How does Williams portray the character of Stanley and his attitudes Essays

How does Williams portray the character of Stanley and his attitudes Essays How does Williams portray the character of Stanley and his attitudes Paper How does Williams portray the character of Stanley and his attitudes Paper Essay Topic: Literature In the play, Stanley is portrayed as a very masculine, aggressive character, with chauvinistic attitudes to both Stella and Blanche. However, despite his thuggishness, he is also portrayed as attractive- Stella can’t live without him – and he is sometimes seen to have a more naive vulnerable side to his character. One of the first dramatic techniques Williams uses to introduce us to Stanley in Scene 1 is that of stage directions. In these, Williams describes Stanley as having `the power and pride of a richly male bird among hens`, and this metaphor conveys his masculine sense of superiority and chauvinistic attitude. It is also one of many animal references associated with Stanley. Williams uses many dynamic verbs in the stage directions for Stanley, such as `throws the screen door of the kitchen open`, also reflected later on when he `snatches` the radio and `tosses` it out of the window. These dynamic verbs give us a strong sense of his physical presence. Williams also uses an asyndetic list `his heartiness with men, his appreciation of rough-humour, his love of good drink and food and games, his car, his radio, everything that is his, that bears his emblem of the gaudy seed-bearer` to build up a picture of Stanley as a typical man, with the repeated pronoun `his` really emphasising his masculinity. This sense of masculinity is made apparent when we first see Stanley, throwing a parcel of meat to Stella. His attitude is that he is the hunter and provider, while she must stay and cook for him. This is further shown at the party scene, when he says `I am the king around here, so don’t forget it`. His choice of the noun `king` conveys his arrogance and sense of power over the women. His attitude to women is also conveyed in Scene 2, when he argues with Blanche about the loss of the plantation; he clearly believes that Stella’s property belongs to him under the `Napoleonic Code` he keeps mentioning. Williams uses a variety of syntax to convey Stanley’s conflict with Blanche in this scene. For example, he uses exclamations such as `Papers! That stuff people write on! ` and `I’ll have a look at them first! `, which suggest his anger and frustration with Blanche and his attempts to dominate her by shouting at her. Stanley also barks out questions at her, such as `Where’s the papers? ` and also uses imperatives such as `Don’t play so dumb` and `Don’t pull that stuff! `, again to control and dominate the scene. In addition, Stanley’s use of non-standard English and colloquial expressions here give us an impression of an unsophisticated, insensitive man. Stanley’s aggressive character develops further in Scene 3 with the poker game, culminating in him hitting Stella. Here, as in the rape scene later on, Williams uses the dramatic technique of having the actual action off-stage – we only hear `the sound of a blow`, which makes it all the more sinister for the audience as we are not quite sure what has happened. However, Stanley is almost immediately remorseful. Williams describes him with the simile `like a baying hound`, which is another example of the animal imagery surrounding Stanley, as he calls for Stella. Stanley calls her `my baby`, `my baby doll`, `my girl`. Here the repeated pronoun `my` suggests his possessive feelings for Stella, whereas the noun choices show us his sentimental affection for her. When he is described as `he falls on his knees`, we perhaps see a more vulnerable side to him. Stanley’s violence towards Stella foreshadows the rape scene in Scene 10, which is the climax of the play. This scene shows Stanley’s cruelty, as he is described as `grinning`. His dominance is shown in his use of short simple imperatives such as `Drop the bottle-top! Drop it! ` When he refers to Blanche as `tiger – tiger! ` he seems to be mocking her and he describes what is happening to the noun `date`, which is cruel and sarcastic. However, just before this episode, when Stanley has arrived home from the hospital, he is shown as exuberantly happy at the thought of the baby coming. The simile of him waving his red silk pyjamas `like a flag` to celebrate gives a rather simple, naive, child-like image of Stanley. We also see this different side when he talks to Stella about their sex life with the simple metaphor `them coloured lights`. His non-grammatical use of `them` shows us a simple, perhaps uneducated man. In conclusion, Stanley is no doubt a bullying thug, some of whose actions will appeal the audience. However, there are some more appealing aspects to his character, making him a complex character to analyse.

