Possible Paper Topics

Here are some topics from which you may choose. Feel free to modify them as you may like.

POSSIBLE TOPICS FOR SEMINAR PAPERS


General:

Show how the themes of lying and self-deception are developed in the plays we have read.

Compare Miller's ideas about the functions of drama with those of Williams.

Compare Miller's handling of sexual morality with that of Williams. Are their views naive or sophisticated (for their times) or a bit of both?

Both Miller and Williams make extensive use of expository stage directions (as opposed to simple descriptions of characters and notes on movement). How do these directions affect the way readers of the scripts, as opposed to the audience at a performance, perceive the dramatic structures and the themes of their plays?

In the cases of “The Crucible” and “The Glass Menagerie,” the stage directions have many elements of poetry. Analyze the stage directions in these two plays in terms of their patterns of images and of metaphors.


The Glass Menagerie:

Argue, based on the text only (not on performances) that Tom, or Laura, or Amanda is the “protagonist” of the play.

To what degree is the play autobiographical? It is easy to take “Tom” as a representative of Williams himself, but some critics suggest that “Tom” has a lot more in common with the poet Hart Crane. Laura, like Williams' sister Rose, is “afflicted,” but there are many respects in which the two differ. Similarly, Amanda shares some elements of Williams' mother's background, but there are great differences as well. Using the text and biographical information (Lyle Leverich is the best source), identify those elements which are autobiographical and those which are not.

Defend or attack the idea that the Wingfield family is destroyed by Romanticism.

Summarize Jim O'Connor's philosophy in the context of the 1930's in America. His ideas are in some ways directly opposed to those of the Wingfield family; he is described as inhabiting essentially a different world. But are there similarities between their world views? Particularly, do both share a commitment to Romantic ideals?


A Streetcar Named Desire:

Is Blanche a sympathetic character? Explain, based on the text only, how Williams intended for the audience to respond to her and her dilemma. Pay careful attention to her past as well as to her present.

Is Stanley a sympathetic character? Again, base your argument on the text only.

Are Stanley and Stella suited to each other? Carefully describe their relationship and show why it is positive or not.

What dramatic function do the poker players (except for Mitch) and the other background characters serve? How do they affect the impact of the story of Stanley, Stella, and Blanche on the audience?


Death of a Salesman:

Is Willy Loman a “tragic hero”? Argue that he is or is not, based on the text of the play and appropriate secondary material.

Compare Willy Loman and Blanche DuBois in their capacity for lying and self-deception.

Argue that Biff Loman is or is not a sympathetic character.


The Crucible

Outline the exact historical differences between the witch hunts in Massachusetts, including the trials of 1692 in Salem Town, and Miller's dramatic version.

Fit “The Crucible” into the context of the “Red Scare” in post-war America.

Comment on the theme of suicide and redemption as it appears in all three of the Miller plays we have read. If you like, include “A View From The Bridge,” which also ends with a suicide.