Aic Quotes Flashcards
Quote displaying dramatic irony or foreshadowing about the billings being a good family
“you seem to be a nice well-behaved family”-Gerald pg 8
The Birling family is held together by lies, when the truth is revealed
they fall apart. And it’s disastrous. There’s hatred, envy, theft, prostitutes
and even being responsible for the death of their own Grandchild
Furthermore for a perceptive reader they may be able to see the hint of foreshadowing in the future that there will be issues down the line which will create irony
End stage directions
As they stare guilty and dumbfounded,the curtain falls this ambiguous ending would leave the reader unsatisfied possibly leading to them making better decisions
Wall quote act 2 Sheila
[Slowly, Carefully now] You mustn’t try to build up
a sort of wall between us and that girl’. Act 2- Sheila
Wall is a metaphor for the division of society shows the rich are trying to ignore the working class
Adverbs in the The stage directions “Slowly,carefully” suggest she is carefully thinking about how to convey her point this shows maturity and responsibility. In contrasts to birling acting irrationally to firing Eva
The use of the noun girl instead of Eva may be to suggest that more than one girl who suffers from immoral acts and that there are many more people out there. Here Priestley has used Sheila as a vehicle to show maturity and responsibility and therefore bring his point across clearly.
Sheila quote how she can’t stop thinking about her
-(distressed#0 Sorry! It’s just I can’t help thinking
about this girl-destroying herself so horribly .
and I’ve been so happy tonight. Oh I wish
you
hadn’t told me. what was she like? Quite young?”
Sheila cheap Labour
“But these girls aren’t cheap labour-they’re people”
Inspector responsibility/ morality quotes
Equality easy with me
T
Lives hopes
Members
Fire blood anguish
1 Eva smith died tonight
“If you’re easy with me, I’m easy with you”
Priestley’s use of parallelism(same grammatical features of a sentence repeated) in this phrase is, perhaps, symbolic for the inspectors message . This sense of equality and treating other how you wish to be treated is inherently socialist views. He also keeps the sentence short this is another dramatic feature of the inspector he speaks “weightily”
“Their lives, their hopes and fears, their suffering and chance of happiness all intertwined with our lives”
Priestley continues to spread the message of socialism and the need for greater responsibility as everybod’s lives are intertwined. Furthermore this may be a subtle reference to the future war as their lives will definitely be intertwined, this may be preiestleys way of showing to his 1945 audience that the classes lives wok better intertwined if it is for positive and full of motivation.
The list has a weight full impact as it feels relentless showing the suffering of the working class is relentless
“We are all members of one body”This religous imagery is a deliberate echo of the book of genesis as “we are members of one body” is used in communion. Priestley has deliberatley used this reference as more 80% of his audience will have been regular church goers, this is more than just a simple pursauasuve device for politics but is in fact cleverly embedded in the play to signify to the audience that in christianity God wants everyone to help eachother and exept they are all made in Gods image so should respect eachother with the same degree of respect. This christian mesage would be accepted by the most anti-socialist capitalsists as it is the teachings of GOD THIS WOULD THEN ROMT THE AUDIENCE TO QUESTION WHETHER THEY ARE LIVING UP TO GODS TEACHINGS AND EXPECATATIONS, THIS COULD ULITMATELY HAVE LEAD TO CHANGE. This also links in with the Quote “we are all responsible for eachother”- love thy neigbour
“But Just remeber this One Eva smith died tonight. But there are millions and millions and millions of Eva miths and John Smiths still left with us.”
