An Inspector Calls

Question 1

What quote from Mr Birling shows his stupidity?

Answer 1

“Unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable”

“The germans don’t want war”

Question 2

What Mr Birling quotes shows that he cares more about his social presence than his moral mistakes?

Answer 2

“Id pay thousands, yes thousands”

“You’re the one to blame for this Eric”

Question 3

What Mrs Birling quotes show that she’s also reluctant to claim any of the blame set on her?

Answer 3

“I’m absolutely ashamed of you Eric”

“I accept no blame for it at all”

Question 4

Quote from Shiela to show that she’s realised her mistakes…

Answer 4

“I behaved badly too, I know I did, I’m ashamed of it”

Question 5

What does the titanic symbolise for Mr Birling?

Answer 5

His family, he believes that the ship is untouchable (like his family), but they both later suffer their downfall.

Question 6

How can we see that Mr Birling is intimidated by the inspector?

Answer 6

He begins to use more colloquial language such as “y’know”, showing he is losing authority.

Question 7

What quote does Mrs Birling use, throwing Eric under the bus?

Answer 7

“Go and look for the father of that child. It’s his responsablilty”

“He ought to be delt with very severly”

Question 8

What euphanism does Mrs Birling use which gives us a slight (but fake) feel of responsability?

Answer 8

Refers to Eva Smith as ‘a girl of that sort’, rather than anything much worse than that.

Question 9

What does Priestly use Mrs Birling to show?

Answer 9

All that’s wrong with society, the rich merely pass the blame on to whoever they can without thinking of the consequences (she’s thrown he own son under the bus).

Question 10

What is pretence?

Answer 10

Pretending to be something that in reality you’re not. What Mrs Birling uses in order to fool us and the inspector into thinking she cares for the poor.

Question 11

How does Shiela’s choice of personal pronouns show her change in maturity.

Answer 11

At the beginning of the play she uses words like ‘mummy’, however this changes to ‘mother’ as she matures and owns up to her mistakes.

Question 12

What does Shiela’s quote ‘I suppose we’re all nice people now’ show?

Answer 12

Here Shiela uses irony to show that she strongly disagrees with her parents actions and therefore undertands the moral wrongs they’ve commited.

Question 13

What quote does Sheila use to show the poor are still people and support Priestly’s idea of socialism?

Answer 13

“These girls aren’t cheap labour - they’re people”

Question 14

What does Sheila say showing she understands the inspector?

Answer 14

“Why- you fool- he knows. Of course he knows.”

Question 15

What other quote does Sheila use to show they are no different to the poorer classes?

Answer 15

“You mustn’t try to build up a kind of wall between us and that girl” (speaking to Mrs Birling), this uses imagery to show that theres a large metaphorical distance between the classes.

Question 16

How does Shiela change during the play?

Answer 16

She goes from listening to her mum doing what ever she says to asking questions to her, almost contradicting her like the inspector.
‘It frightens me the way you talk’

Question 17

What is Priestleys message through Shiela?

Answer 17

She shows the hope for the future and that the rich can’t just disconnect her actions which effect lower classes.

Question 18

What euphemism does Eric Birling use about his assult on Eva Smith

Answer 18

“That’s when it happened”, the use of this euphemism is that it shows to us that Eric realises what he’s done is wrong and that he’s ashamed of it (which is further than either of his parents made it). Lack of detail implies he can’t even bring himself about to think of what he did.

Question 19

What quote shows that Eric thought what he was doing with Eva Smith was just a game?

Answer 19

“I liked her- she was pretty- and a good sport” - however the dashes also show to us that he is getting emotional, and now knows what he’s done wrong.

Question 20

What quote tells us that Eric (like Sheila) knows what they’ve done is wrong and that he claims responsability?

Answer 20

“The girl’s dead and we all helped to kill her- and that’s what matters-“

Question 21

What euphemism does Eric use about when he got drunk?

