age

Question 1

describe age as a theme in an inspector calls:

Answer 1

• Priestley examines how your life experiences and the era you grew up in affects your morals and political identity.
• mr and mrs birling (older generation) are portrayed as stubborn, self-righteous and resistant to change.
• the younger generation, sheila and eric, are more open to new ideas, and more willing to accept responsibility for their actions.
• Priestley uses this theme to show how he believed there was hope in the younger generation’s ability to learn and change,.

Question 2

has their been any change in the generational gap between the beginning and the end of the play?

Answer 2

• final exchanges between parents and children leave audience with lasting impression of generational divide.
• ‘you began to learn something. and now you’ve stopped. you’re ready to go on in the same old way.’ sheila disapproves of older generations and their traditions. shows how society has had opportunities to learn from it’s mistakes but failed to do so each time, continuing war, bloodshed poverty.
• sheila heeds inspector’s warning, understands gravity of situation. says her parents ‘frighten’ her, and she’s decided not to listen to any more of it. symbol of the younger generations’ rejection of older generations. knows carrying on in the same way will lead to another Eva Smith scenario.
• her parents are ‘amused’ by her anxiety, they don’t recognise importance of the situation. insensitive humour. their determination to return to the way things were before after the inspector had left shows their level of delusion. morality and integrity mean nothing to them if it means having the appearance of a happy, successful family.
  
  • ‘now look at the pair of them - the
    famous younger generation who know
    it all. can’t even take a joke.’ birling
    mocks the younger generation, doesn’t
    take them seriously, thinks they’re
    weak and oversensitive.
• Priestley suggests generational divide can never be resolved, but it’s up to younger generations to correct parents’ mistakes.

Question 3

how is the ending of the play significant?

Answer 3

• play ends how it started - family gathering interrupted by phone call to say an inspector is coming to the house.
• on the surface the mirroring suggests that nothing has changed, however the audience knows that the family has divided and changed since the first act.
• the cyclical structure could allude to the two world wars, suggesting that history will keep repeating itself until people learn.

Question 4

describe the theme of age at the beginning of the play:

Answer 4

• mr birling thinks of himself as a teacher, and is arrogant and controlling to the younger generations. ‘now you three young people, just listen to this - and remember what i’m telling you now.’
• imperatives ‘listen’ and ‘remember’
  emphasise birling’s desire for attention
  and for his children to be his disciples. he
  wants to have an impact on the younger
  generation.
• ‘young people’ shows birling’s fixation on
  age and superiority. the nouns are
  mocking and patronising.
• Birling is critical of and patronising to the younger generations, showing how the older generations struggle to accept the changes of modern life. ‘you don’t know what some of these boys get up to these days. more money to spend and time to spare when I was Eric’s age.’
• implies spoiled younger generation
  because they have more ‘money’ and
  ‘time’ for themselves.
• older generation believe the younger
  generations are weaker and less worthy.
• noun ‘boys’ is infantilising and belittling,
  showing how he doesn’t take the younger
  generation seriously.

Question 5

describe the theme of age as the play progresses:

Answer 5

• eric and sheila roughly same age as priestley in 1912, so he relates to them most. represent changing face of British society.
• though at beginning they are mouthpieces for parents’ ideas (eric is eager to impress his father ‘… and as you were saying, Dad, a man has to look after himself’ - verbatim repetition of father’s words, unable to think for himself? laughs bitterly at what father says near end of play), quickly break free and think independently. largely linked to socialist ideologies (accept responsibility for their actions).
• sheila becomes more vocal against parents. isn’t afraid to call them out for their snobbery and denial.
• refers to her family’s ‘silly pretences’,
  portrays them as foolish or childish
  people who aren’t convincing anybody.
• thinks sacking eva was a ‘mean thing to
  do’ and a ‘rotten shame’. despite
  sounding childish, seen as sympathetic
  and well-meaning.
• points out ‘these girls aren’t cheap
  labour, they’re people’ - explicitly goes
  against capitalist ideas as workers being
  purely ‘labour’.

Question 6

how do Mr and Mrs Birling silence their children?

Answer 6

• Mr Birling’s monologues shows voices of the older generations were respected and hardly challenged by youngers at time.
• Eric debates prospect of war with father, tries to enter the conversation, ‘Yes, I know but-‘ Mr Birling interrupts him again: ‘Just let me finish, Eric, you’ve a lot to learn yet.’ suggests older generations craved attention, respect. younger generation not taken seriously because of their youth - new perspective wasn’t welcomed.
• Birling: ‘What’s the matter with that child?’, Mrs Birling: ‘Over-excited.’
• by suggesting something is ‘the matter’ with her, they imply that she’s delirious, ill, or insane, dismissing her worries and insights.
• ‘child’ and ‘over-excited’ further invalidate her perspective and show how the older generation patronised young adults.
• the older generation continue to insult their children, and remain unsympathetic to their feelings. by associating being a ‘fool’ and being ‘hysterical’ with being young, Priestley shows how the older generations made reductive generalisations.