Transcript Analysis of Act 2 – language, themes and context Objectives: • To recall details about the context of 1950s American capitalism and consumerism. • To.

Analysis of Act 2 – language, themes and
context
Objectives:
• To recall details about the context of 1950s American
capitalism and consumerism.
• To understand and analyse how this is demonstrated in the
play.
• To evaluate Williams’ messages.
Starter:
• Create a quick bullet point list of everything that you know
about America and capitalism.
• What function does consumerism have in society?
Consumerism = The preoccupation of society with the acquisition of
consumer goods.
Consumerism in Act 2
• Presides over religion ‘Who gave that window,
Preach?’ Page 31
• Women are seen as property ‘you were
chasin’ poontang’ page 38
• Life is filled with things ‘a vacuum is a hell of a
lot better than some of the things that nature
replaces it with’ page 42
Consumerism spectrum
• Create a spectrum of the following characters,
considering how much they value consumerism,
ie. Most consumerist to least consumerist.
• Mae, Gooper, Brick, Big Daddy, Maggie, Big
Momma, Reverend Tooker.
• Then find the evidence to support your
decisions.
What does Big Daddy represent?
• ‘The human animal is a beast that dies and if
he’s got money he buys and buys and buys
and I think the reason he buys everything he
can is that in the back of his mind he has the
crazy hope that one of his purchases will be
life everlasting! – Which it never can be…’
• Discussion question:
• Why does Big Daddy prefer Brick to Gooper?
The Lost Son/The Prodigal Son
• What happens in the story?
• What are the messages of the story – religious
and moral?
• Why is this relevant to ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’
– consider a range of interpretations?
Analysis of Act 2 – language, themes and
context
Objectives:
• To recall details about the context of 1950s American
capitalism and consumerism.
• To understand and analyse how this is demonstrated in the
play.
• To evaluate Williams’ messages.
Has your view to this
question changed now?
Starter:
• Create a quick bullet point list of everything that you know
about America and capitalism.
• What function does consumerism have in society?
Consumerism = The preoccupation of society with the acquisition of
consumer goods.
Plenary
• What are Williams’ aims in ‘Cat on a Hot Tin
Roof’?
• What effect does the play have on your ideas
about consumerism?
• Do you think Williams’ views and messages
are more or less relevant today?