“iF MEN WILL NOT LEARN THAT LESSON THEN THEY IWLL BE TAUGHT IN FIRER AND BLOOD AND ANGUISH” On the surface the isnpector is warning the audience. In one way this could be seen that he nis trying to wanr the characters and the audience the religous consequences for neglecting their duty of social responsibility . The religous connoation oft the nouun “fire” is hell and therefore the punishemtn for not followiing the message of both christianity and socialism to ‘love thy neighbour’. However from a different angle this mesage could be seen as linking to war. The prediction of the nouns “fire” “blood”“anguish” are in tripartie stucture which which is a description of both the first world war and the second world wara and link between capitalism and war. The inspector is implying that war is caused by capitalism but is alo showing the intolerable effecs of war. Priestley is pointing out tat war is an economic consequence for capitalism as in both wars britain went to war agaisnt its economic rival germany. Yes the war as catalysed by hitler persecuting minorities but these wars were an excellent opputunity for capitalists to make money as the war would need faactories open to make materials etc. Howvere consequences for the upper class as many of the middle and upper class men went to be officers in the war so they would lead charges this is alsomsyt a hint to the audiences as manhy oif capitalists children would be watching it is preistleys hint satying your farther care more about money than they do about their sons
Inspector asking for world quote he is learning berling a valuable lesson
“They might. But it’s better to ask for the world than to are it”
Here the inspector is suggesting that social irresponsible and greedy to take things without permission
What is the affect of the inspector giving a speech before he leaves
By the inspector giving a speech before he leaves he summarise what horrifying situations have occurred, Priestley may have used the inspector as a vehicle carrying this message to remain the audience to respect others and to convey the negative effects capitalism embodies. The structural technique here is pivotal as Priestley has left this speech a few pages before the end to allow the audience to reflect but also to learn about how to not take the inspectors message which mr Birling shrugs off, However the ending when the telephone ring is an important dramatic feature as it almost want the audience that the middle and upper classes aren’t protected in their secluded “suburban” homes by infarct the phone represents reality dangling over the birlings head.
When the inspector says about a bigger price to pay he may be referring to the ending
The ambiguous ending makes the audience question their own actions. The use of an ambiguous ending instead of a statement simply brining the play to a close opens the the mind with questions therefore the message will iterate through the audiences mind
What is the significance of an ambiguous ending
The ambiguous makes the audience question their own actions. The use of an ambiguous ending instead of a statement simply brining the play to a close opens the the mind with questions therefore the message will iterate through the audiences mind
The unknown of what happens also creates fear especially as Priestley used religious imagery previously this may be god punishement
Sheila Birling Responsibility quotes
Furious temper, her fault,behaved badly she knows she did
Felt rotten
nice people
learned nothing
“I was in a furious temper” and”It was my own fault” and “I behaved badly too.I know I did”. Sheila is instantly open to accepting responsibility and is self-critical of her actions. The Adjective “Furious” literally means a mood that is full of anger. Whilst this may seem like she is irresponsible on the surface and shows she can be irresponsible but it is juxtaposed by Sheila acknowledging her actions. This clearly shows Sheila is a character full of growth and her fore leads the audience to understand the mistake Sheila made and how to apply the lesson of her mistake in their loves.
“I felt rotten about it at the time”. Priestley use of the informal(colloquial)adjective “rotten” demonstrates Sheilas ack of maturity of her vocabulary. This may reflect why she has made mistakes like all members of youth do but here she also shows remorse for her actions which she instantly knew was wrong. Under closer inspection it would be uncommon for the middle class to use colloquial language such as “rotten” this therefore may have a deeper meaning of the changes in scoitety through the younger generation which create hope, arguably here this may well be in fact Priestley conveying that at unity is proportional t the level of social responsibility you feel rather than using formal vocabulary in which the middle ad upper class members use.