Answer 21

“I was in that state when a chap easily turns nasty”, the use of the word “chap” suggests that he is friendly and didn’t mean anything nasty, but let himself get out of control.

Question 22

What quotes show that Eric creates a semantic field around the idea of the scenario being ‘hell’

Answer 22

“I was in a hell of a state about it’
‘That’s the hellish thing’
“Oh - my God”

Question 23

What language does Eric use to show that he knows Mrs Birling is also responsible?

Answer 23

Repition of the word ‘killed’ three times. ‘You killed her’, ‘You killed her’, ‘You killed them both’

Question 24

Gerald - ‘I don’t come into this suicide business’

Answer 24

The noun ‘business’ suggests this is just an annoying thing to distract him, dehuminising the fact a girl has just commited suicide and he’s played a part in it. A use of litotes (opposite of hyperbole)

Question 25

“I didn’t install her there so I could make love to her”

Answer 25

Constant link back to business and how Gerland is dehumanising Eva Smith. As if he has done this for his benefit and not actually to help Eva.

Question 26

What does it show us when Gerald says ‘Everything’s all right now Sheila. What about this ring?’

Answer 26

The sudden change in focus that Priestly has used shows the reader Gerald doesn’t care what he’s morally done wrong to Eva Smith, and he’s only thinking of his future.

Question 27

What is the importance of Gerals also doing something wrong?

Answer 27

The fact that Gerald has made a mistake as well as the Birling family shows us just how widespread this issue is, and that the Birling family aren’t just a one-off.

Question 28

How can we see that the inspector fully believes in equality?

Answer 28

He refers to the Bible in his final speech saying ‘We are members of one body’

Question 29

What does Priestly always present a semantic field of with the inspector when describing him?

Answer 29

A feel of power and massiveness, stage direction “Massiveness, solidarity and purposefulness”. We’re also told he speaks slowly, meaning his powerful words can be fully taken in.

Question 30

What does Priestly make the inspector do when talking to make the reader feel uncomfortable?

Answer 30

Many dashes ‘But she died in misery and agony- hating life-“. The emphasis on the ‘h’ of the stative verb ‘hating’ implies to the reader just how bad her life was.

Question 31

What extended metaphor does The Inspector use to show how many girls are in Eva Smith’s position?

Answer 31

‘Millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths” - shows how many lower class people are exploited on a daily basis by the upper class.

Question 32

How does the inspector show that all are responsable?

Answer 32

He uses the inclusive pronoun ‘we’ rather than Mrs/Mr Birlings ‘I’, for example when saying ‘we are responsibile for eachother’. This is contrasted the very next line by the Mr Birling saying, “You’re the one I blame for this” which proves the older generation will never change.

Question 33

What Quote from inspector Goole shows how he’s omniscient?

Answer 33

“If men don’t learn their lesson, they will soon be taught in fire, blood and anguish”. 18 months later, the world war begins. Contrasts Mr Birling at the beginning of the play, saying the titanic is ‘unsinkable’.

Question 34

How can we see the inspector is blunt and straight to the point.

Answer 34

The imperative ‘Remember that. Never forget’. Two short sentances, shows his authority that so much meaning can be given in 4 words.

Question 35

What is Eric like at the start of the play?

Answer 35

“Half shy, half assertive” - Not fully mature. Adjective ‘shy’, suggests he’s nervous and lacks confidence. But contrasts ‘assertive’, which implies confidence and dominance.

Question 36

How does Priestley want us to view Eric?

Answer 36

Negatively, in order to show the capitalist patriarchal society is not at all trustworthy.

Question 37

What is the significance of Eric being ‘half shy, half assertive’?

Answer 37

The fact that he’s only ‘half’ one or the over, shows he could easily later on change in either direction.

Question 38

What is the significance of Shiela calling Eric ‘squiffy’?

Answer 38

They have apadted to use the language of the younger generation, and this could foreshadow the changes they make in social responsability.

Question 39

What does the use of ‘in a state where a chap easily becomes nasty’ show?

