Essay on entrapment

« Comparative essay Lara, Lilia, Mohi, Manon I - Entrapment in society Topic sentence: In order to explore the theme of entrapment, Lynn Nottage and the women poets, through structure and symbolism, represent and illustrate women gender norms but also question their role in women entrapment. A.

Form/ structure : First of all, In intimate apparel, Nottage explores the theme of entrapment through the use of structure and stagecraft.

Indeed, she uses detailed descriptions of the setting, particularly the decor, to emphasize the limitations and confined nature of Esther's world.

For example, the detailed description of Esther's room in Act 1, Scene 1, underscores the mundane and restricted life she leads.

The limitations of her physical space mirror the limitations placed on her by society and her circumstances serving as a visual representation of the entrapment within prescribed gender roles and societal norms.

Moreover, the strategic use of silence between characters, particularly evident in interactions between Esther and Mr. Marks like in Act 2, Scene 4, as they navigate the complexities of their relationship, which adds a layer of tension to the narrative.Unspoken feelings and unexpressed desires linger in the silence, symbolizing the constraints imposed by societal expectations.

The palpable tension becomes a reflection of the characters' entrapment within their social roles.

Besides, the recurring use of Ragtime as in the beginning of the play :”A clumsy ragtime melody bleeds in from the parlour”, serves as a symbolic representation of the era and also mirrors the emotional ups and downs of the characters.The characters are entrapped in a cultural and emotional cadence that dictates their lives, limiting their freedom of expression.

Furthermore, lighting choices, such as dimmed lights during intense moments, accentuate the characters' emotional states, reinforcing the characters' entrapment within the societal norms that govern their relationships.

Finally, the concept of photographs at the end of each act, even if not physically present in the book, symbolizes the characters' entrapment within the past.

Each photograph captures a frozen moment in time, reflecting the historical and personal contexts that shape the characters' present circumstances. Similarly, Emily Dickinson also uses the structure of her poem “I’m “wife” — I’ve finished that—“ in order to convey a feeling of entrapment.

Indeed the author structures her poem with excessive dashes, twelve to be precise.

This use of dashes breaks the fluidity of the poem.

It seems as if the parts of the verses were trapped between the dashes.

Added to this the poem is cut into three stanzas.

Furthermore her work showcases a woman torn between two states : womanhood and being a wife.

She describes how hard it is to detach herself from the burden of being the wife of someone.

Unfortunately, at the end she finds herself trapped inside the same state.

The exclamation point in the last verse of the poem shows that the narrator can’t escape from wifehood and therefore from the societal entrapment she is living in because of her gender.

Thus, the structure of the poem reinforces this feeling of entrapment specially present in marriage by breaking the speech of the protagonist with dashes and through the division of the poem into three stanzas, preventing her from emancipating from the social expectations. B.

Symbolism and Imagery : Moreover, Lynn Nottage, with the stagecraft of the corset tries to raise awareness about the powerful way this symbol illustrates and allows her to criticize women's pressure imposed by society.

Indeed, the symbol of the corset is representing the garment, a physical mark of imprisonment used to show the imprisonment of women to the spectator.

Yet Lynn Nottage also criticizes the fact that this imposed cage is seen and pushed by society as a norm and fashion accessory.

For instance, with the “Wedding Corset: White Satin with pink roses” destined for Corina Mae, allows Lynn Nottage to introduce the pressure women of the time, embodied by Esther, felt to marry.

Furthermore, the “Gardenia Ball corset: Pink silk and crepe de chine'' designed for Ms.

Van Buren that “hardly seems decent'' denounces the paradoxical moral pressure put on women to dress decently while fulfilling their role of wife, which meant to stay desirable for their husband.

This quote “hardly seems decent” from Mrs Van Buren in her boudoir with Esther, highlights how the intimacy of the undergarment affected women in their relationships during the 20th century.

The settings serve to explore the imposition of this garment as physical and symbolic entrapment for women.

To sum up, Lynn Nottage demonstrates that women are trapped in the private sphere where they have to fulfill the role society assigned them and hence through the symbol of corsets, she represents the society’s mindset concerning women’s place. Likewise, Elizabeth Bishop uses symbols in “One Art”.

The gradation of the elements the poet loses are allegories for the grief she is going through.

From materialistic objects without any value to emotional valued things, Bishop states everything she loves (“loved houses”, “lovely [cities]”, “ a gesture [she] love[s]”, especially “[her] mother’s watch” and “losing faster, losing farther” that sound like losing her father) as a metaphor for grief, only to share her personal experience of losing it all.

Characteristic of the confessional poetry, Bishop testifies of her life to raise awareness of her audience.

With the gradation of symbolic elements, Elizabeth Bishop reminds the readers they are trapped in the unavoidable pain of loss and grief they have to face to “master”. Author’s purpose: By representing the entrapment of numerous female characters for Lynn Nottage and of the speaker for the women poets, gender norms are explored and denounced as element favorating female immobility, suggesting the intersectionality between all the texts. II 1-A In order to break entrapment, Lynn Nottage creates characters that defy and exude the confinement of entrapment through the use of contrast and foil characters.

As a matter of fact, Lynn Nottage stages two opposite characters in Intimate Apparel: Mrs Van Buren and Mayme.

The first one is an educated white woman free to live a more luxurious lifestyle because she goes to the opera, to the “the annual Gardenia Ball, quite the event of the season” in act I sc 2.

Yet, this illusion of choice and freedom she gives hides the reality: she’s controlled by society’s norms (“one of those things required of [her]”, like her life is commanded by someone) and she’s completely dependent on her husband due to social expectations (“he spat at [her]” Lynn Nottage gives him an abusive characterization to illustrate the patriarchal society”).

Thus to break this situation of entrapment, Lynn Nottage invents her foil character: Maymee, a black prostitute.

By definition, they are complete opposites, Mayme’s characterization is thought to reverse the situation of entrapment created.... »