Weapons Used by Pirates

Weapons Used by Pirates Pirates of the Golden Age of Piracy, which lasted roughly from 1700-1725, employed a variety of weapons to carry out their high-seas thievery. These weapons were not unique to pirates but were also common on merchant and naval vessels at the time. Most pirates preferred not to fight, but when a fight was called for, the pirates were ready! Here are some of their favorite weapons. Cannons The most dangerous pirate ships were those with several mounted cannons - ideally, at least ten. Large pirate ships, such as Blackbeards Queen Annes Revenge or Bartholomew Roberts Royal Fortune had as many as 40 cannons on board, making them a match for any Royal Navy warship of the time. Cannons were very useful but somewhat tricky to use and required the attention of a master gunner. They could be loaded with large cannonballs to damage hulls, grapeshot or canister shot to clear decks of enemy sailors or soldiers, or chain shot (two small cannonballs chained together) to damage enemy masts and rigging. In a pinch, just about anything could be (and was) loaded into a cannon and fired: nails, bits of glass, rocks, scrap metal, etc. Hand Weapons Pirates tended to favor lightweight, quick weapons which could be used in close quarters after boarding. Belaying pins are small bats used to help secure ropes, but they also make fine clubs. Boarding axes were used to cut ropes and wreak havoc in rigging: they also made for lethal hand-to-hand weapons. Marlinspikes were spikes made of hardened wood or metal and were about the size of a railroad spike. They had a variety of uses onboard a ship but also made handy daggers or even clubs in a pinch. Most pirates also carried sturdy knives and daggers. The hand-held weapon most commonly associated with pirates is the saber: a short, stout sword, often with a curved blade. Sabers made for excellent hand weapons and also had their uses on board when not in battle. Firearms Firearms such as rifles and pistols were popular among pirates, but of limited use as loading them took time. Matchlock and Flintlock rifles were used during sea battles, but not as often in close quarters. Pistols were much more popular: Blackbeard himself wore several pistols in a sash, which helped him intimidate his foes. The firearms of the era were not accurate at any distance but packed a wallop at close range. Other Weapons Grenadoes were essentially pirate hand-grenades. Also called powder flasks, they were hollow balls of glass or metal which were filled with gunpowder and then fitted with a fuse. Pirates lit the fuse and threw the grenade at their enemies, often with devastating effect. Stinkpots were, as the name suggests, pots or bottles filled with some stinking substance: these were thrown onto the decks of enemy ships in the hope that the fumes would incapacitate the enemies, causing them to vomit and retch. Reputation Perhaps a pirates greatest weapon was his reputation. If the sailors on a merchant ship saw a pirate flag that they could identify as, say, Bartholomew Roberts, they would often immediately surrender instead of putting up a fight (whereas they might run from or fight a lesser pirate). Some pirates actively cultivated their image. Blackbeard was the most famous example: he dressed the part, with a fearsome jacket and boots, pistols and swords about his body, and smoking wicks in his long black hair and beard that made him look like a demon: many sailors believed he was, in fact, a fiend from Hell! Most pirates preferred not to fight: fighting meant lost crew members, damaged ships and perhaps even a sunken prize. Often, if a victim ship put up a fight, pirates would be harsh to the survivors, but if it surrendered peacefully, they would not harm the crew (and could even be quite friendly). This was the reputation that most pirates wanted. They wanted their victims to know that if they handed over the loot, they would be spared. Sources Cordingly, David. New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 1996 Defoe, Daniel (Captain Charles Johnson). A General History of the Pyrates. Edited by Manuel Schonhorn. Mineola: Dover Publications, 1972/1999. Konstam, Angus. The World Atlas of Pirates. Guilford: The Lyons Press, 2009 Konstam, Angus. The Pirate Ship 1660-1730. New York: Osprey, 2003. Rediker, Marcus. Villains of All Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age. Boston: Beacon Press, 2004. Woodard, Colin. The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down. Mariner Books, 2008.