AIC - Family

Question 1

(first stage direction)

Answer 1

• The stage direction at the start of the play describes the lighting as ‘Pink and intimate’ until the Inspector enter making the lighting ‘brighter and harder’.
• the colour “pink” symbolises the romanticised view of Birlings: see everything through rose-tinted glasses.
• the adjective “intimate” shows their false relationships and makes the revelation about each other’s crimes more and more shocking.
• the comparatives “brighter” and “harder” highlights the sudden contrast in attitudes experienced by the Birlings - The reference to light might connotate with enlightenment and revealing the crimes of the others.

Question 2

(Act 1, pg 2)

Answer 2

• Sheila refers to her mother as ‘mummy’ which makes her seem much younger than twenty and so infantilises her adding to the naïve upper-class women stereotype.
• Sheila also seems somewhat assertive in this quotation - she is telling her mum what to do in a very soft way Making Sheila seem like a spoiled brat at the start of the play.

Question 3

(Act 1, pg 4)

Answer 3

• Priestley uses Mr Birling to portray Capitalist greed.
• He proposes to “work together” with Crofts Limited suggests he sees Sheila’s marriage as a business negotiation and an opportunity to expand his own prospects.
• “For lower costs and higher prices” finishes the sentence, mirroring how money is the ultimate goal for all Capitalists - presents him as parsimonious as he doesn’t have a problem with exploiting both workers and customers for more profit.
• The phrase is a microcosm for Capitalism, emphasising how money and profit motivate everything in society.

Question 4

(Act 2, pg. 31) - 1

Answer 4

• “Lord Mayor only two years ago”
• The adverb ‘only’ shows that Mrs Birling is trying to assert her social dominance over the inspector - She says this when introducing herself showing how her status depended on her husband.

Question 5

(Act 2, pg 31) - 2

Answer 5

• Sheila tells her mother “Impertinent is such a silly word” which implies that the senior Birlings’ air of superiority is false.
• Sheila criticism of her mother’s use of the adjective “impertinent” is ironic as this is the word she used to complain about Eva to Millwards (resulting in Eva getting fired).
• By criticising it now, Priestley shows how Sheila has broken free of her mother’s opinions.

Question 6

(Act 3, pg. 54)

Answer 6

• Eric describes his father as ‘Not the kind of father a chap could go to.’
• Shows that Mr Birling’s toxic masculinity and emotional detachment has distanced the two of them from each other. Priestley highlights how pressures of masculinity cause rifts in society.
• The modal verb ‘could’ implies that going to his father for help wasn’t an option which highlights Eric’s strained relationship with his father – generational divide.

Question 7

(Act 3, pg 65)

Answer 7

‘They’re so damned exasperating.’
The phrase ‘damned’ shows Mr Birlings lack of respect for the younger generations revealing the older generations dismissive attitude to those different or inferior to him in any way.

Question 8

essay plan

Answer 8

Initial presentation – all generations have similar views
* (first stage direction) Stage direction - ‘Pink and intimate’ -> ‘brighter and harder’
* (Act 1, pg 2) - “Yes, go on, Mummy. You must drink our health.”

Senior birlings tries to maintain Family’s power
* (Act 1, pg 4) Mr Birling - “work together”, “For lower costs and higher prices”
* (Act 2, pg. 31) Mrs Birling - “Lord Mayor only two years ago”

Conflict between generations
* (Act 2, pg 31) Sheila - “Impertinent is such a silly word”.
* (Act 3, pg. 54) Eric - ‘Not the kind of father a chap could go to.’
* (act 3 pg 65) ‘They’re so damned exasperating.’