AIC Themes Flashcards
Mr Birling name meaning
Arthur is a middle class name. Maybe connotations of King Arthur, so shows power of Mr Birling. Arthur comes from Artos, which means bear, but could also mean Thor and strong man. This further reflects Mr Birling’s name as representitive of his character.
Mrs Birling name meaning
Sibyls were prophetesses or oracles, which is ironic because she is the complete opposite of a prophetess, she is selfish, almost naïve and ignorant. Birling is her husband’s name, shows the Patriarchal nature of Edwardian society
Gerald name meaning
Gerald is a Norman name. Normans were landowners, showing his upper class status
Eric name meaning
Eric means always ruler, which is also ironic as he is always under his father, so he is really is never the ruler
Sheila name meaning
Sheila means blind one and heavenly. Metaphorically, she is blind at the start because she only knows what’s going on in her own bubble and is blind to the damage that she and her family cause. But as time goes on, her ‘eyes get opened’ and she sees everything that is going on and she becomes almost ‘heavenly’ by the end. In Australia and New Zealand, Sheila is a slang terms which means ‘women’ in general. This could show that Sheila is representitive of all women of that class and age and how they can change for the better too.
Inspector Goole name meaning
Goole sounds like Ghoul, which implies that he might be a ghost and not a real person at all
Eva Smith name meaning
Eva sound like the biblical ‘Eve’. Eve was the first woman in the world (according to the bible) so she could represent all women in the world. Eve also committed the first sin and also tempted Adam to eat the apple; this could show that men are actually better than women. Priestley uses Eva to disprove this point. Smith is the most common surname in the UK; this could further prove that she is representitive of all lower class people. Smith also means ‘to strike’ or a ‘hammer’; this could further show that Priestley is using Eva to represent the working class.
Daisy Renton meaning
A Daisy is a flower that blooms during spring and summer; representing that she desperately wants to start a new life. To rent is to hire out which shows that she is getting ‘rented out’
Edna name meaning (and her role)
Edna means Renewer, Delight or Rejuvenation; could show how the upper class are ‘rejuvenated’ from the lower class. Her role is to fulfill the upper class people’s needs
