Justin Klein

English 11

Based on a comparison of the contemporary song "Love the Way You Lie" and "A

Streetcar Named Desire," society's views on gender have not changed much.

In "A Streetcar Named Desire," Stanley was the head of the household and dominated his

wife. This was shown when Stanley wouldn't let Stella play music. "He tosses the

instrument out the window." This can be compared to the song "Love the Way You Lie,"

where Eminem basically controls what the woman, in this case Rihanna, can and can not

do. For example, the lyrics include "I'm leaving you. No you ain't." This shows that

Rihanna has no say in the relationship.

In "A Streetcar Named Desire" Stanley will apologize for hurting Stella but continue to

abuse her. "...and he's really very, very ashamed of himself." In "Love the Way Lie,"

Eminem acknowledges that he is lying about not abusing Rihanna again. "I apologize

even though I know it's a lie." Both Stanley and Eminem are continuing the pattern of

domestic violence towards women.

Songs and novels often reflect society's views of what is acceptable. In both "A Streetcar

Named Desire," and contemporary songs that promote violence against women, society
seems to accept this as the norm. This can be seen in media from movies, to tv shows,

where stereotypes get created on gender roles from things that are presented to us.

Recently, Stanford University student Brock Turner was caught in the act of raping an

unconscious woman. As horrible as that is, the judge only sentenced Turner to six months

in jail. This sentence reflects a part of society's attitude about violence against women.

While not everyone shows bias against women, literature and music can almost

subconsciously reinforce those attitudes as a society. In "A Streetcar Named Desire," the

attitude was that women were subservient to men. In some of today's music, women are

also being portrayed as less powerful than men.