AIC Flashcards
Mr Birling - 3 points essay
- Ignorant, educated and absorbed in business
- Classist following the inspectors arrival,
- Doesn’t accept responsibility and unsympathetic towards lower class
Quotes to show Mr Birling’s ignorance and obsession with business related conversations
“ignore all this silly pessimistic talk”
“we’ve passed the worst of it”
“unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable” - dramatic irony because the audience knows that the titanic does sink, showing his naivety and over confidence
“the Germans don’t want war”
“I speak as a hard-headed, practical man of business”
“working together- for lower costs and higher prices”
“friendly rivals in business”
Quotes to show Mr Birling is classist following the inspectors arrival
“I was an alderman for years - lord mayor two years ago” - trying to prove his dominance and power to the inspector
“well, its my duty to keep labour costs down” - by doing this, Mr Birling is condemning his workers to lives of poverty and hardship
“and a nasty mess you’ve made of it now” - refusing to take any responsibility
“there isn’t the slightest reason why my daughter should be dragged into the unpleasant business” wants to preserve his daughters innocence, but perfectly happy for
“I don’t like that tone” - trying to regain authority and force the inspector to leave
Quotes to show that Mr Birling doesn’t retain the inspectors message or accept responsibility, remaining unsympathetic towards the lower class
“Still, I can’t accept any responsibility”
“She had a lot to say, far too much”
“They’d soon be asking for the earth” grouping the lower class as one, almost viewing them as a different species
“the famous younger generations who know it all” - mocking the younger generation (his children) , showing he has not changed since the beginning of the play
Sheila Birling - 3 points for Essay
- initially naive, childish, materialistic, immature
- becomes more independent and guilty
- sympathetic and retains the inspectors message by accepting responsibility
Sheila Birling quotes - intially does what her parents tell her, materialistic and immature
“is that the one you wanted me to have” - lets Gerald make decisions for her
“mummy” “daddy” - childish language
“I’m sorry” - lack of maturity as she can’t stand up for herself
Sheila Birling quotes - affected by news of Eva’s death and becomes more independent whilst guilty for her contribution to Eva’s potential suicide
- “I felt rotten about it at the time, and now I feel a lot worse” - realisation
- “I’m not a child don’t forget” she’s had enough of being treated like a child and stands up to them
- “these girls aren’t cheap labour, they’re people” - sees workers as people compared to her parents who dehumanise them
- “dont interfere please father” - Again independence is shown
Sheila Birling quotes - sympathetic and mature as she retains the Inspectors message by accepting her responsibility
- “and probably between us we killed her”
- “you and I aren’t the same people who sat down to dinner here” - showing how younger generations are accepting to change
- “He’s giving us the rope so that we’ll hang ourselves” realises the inspectors aim to make them realise their mistakes
- “If i could help her now I would” - receptive to the message and feels remorse”
Gerald Croft - 3 points for essay
- At the start, he is classist and uses business and his social class to suck up to and form a bond with Mr Birling
- following the inspectors arrival, he is initially ignorant and tries to hide the truth but becomes emotional and honest his story unfolds and he accepts responsibility
- However after the inspector leaves and is discovered a fake, he returns to his original character
Gerald Croft quotes - classist, business orientated and ignorant
- described as “well bred young man-about-town”
- “i believe you’re right sir”
- “absolutely first class” describing the food
- “I was awfully busy at the works all the time”
- “I’d have done the same thing”
Gerald Croft quotes - attempts hiding his truth by challenging the inspector and becomes increasingly ignorant
- ” we’re respectable citizens and not criminals”
- “I’ve never known an Eva Smith” - isn’t aware that he knew her as Daisy Renton
- “getting a big heavy handed aren’t you there inspector” - tries to assert his dominance
- “I knew her, lets leave it at that” - attempting to brush past their interaction
Gerald Croft quotes - eventually becomes honest and accepts responsibility however after realising inspector is a fake, returns to original character
- “I suppose I asked for that”
- “We’ve been had”
- “I’m almost certain. That’s what I cam back here to tell you”
- “we can settle this at once”
Mrs Birling - 3 points for essay
- Initially proper and focused, cares about etiquette and manners
- Classist and ignorant following the inspectors arrival
- Irresponsible, lacks guilt or empathy and doesn’t retain the inspectors message
Quotes to show Mrs Birling - intially proper and dominant, keen to maintain etiquette (shows her social superiority to her husband)
“I dont think you ought to be talking about buiness”
“Arthur, you’re not supposed to say such things”
“I beg your pardon”
“(very sharply) Sheila!”
Quotes to show Mrs Birling - classist and ignorant
“Girls of that class”
“As if a girl of that sort would ever refuse money”
“It was simply a piece of gross impertinence - quite deliberate”
“I didn’t like her manner”
“I dont believe a word of it”
“I don’t believe it, I won’t believe it”