“I suppose we’re all nice people now” Here Priestley uses the rhetorical device, coupled with a sarcastic tone to Coney Sheila’s disapproval of her parents and Gerald’s lack of remorse. The lack of criminal conviction doesn’t alleviate their immoral acts. Furtermore this exemplifies the hope for the younger generation as they are learning and “more impressionable” especially in the sense of morals. As and inspector calls is a morality play
“You don’t seem to have learned anything” here Sheila has acknowledged the purpose of the inspector inquiry - a moral teaching- Priestley does this to portray the older generation as stubborn and opposed to changing their stance on responsibility
F n
Shelia Birling capitalism v socialism quotes
Younger generation
Cheap labour
Childish
“But these girls aren’t cheap labour” they are people”
“It’s you two who are bing childish-trying not to face the facts.” Priestley uses irony as Sheila is the child butlabels her parents as “childish”
Mr Birling insensitive capitalist attitudes
Duty labour costs
Asking for earth
Birlingcrofts no longer competing
A man has to mind his own business(this may refer to his life but is ironic as he is constantly thinking about his economic business)
Socialist or crank
“It’s my duty to keep the labour costs down” noun duty shows his dedication to capitalism”
“If you don’t come down sharply on some of these people, they’d be asking for the earth”
“2probably some socialist or some sort of crank” The noun “crank” is an attempt by Mr Birling to
condemn socialism, however, Priestley’s use of
dramatic irony causes the audience to oppose Mr
Birling’s views and therefore sympathise with
socialists. As birling is an unreliable character
Foe lower costs and higher prices
“When Birling and crofts are no longer competing” shows true motive behind the marriage
“A man has to mind his own business and look after himself” Cleverly Priestley has mr Birling speed in third person to attempt to create a philosophical element to his speech makes a mockery of capitalists as he acts foolish
“If you don’t come down sharply on some of these people, they’d be asking for the earth”The hyperbole (exaggeration for effect) of “asking for the earth” is an attempt by Mr Birling to explain his rejection of Eva Smith’s pay rise. However, the absurdity of people “asking for the earth” reflects the absurdity of Mr Birling’s refusal to pay a decent wage.
Birling Responsibility
If we are all responsible for everything
Can’t accept
Covering up asap
“If we were all responsible for everything that
happened to everybody……it would be very awkward wouldn’t it?”
Priestley’s use of the adjective “awkward”, coupled with Mr Birling’s self-absorbed character reveals that an increased sense of responsibility for everyone would really only be “awkward” for him. This
awkwardness extends to the class and ideology that he represents: capitalist middle-class.
“I can’t accept any responsibility”
“I’ve got o cover this up as soon as i can” Priestley uses this sense of urgency as Mr Birling reaction to his involvement in Eva smiths suicide shows how he is focused solely on the well-being of his own social status , rather than the death of Eva and how his actions contributed to it
Birling self absorbed
Chief constable friend
Public scandal
“”Perhaps I ought to-warn you that that( the Chief Constable is] an old friend of mine. We play golf together.”Mr Birling attempts to intimidate the Inspector through the verb “warn”. The belief that association with the
Chief Constable puts Mr Birling above the law
epitomises the need for greater social justice and responsibility.
“There’ll be a public scandal… and who here will suffer for that more than I will?” This rhetorical question is used by Priestley to demonstrate Mr Birling’s self-pity rather than sympathy for Eva Smith. His social status is more valuable to him
than his employee’s lives.
Gerald Croft responisbility
Sorry well I’ve suddenly realised
Leave after strike
Said about shop
Where did you get idea…
“Sorry-I-well, I’ve suddenly realised-taken it in properly- that she’s dead” Gerald’s delayed reaction to her death is diluted with
hyphens as this stammered and staggered speech reveals the over I/helming sadness he feels. Priestley reveals the internal conflict within Gerald, between his natural emotional reaction and his attempt to suppress any (feminene) emotion that he shows, as he has to remain masculine in a patriarchal society.
“Leave after a strike” and “said something about the shop too”. Gerald remembers that Eva had to “leave after a strike” and
“said something about the shop too” and therefore confirns
the story of Mr Birling and Sheilla. Therefore, Gerald knows
that Eva is the same person, yet he later suggests that
“there’s still no proof it was really the same girl. Here,
Gerald is trying to excuse his own behaviour and also
convince himself that he is innocent, through breaking the
“chain of events and therefore implying that his actions did
not lead to a suicide.
“2where did you get the idea that i did know her” Gerald’s quilt is demonstrated through his immediate defensive tone as he questions the Inspector “where did you get the idea that I did know her”. This allows Gerald to gage how much the Inspector knows and therefore adapt his story to be consistent with the Inspector’s knowledge.
