Genre: Drama

      I believe we're all familiar with the phrase, "actions speak louder than words." Drama makes plentiful use of this idea. A Streetcar Named Desire uses physical violence on page 1137 when "There is the sound of a blow. Stella cries out." On page 1167 Blanche "catches her breath and slams the mirror face down with such violence that the glass cracks" rather than overtly stating she is stressed. With just these two passages it becomes apparent that A Streetcar Named Desire is an intense drama filled with negativity and troubles.
      We've all been exposed to drama. We've read drama for school and we've all seen shows or movies. No drama is complete without physical action. I assume we've all seen people being slapped, throwing things in a fit of anger, or a couple passionately kissing. Rather than someone just stating how angry they are they will convert it to action, and thus a physical clap occurs. Standing motionless, yelling in anger, is strange and unrealistic. Someone who is truly angry will take action, breaking and throwing things as they yell. I'm sure we've all seen a scene like this. A romance scene may consist of a couple just talking about how much they enjoy each other's company, or they can prove it through physical actions, turning into the familiar making out scene which occurs in nearly every movie. I conclude that we are all familiar with drama and we can agree actions speak louder than words.
       With the theories proposed in paragraph 2 we are able to find the purposes of the actions cited in paragraph 1. Why would the Tennessee Williams, the author of A Streetcar Named Desire, include this act of violence? Most likely it was to embolden the strong discord between Stella and Stanley as well as create dramatic tension. If they continued to yell at each other it would hardly be noteworthy, but as soon as it becomes a physical action it is a central plot-point. The other mentioned action, with the smashed mirror, is important for another reason. Much like poetry drama does not announce emotions and tone. Emotion and tone are conveyed through actions and other subtle details. Rather than Blanche announcing to the room full of people, "I am stressed," she appears troubled and displays it through the act of destroying an object.
       Actions are central to good writing and creating a good picture of emotions and tone. It's very important that actions be interpreted correctly or they will otherwise skew the way the tone is portrayed. This could also be done through bad acting. If an actor/actress smiles at the wrong time it could greatly affect the audience's perception of the scene. Other times the actions may be wasted on an unperceptive audience. A child may not understand the implications of two adults alone together, but someone older will be able to recognize the underlying romantic tone. This also translates to actions in everyday life. With proper actions we can more effectively transmit are message and emotions than we otherwise would with words alone. It is something to remember and consider in the future.