INTRODUCTION (1 minute)

I’m an IB Language  and Literature A student, and in this individual oral I am going to be exploring the link between societal ideals of masculinity and overly dominating male behaviour which relates to cultural identity and community. In order to explore my global issue, I’ll be looking at two different texts: The first is a play titled A Streetcar Named Desire, written by Tennessee Williams in 1947. The play, mostly set in the Kowalski’s small New Orleans apartment, examines gender relationships between Stanley, his wife Stella, and her visiting sister Blanche. In the 40-line excerpt I've chosen from Scene 3, Stanley’s dominating behaviour as a man who aspires to be seen as powerful is very much evident. As for my nonliterary text, I will be examining Men’s Health magazine covers under the editorship of Toby Wisemen; specifically, I will be focussing on the April 2020 issue featuring cover model Aldo Kane. Considering that both texts depict a link between masculinity and dominance, in this oral I will explore the question: How does each text present the link between societal ideals of masculinity and overly dominating male behaviour?

40-LINE LIT EXCERPT (2 minutes)

Starting specifically with the 40-line excerpt from the literary text, A Streetcar Named Desire, Stanley’s behaviour portrays a clear link between society’s ideal form of  masculinity and overly dominating behaviour. In particular, on lines 1 and 2, Stanley tells Mitch to “get off the table [as] nothing belongs on a poker table but cards, chips, and whisky;” then later, on line 8, Stanley tells Mitch to “shut up.” Mitch, on the other hand, worries about his mother, and so Stanley mocks him by saying, on line 15, that he will “fix him a sugar-tit.” Here, Stanley uses imperatives which underscore his dominance as the terms command Mitch. As a result, Stanley is characterised as more dominant than Mitch, whose portrayal of a more sensitive version of masculinity juxtaposes Stanley’s. Additionally, as playing poker and drinking whiskey are seen as traditionally masculine, Stanley suggesting that only poker cards and whisky should be on the table could be read figuratively to imply that men should only outwardly perform stereotypically masculine roles and should hide any aspect not deemed masculine. Moreover, Mitch not conforming to Stanley’s idea of masculinity results in Stanley implying he is a baby via the imagery of giving him a sugar-tit, an old term for a baby pacifier. Therefore, Stanley’s overall character and tone towards others is very dominating. This is further emphasised on lines 37 and 40, when Blanche and Stella return home to the men playing Poker and, after showing interest, Stanley asks “why don’t [the] women go up and sit with Eunice?” and then “gives a loud whack of his hand on [Stella’s] thigh.” Stanley asking the women why they should not, instead, sit with Eunice, Steve’s wife, implies that the poker table is no place for anything feminine, like the women. This indicates that Stanley is indeed very stereotypically and traditionally masculine, with classical views about men and women. Moreover, the “loud whack of his hand” on her thigh evokes a sudden and almost violent image, particularly via the diction of “whack”. Thus, Stanley’s overall characterisation is one of an overly dominating man who aggressively treats those he believes he has power or ownership over. In turn, the play is able to clearly depict a relationship between societal ideals of masculinity and overly dominating behaviour by portraying Stanley as a man who wishes to be traditionally masculine, playing cards and drinking whiskey, and dominating others who do not fit his masculine standard, such as Mitch, or stressing his power verbally and physically to his wife Stella.

LIT TEXT AS A WHOLE (2 minutes)

Connecting this excerpt to the play as a whole, the relationship between societal ideals of masculinity and overly dominating male behaviour is evident in Scene 8. In particular, during a dinner scene on page 77, Stanley “reaches over the table to spear his fork into the remaining chop.” When chastised for his bad eating habits and is asked to clean, Stanley “hurls a plate to the floor.” He tells Stella and Blanche: “Don’t ever talk like that to me!” and claims “Every man is a king! And I am king around here.” Stanley’s imperatives and the use of exclamation marks reiterate Stanley’s aggression towards the women for questioning him in response to his habits. The diction of “spear[ing]” his fork into his food connotes hunting and therefore very traditional masculinity, evoking images of cavemen or tribal warriors. Moreover, the imagery of him hurling the delicate plates and saucers to the floor suggests that his masculinity is overbearing and destructive. Significantly, Stanley alludes to Huey Lewis’s metaphor that all men are kings which suggests that all men should have power and dominance, and he uses this for justification. As a result, Stanley is portrayed as believing in traditional masculine ideals such as strength and power, but performs in a damaging and aggressive way. Therefore, the play is able to portray a link between traditional masculine ideals and overly dominating behaviour through Stanley’s aggressive performance at dinner. In addition to this example at dinner, Stanley’s overly dominating behaviour is fully stressed in Scene 10. In this scene, Stanley corners Blanche, his sister-in-law, and eventually rapes her. On page 96, the stage directions state that Blanche must “crouch” past him and, several times, states that she “moves back” as he steps forward. On page 97, the stage directions indicate that Stanley “springs towards her” and, as he sexually assaults her, he says “we’ve had this date with each other from the beginning.” Here, the diction of “crouch” and “spring”, in addition to the visual imagery of the pair, conjure images of predator and prey, with Stanley being the dominating predator. Furthermore, his phrase that they have always had this date implies that he had made the decision to do this when he first met her, thereby suggesting that he believes he can take ownership over what he wants. As a result, Stanley is characterised as a dominating sexual predator. His declarative statement also underscores his power and dominance. Therefore, the play is able to depict the relationship between traditional masculine ideals and overly dominating behaviour via Stanley’s sexual assault of Blanche.

