Growing outrage over violence against women

The eponymousThings that are named after a person or place, etc. theme, desire, plays a central role throughout the play. Desire and sexuality are linked to a strong sense of identity, but also to destruction - some characters, in acting on their desires, conspire in their own demise. This is particularly true for the play's female characters: we sense that Stella's marriage to Stanley, predicated entirely on physical attraction, has trapped her. Meanwhile, Blanche loses her wealth, her reputation, and eventually her mind due to desire. The male characters, by comparison, not only feel entitled to act freely upon their desires, but often experience no consequences for doing so.

Can new laws stop this evil? Yesterday, a British policeman got a life sentence for killing an innocent young woman. The case has shone a light on a worsening global atrocity.

Are new laws the right way to tackle the problem? As testimonials of abuse flood social media and protesters take to the streets, everyone seems to agree things need to change. But how?

Is it the best policy? After a horrific sexual assault case shocked the nation, Spain became the latest country to write affirmative consent into law. But what does it mean?

Death is a seemingly ubiquitous force throughout the play. Blanche's close links with death through her dead family and husband are juxtaposedPut next to each other in order to compare. against Stanley's brutal vitality, a dynamic which contributes to the power play between the sparring rivals. But dying in the play is rarely literal - figurative deaths take place in the loss of reputation, sanity and youth. Many critics have also noted the close association between death and desire.

Should digital lives have a time limit? Scientists in the US claim they have found a way to create versions of human beings that will survive long after they are dead. 

Is it selfish to scale the peaks? Every year, thousands risk their life to climb the world's most treacherous mountains. Now, one French mayor is threatening to make them pay.

Are we losing more than words? Linguists say the world's minority languages are going through a mass extinction event. This may make communication easier. But what else is lost?

Blanche is a fantasist who, like Oscar Wilde, believes that "lying, the telling of beautiful untrue things, is the proper aim of Art". Claiming "I don't want realism. I want magic!", she refuses to be seen in the light, is thrilled by poetry and art, and often embellishes her speech with extravagant imagery. But her fantasy, produced by her sheltered life in the South, proves flimsy against the harsh realities of Stella and Stanley's world.

But does it make us better people? Alien to many and unfamiliar to most, this ancient art form claims deep and mysterious powers. Today, we examine what they are. 

Tsunami of anger over treatment of women

As Donald Trump picked a fight with the last surviving speaker from the 1963 civil rights march, a powerful analysis concluded 'the gaping wounds of racial injustice' are as bad as ever.

Is social censure strangling free speech? Writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is the latest public figure to wade into the debate on "cancel culture", claiming that it is damaging our creativity.

A Streetcar Named Desire was written at a time of great societal upheaval. Blanche and Stella's former wealth is inherited from their family, who owned a plantationA big farm in a hot part of the world on which crops such as coffee, sugar and tobacco are grown. in the American South. Meanwhile, Stanley is a second or third-generation immigrant trying to work his way up, as per the American Dream. Their differing class status means that their values, mannerisms and identities often clash violently, and some critics claim that Stanley's eventual victory over Blanche in the domestic space symbolises a victory of the working class over the historic social order.

Should we fear inflation? Experts call it a silent killer because it acts by stealth, destroying the middle classes and creating a chasm between the very rich and the very poor.

Should everyone get a free lifetime income? News broke that several American cities have started providing monthly payments to residents. But some people remain sceptical.

Is society too focused on the idea of self-improvement? For years, politicians have promised that hard work equals success. Now one leading philosopher says the idea of merit is a myth.

One of the play's major themes is the conflict between Blanche's performativeWhen words are used to perform an action. femininity and Stanley's performative masculinity. Masculinity comes to represent a threatening, carnal force which imposes a strict hierarchy through violence. Where Blanche finds control in performing conventionally feminine standards, any illusion of power is quickly broken down by Stanley's raw masculine vitality.

Can misogyny ever be stopped? TikToker Andrew Tate is back on Twitter, despite online bans for extreme sexist content. Some say his popularity shows there is still a long way to go in the battle for equality.

How important is gender to society? Callum is a cisgender boy who defies traditional masculine stereotypes. Here, the 17-year-old describes how debating helped to boost his self-esteem.

What does it mean to be masculine? Two moments frozen in time - one an epitome of humane kindness; the other an image of mindless crudity - sum up what many see as a societal catastrophe.