The following is a monologue from Blanche’s perspective; it takes place in scene 7, just before she begins singing (page 120).
That wretched Polack! That monster of a man!
[Mimicking]
“Canary bird… Lies… Not respected by any party…” Oh, he is going to be the death of me! He repulses me! I don’t know how much longer I can take this… I don’t know how Stella – my Stella, my Stella for star – can live with such a bestial creature. Surely, he takes pleasure in plucking the wings of butterflies, making them into nothing but creepy, ugly, lifeless insects. Surely, he takes pleasure in staining pretty white roses and revealing their thorns. And surely, he takes pleasure in his sadistic manner of waiting to play his ace. He knows I can hear him – he just knows and he is doing it deliberately, to pull on the strings of my delicate little heart in all the wrong ways. 
He wants me to leave and to go back on that dreadful streetcar to where I came from. But I won’t have it. No, I will not have it! I will not let some common man trump me! I have fought too hard, bled too much! I will just not have it! He thinks he is hurting me but doesn’t he know that even a moth as filthy as I can fly! That I can dodge his blows! [Pauses, shocked at herself.] Oh… What is happening to me? It’s my birthday! I must get a hold of myself… [Pours water gently over her head.] There is nothing a little water cannot wash away… There, there. [Giggles and speaks airily.] He raises his voice to make me hear those cruel words, to make me feel them slam against my heart. He raises it to make me leave… But now, honey, it’s time to raise mine. [Blanche begins to sing “But it wouldn’t be make believe if you believed in me.”]
References:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/24814275/antique-art-engraving-emperor-moth
http://aliciaweller.com/2011/10/23/bird-bath-watercolor-ink-illustration/
Dear Vanessa,
What an incredible piece that you have written! The voice that speaks through the words is undoubtedly that of Blanche; I felt as if I were hearing her true, innermost thoughts. You’ve really embodied Blanche’s character. I also want to compliment you on the way you wove in the symbolism of butterflies and moths- coupled with other analogies such as ‘revealing the thorns of the rose’, it worked wonders to display the illusion that Blanche is hiding behind. But this piece does two very significant things in my mind- it shows that Blanche is more than aware of the fact that roses have thorns, and it also makes the audience reconsider who Blanche is. Bathing takes on a whole new meaning for me after having read your monologue- it is not just a way to cleanse herself mentally and emotionally, but also a way for her to reshuffle her cards and revaluate her hand. You have shown us a side of Blanche that is calculating, possessive, and strong- and some of these traits are things I hadn’t seen in her before. I am finding that now, I have another perspective on Blanche and a new way of looking at her motives. For this, I thank you.
In terms of a constructive criticism, as a reader I would have liked to see more stage directions to provide context and so that I could have had a clearer view of what Blanche is doing and what she looks like at this time. The precision of the stage directions in A Streetcar Named Desire is part of what makes it such a flawless intentionality, and I feel that if there had been more stage directions in your piece, its threads would have sewn together more intentionally.
Other than that, I feel you’ve done a fantastic job. I applaud you and your writing and I have to say, I’m really glad Ms. Hunnisett assigned me to comment on your blog, because otherwise I may not have read this extraordinary piece of brilliance. Have a good weekend!
Infinite Love and Gratitude,
Ziyana
Vanessa,
I would just like to start off by saying that I LOVE this piece, and that you did an incredible job with it.
In this monologue, I found a side of Blanche that Tennessee Williams had not shown me–this is the real Blanche, the Blanche that hears the atrocities spoken against her but says nothing, the Blanche that does not back down from a fight, the Blanche that takes control of her own fate. This is the aggressive side to the passive-aggressive Blanche, and I must say that I like her a great deal.
In your monologue, Blanche’s façade has not been put up and we see what chaos really happens behind the scenes. I love how real you have made Blanche in this monologue, for I am used to seeing her as a very fake, phony character–but in this, she actually resembles a human being!
Something that I would like to commend you on is the fact that Blanche is not pretending to be a butterfly, but rather she is admitting that she is a moth. I am so used to seeing her pretending to be perfect and charming that this provided a very nice change in the way that I view Blanche. I now get to see who she is when she is by herself–and she knows that she is a moth.
Honestly, I don’t think that I have a constructive criticism for you, because I wouldn’t want to change a thing about this piece. I respectfully disagree with Ziyana about the stage directions, because when there are not a lot of stage directions in a monologue, it allows the actor a lot of freedom–that is a freedom of movement, a freedom in the way that lines are delivered, and a freedom of an unguided interpretation of the monologue. Speaking as an actor, I would feel confident using this as an audition monologue, because it is breathtaking and brilliant (and done on such a professional level.)
One last thing that I need to mention is that the last line is incredibly powerful. It is like a slap in the face (to Stanley) and I love it.
Thank you so much for writing this piece because it have provided me with a great deal of insight on Blanche’s character, as well as allowing me to formulate new opinions about this play and the characters in it. You have brought Blanche to life in a way that she hasn’t been alive before, so thank you.
Infinite love and gratitude,
Hope
Dear Vanessa,
Wow! I have to say I was not expecting the ending to your blog, the way you weaved in the idea of Blanche overhearing Stanley so beautifully. As a reader I was in love with it, for it reveals the “poker player” side of Blanche, which we rarely get to see since she is always wearing/playing another face of the cards she has received. Come to think of it, I don’t recall Tennessee Williams ever including what Blanche was internally feeling so directly and I loved how you did so! Bravo!
You also spoke to the internal struggle human beings have when fighting between who they want to be verse who they are, throughout the shifts in her words and voice throughout this monologue, which I believe is the mark of a talented writer. Great Job!
As for feedback, I went to writers workshop a while back and they spoke about the use of exclamation marks, from what I learned I would offer that perhaps you may want to try to reduce the amount you may have used and create lines with such impact (which you have) that don’t necessarily need the exclamation marks continuously. Nevertheless, I do see how they work for Blanche’s character and am still loving the piece in its entirely.
Lots of Love,
Malika