ACT 1 : Sheila quotes and analysis Flashcards
ACT 1 - “Yes, go on, mummy”
Her silencing is prevalent (clear) in Act 1 as her speech is short and simplistic; this is indicative of how she is silenced due to her being seen as an inferior young woman, but also representing how she is a disenfranchised woman - her lack of voice could be utilised by Priestley to critique the lack of political voice women had in the Edwardian Era. Sheila’s language is very regressive and simplistic for a woman of the middle class who is in her ‘[early twenties]’. Her language remains infantile and childlike as she refers to her mother as “mummy”. This reinforces that she has been sheltered from the real hardships of life, resulting in her to be preserved in this infantile manner and being prohibited from seeing the belligerent world
Sheila’s engagement to Gerald
Sheila’s oppression serves to be emblematic (symbolic) of the typical oppression of women within the 20th century. Her entire being is centred around the patriarchal (men dominated) expectations of her: marriage to advance her family politically and socially. Her engagement to Gerald is a by product of patriarch as the uniting of “Crofts and Birlings” is the real reason her family, most significantly Mr Birling, is overjoyed and elated with the marriage with it being “the happiest night of my life”. We clearly see that Sheila is equally ecstatic about the marriage as she is mesmerised by the “beauty” of the ring, but her later disillusionment to the idea of marriage (once she realises its meaningless value to Gerald) proves that this marriage was not a union for her, but for her father. Sheila and Mr B’s relationship is created by Priestley as a microcosm of the regressive patriarchal norms in the Edwardian era He utilises their relationship, most significantly Sheila’s oppression, to be didactic to the audience about the detrimental impact of a society that oppresses both women and the lower classes; women were utilised as a transaction to further advance the political and social status of their fathers. A women’s naivety and oppression allowed this transaction to be more seamless, hence Sheila’s naivety is used by Priestley to indict how the patriarchal society objectified women, seeing them for their transactional value opposed to their value as humans
ACT 1: “But these girls aren’t cheap labour - they’re people.”
Shows Sheila is starting to display more socialist views. Declarative sentence shows Sheila is certain of what she is saying and standing up to her father. This contrasts earlier in the play when she says ,”daddy”, ; she is developing socialist attitudes. She directly indicts her father’s exploitative capitalist ways through opposing that, ”But these girls aren’t cheap labour - they’re people”. As girls connotes innocence and vulnerability, Sheila has recognised hat upper class members of society, typically possessing capitalist views, exploit the innocence and vulnerability of the lower classes - one realisation the previous sheltered Sheila would have never come to. The plosive alliteration used here presents her frustration and the conjunction ”but” shows she is becoming more assertive and questioning the relentless exploitation of the lower class. This is the beginning of her disgust and rejection of capitalists dehumanising, deplorable and unscrupulous behaviour
