Act 2 Key Quotes Flashcards
‘We really must stop these silly pretences’
Sheila quickly becomes the mature voice of reason
Tries to get her family to just play along and tell the truth. Could also link to the idea that people cared so much about presenting that they never presented their true selves to anyone
Priestly, through Sheila tells these upper class people that they need to care less about social appearances and more about the consequences of their actions
‘Im afraid you’ll say something…’
Sheila understands the inspectors role in the story and tried to warn her mother that the inspector knows more than he seems to
Knows that the inspector Google is giving each character the rope to hang themselves with - letting them explore with their own involvement and work out their own guilt
‘You and I aren’t the same people who sat down to dinner here’
Sheila shows a great deal of emotional maturity
Breaks of hare engagement - realises that she doesn’t really know her fiancé
Not worried about losing a close business connection (unlike her father)
‘Public mean, Mr Birling, have their responsibility pens as well as their privileges’
A message to wider British society in 1946
During his time fighting in World War Two, Priestley saw soldiers being sent off to die for their country. Upper class generals and leaders stayed in safe places, they didn’t fear for their own lives but sent their social inferiors into battle. This made him feel very angry for the class system
Google wants to make it clear that upper class men are free to enjoy the benefits of their lifestyle, they must also be responsible members of society who care about the lower class people who make the upper class lifestyles possible
‘We must really stop these silly pretences’
Message to upper classes
Need to care less about social appearances and more about the consequences of their actions
Becomes the mature voice of reason
Knows the inspector already knows how every member of the family was involved with Eva smith
Tries to get her family to just play along and tell the truth
‘You seem to have made a great impression on this child’
Mrs Birling is talking to Inspector Google.
She shows that she doesn’t respect Sheila as a young adult - she still thinks of her as a child and talks about her as if she is not in the room
Belittles the effect the inspector had - suggests that this ‘impression’ will be short-lived and that Sheila will not be permanently affected by him
‘It’s you - and not the inspector’
Shows a crack in their apparently perfect family facade
Family members have begun to separate
They verbally attack one another suggesting that their perfect family is not so perfect at all
‘Go and look for the father of the child. It’s his responsibility’
Mr Birling shifts all the blame to the father of child when he finds out that Eva was pregnant
Dramatic irony - man is actually Eric, Mr Birling’s son
As long as this man is anonymous, she doesn’t care what happens to him
When she soon realises, she stutters and stops talking
‘She only had herself to blame’
Mrs Viking says many times that Eva was to blame for her own fate and for the charity refusing to help her
At no point in the whole play does Mrs Birling accept any responsibility for her own actions or think that her actions may have negative consequences for others - doesn’t understand that she should think about other people
Only cares about her own family, how they look to other people and keeping their social standing
‘You know, of course, that my husband…’
Highlights the influence of the uppper classes
Most people would let the Birling’s be treated differently and receive special treatment - both Mr and Mrs B find it unacceptable that Google refused to worship or fear them
Priestley uses their attitudes to show the corruption in a society that lets the social classes be treated differently
and in some cases not even included in criminal investigations purely because of their social class
