions in the clergy. The new Norman aristocracy and the English peasants were forced to find a common vocabularyRead MoreEssay on Famine in Tibet1149 Words   |  5 PagesMiddle Age, but was not as inhumane. The land belonged to the state (30%), to monasteries (40%), and to nobility. 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President Andrew Jackson Vetoes Bank Bill Free Essays

Ernesto Hernandez Rodriguez Deacon Orr Economics October 9, 2012 President Andrew Jackson Vetoes Bank Bill—July 10, 1832 President Andrew Jackson veto against the bank bill is truly a communication to Congress but it is also like a political manifesto. He states that the privileges possessed by the bank are unauthorized by the Constitution, subversive of the rights of the States, and dangerous to the liberties of the people. In McCuloch v Maryland, the court turned to the â€Å"necessary† and â€Å"proper† clause which grants Congress enumerated powers which include the power to regulate collect taxes. We will write a custom essay sample on President Andrew Jackson Vetoes Bank Bill or any similar topic only for you Order Now President Jackson explains the necessity in regards to the functions that the bank is trying to fulfill: The â€Å"degree of its necessity,† involving all the details of a banking institution, is a question exclusively for legislative consideration (Jackson). It is not question for the judicial department. As stated in the Constitution the one that has the job to determine what is â€Å"necessary† in cases where the law is not prohibited or really calculated, is the legislative department. President Jackson gives major points in describing the reason why the bank was not â€Å"necessary† and â€Å"proper†. At first the bank was established by Congress because of the power to determine what was necessary. But in the years 1816 and 1832 Congress proposed and took away from their successors the power of establishing banks for twenty years and then for fifteen years more. This contradiction that Congress did of bartering away or divesting itself from the powers is unconstitutional because of using discretion upon itself; Congress was limiting the discretion of their successors. And the Constitution does not grant Congress the power to inflict this in itself. The bank affected the rights of the Sates in a subversive way. It gave up, surrendered the right of the States to tax the banking institutions. Under the operation of this act resident stockholders and citizens would be taxed 1 per cent. Stock held in the States would be subject to taxation, meanwhile stocks from the branches and those foreign stockholders would have been exempted from this burden. Their annual profits would be 1 per cent more than the citizen stockholders. As annual dividends of the bank estimated at 7 per cent, the stock would be worth 10 or 15 per cent more to foreigners than to citizens of the United States. Another important aspect was the benefits foreign stockholders received through this act. Not only citizens received bounty from government, more than eight millions of the stock was held by foreigners. And the bank act would not permit competition in the purchase of this monopoly. A fourth part of the stock is held by foreigners and the residue is held by a few hundredths of US citizens, chiefly of the richest class. As annual dividends of the bank estimated at 7 per cent, the stock would be worth 10 or 15 per cent more to foreigners than to citizens of the United States. Of the twenty-eight millions of private stock in the corporation, $8,405,500 was held by foreigners, mostly Great Britain. The amount of specie drawn from those States through its branches within two years was about $6,000,000. More than a half a million of this amount passes on to Europe to pay the dividends of the foreign stockholders. When by a tax on resident stockholders the stock of this bank was made worth 10 or 15 per cent more to foreigners than to residents. The bank would have sent across the Atlantic from two to five millions of specie every year to pay the bank dividends. Shockingly almost one third of foreign stock that was not represented in elections curtails the suffrage of the directors. The entire stock would have serious chances to fall into the hands of few citizen stockholders causing temptation to secure the control in their own hands by monopolizing the remaining stock. There was also a danger that a president and directors would then reelect themselves from year to year without the responsibility to control manage the whole concerns of the bank. The American people would have suffered an adverse effect in many ways. This ct excludes the whole American people from competition in the purchase of this monopoly and dispose of it for many millions less than it is worth. The fourth section provision secures to the State banks a legal privilege in the Bank of the United States which is withheld from all private citizens. There was a lack of equality when paying with notes. A State bank that had notes by a particular branch could pay the dept to t he Bank of the United States with those notes, but a citizen couldn’t pay with those notes but must have sold them at a discount or sent them to the branch to be cashed. This does not measure out equal justice to the high and the low, the rich and the poor. The president of the bank said that most of the State banks existed by its forbearance, the abstention of enforcing the payment of the debt. The influence of the self elected directory which is identified with those of the foreign stockholders may become concentered in a particular interest that could affect the purity of elections and the independence of the country when it goes to war. Their influence could have been so great as to influence elections and control the affairs of the nation. Works Cited Jackson, Andrew.  «Miller Center.  » 10 de July de 1832. Miller Center. Monday October 2012. http://millercenter. org/scripps/archive/speeches/detail/3636. McBride, Alex.  «pbs.  » s. f. The Supreme Court. Monday October 2012. http://www. pbs. org/wnet/supremecourt/antebellum/landmark_mcculloch. html. How to cite President Andrew Jackson Vetoes Bank Bill, Essay examples