NON-LIT EXTRACT (2 minutes)

Moving onto the issue presented in my selected non-literary text, specifically the April 2020 Men’s Health cover, the association between idealised masculinity and overly dominant behaviours is presented first through the image of the model. The image prominently features a male model with emphasised muscles, including a six-pack, in the centre of the page. His fists are clenched as he stares directly into the camera. The deep stare as its mode of address evokes an imposing, even threatening, feeling. This view signifies strength and confidence to create an impression of idealized masculinity being powerful. Moreover, the clenched fists signify strength and power due to associations with fighters, characterising the model as strong and powerful. Furthermore, the model’s beard and emphasised muscles are again associated with strength and power, suggesting that manliness and masculinity are synonymous with these adjectives. The central placing of the male model in the centre of the magazine implies that men are at the center of everything, portraying the male model as dominant. In addition to image, the main cover line, “ARMS AND ABS”, in conjunction with smaller tag lines such as “scorch flab” and “get shredded” similarly aids in presenting a depiction of masculinity which is rather dominating. Here, the cover line contains lexical choices related to muscles often associated with the visual appearance of strength, unlike more hidden core muscles. These words are also stressed through the use of alliteration, with a forceful /a/ sound evoking power. Moreover, the cover line is emphasised via the use of capital letters and is some of the largest text on the magazine cover, which implies that manliness and a muscular physique go hand in hand. The tone is direct, evoking feelings of intimation, again linking masculinity to power and physical prowess. Additionally, diction of “scorch” has destructive connotations, conjuring images of a scorched earth via biblical associations, whilst “shredded” also has violent and destructive connotations. Thereby, masculinity is portrayed as something which is powerful yet destructive. Therefore, Men’s Health, being an example of media which is able to perpetuate standards of masculinity, directly associates this gender with dominant, strong, and even aggressive behaviours.

NON-LIT BOW (2 minutes)

Next, I will be discussing the larger body of this non-literary work. In particular, I will analyse the depiction of idealised masculinity and its links with overly dominant behaviour in other Men’s Health magazine covers. Specifically, in the January 2020 issue, the bolded cover line states “FIGHT FAT” over the metallic grey background. Here, the imperative signifies aggression and power as it is an order. Additionally, the diction of “fight” has violent connotations. In addition to evoking the idea of violence, this phrase also implies men should be in lean, physical shape. Moreover, the alliteration of the airy /f/ sound elicits images of physical fitness, as though one is panting. All of this over the top of metallic colours, which connote steel and industry, further suggest that manliness means to be strong and tough. As a result, of these features, a dominating and powerful atmosphere is achieved, with the magazine confidently establishing an idea of masculinity which does draw parallels between idealised masculine performances and overly dominating behaviours via violent language and strong colours. A similar depiction of masculinity is portrayed via visuals in the June 2020 cover featuring Ant Middleton on the cover. Across the cover is what looks like police tape or caution tape; however, Middleton pushes through this, breaking it, in addition to pointing and staring directly at the camera. Here, Middleton’s direct gaze and pointed finger elicit a threatened response and are associated with more aggressive and dominating behaviours. Moreover, breaking through police or caution tape implies that he shows little concerns for rules and will do as he pleases. As such, Middleton is perceived as a dominating and threatening persona with masculinity being portrayed as being something powerful and forceful. Therefore, the magazine directly perpetuates the idea that masculinity should be dominant and powerful, which can be misinterpreted as overly dominating, causing the global issue, as its cover model dominates the cover by breaking through tape and pointing directly at the audience in somewhat of an aggressive manner.  

CONCLUSION (1 minute)

In conclusion, both Tennessee Williams’s play A Streetcar Named Desire and Men’s Health magazine covers depict a correlation between idealised and typical forms of masculinity and overly dominating behaviours which can be damaging or destructive. In both texts, traditional associations of masculinity, such as power or strength are often emphasised to the point where they are violent, or at least have violent connotations. However, whilst A Streetcar Named Desire seems to critically portray this issue, placing Stanley as a violent protagonist to Blanche and as a bit of a villain, Men’s Health somewhat is the issue, further perpetuating these limiting and damaging ideas of what masculinity should be. Moving forward, a more varied representation of masculinity, featuring positive portrayals of less dominating men, need to be seen more in cultural texts globally if this issue is to be remedied.