Answer 39

Third person - Eric wants to distance himself from what he’s done, showing he knows it was wrong.
Saying ‘that state’ suggests the audience would have also been like that before, and can relate.

Question 40

What does Eric say at the end of the play showing collective responsability?

Answer 40

‘We did her in alright’, group pronoun ‘we’ shows that he’s aware they’re all responsible in a way for the death of Eva Smith.

Question 41

How does Mr Birling show a lack of Social Responsibility?

Answer 41

“A man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own”

Question 42

How do we see Shiela was initially reluctant to take on social responsibility?

Answer 42

“(Miserably) So I’m really responsible?”

Question 43

How does Gerald show some social responsibility?

Answer 43

“So I insisted on Daisy moving into those rooms and I made her take some money” - However the verbs “insisted” and “made” makes it seem like he forced his generosity, as if it wasn’t actually apart of him.

Question 44

How did the Inspector pressurise Mrs Birling to seeing what she’s done wrong?

Answer 44

“Was it owing to your influence, as the most prominant member of the comittee, that help was refused the girl?” The word “comittee” (charity) completely rejects the treatment she showed to Eva.

Question 45

How does Mrs Birling veiw private responsibility in comparison to social responsibility?

Answer 45

She sees private responsibility as more important, hence why she blames the father of Eva Smith’s baby rather than herself for not giving help. She also feels responsibility is tied in with shame, like she wants to humiliate the father, possibly as she assumes the father would be working class.

Question 46

What were Priestly’s intentions around Social Responsibility?

Answer 46

• The Birling parents and Gerald are deliberately shown under a bad light, this emphasises to the audience they need to look at themselves and show social responsibility. Shiela and Eric come (somewhat) out of the play looking the best. Priestly therefore shows you can be a good person by holding yourself accountable for your mistakes.
• Makes you think if the upper and middle class actually does enough for the working class, Eva Smith reached the point of turning to prostitution.

Question 47

What does Mr Birling say about the younger generation which is ironic?

Answer 47

“Now look at the pair of them - the famous younger generation who know it all”. This shows what had gone previously wrong in society and how the older generation won’t allow change. Hence why they recieve the second phone call, like the second world war as societ didn’t learn after the first one. Birling exists as a warning.

Question 48

What is the significance of the inspector saying we must “try to put ourselves in the place of these young women counting their pennies”?

Answer 48

Shows how the inspector believes in community. He has picked women as they way they’re treated is the biggest fault in society.

Question 49

What is the test in Act 3 after the inspector goes like?

Answer 49

Adam and Eve being tested not to eat the fruit from the tree. The same way that the Birlings are being tested to see if they see what they have done morally wrong or not because as far as they’re aware the Inspector is a fake police Inspector.

Question 50

How can we also see gender inequality in An Inspector calls?

Answer 50

Sheila says a friend of hers ‘only escaped with a torn blouse’. The fact everyone knew about this but nothing happens shows how women aren’t as cared for in society as men are. Mrs Birling even tells Shiela to not ‘talk like that’ showing how it is covered up. Shiela therefore becomes a message to the younger generation to talk up about this issue.

Question 51

What does Shiela say showing is Eva was one girl or many doesn’t actually make a difference?

Answer 51

“It doesn’t make any real difference, you know”

Question 52

What phrase contrasts the way that Eric treated Eva showing some maturity?

Answer 52

“Why shouldn’t they try for higher wages? We try for higher prices?” However he has also raped and stolen, showing society hasn’t fully learnt its lessons hence why the second world war happened.

Question 53

How can we see Eric decieve himself?

Answer 53

“Not really. I intend to pay it back” Eric decieves himself, even though he has understood what he’s done wrong, he is drunk and could easily forgot in the future, the same way it is crucial for the audience not to forget the message.

Question 54

How is Miss Birling not very charitable?

Answer 54

She only gives help to “deserving cases”.
“I accept no blame for it at all”
“(Agitated) I don’t believe it. I won’t believe it”

Question 55

How is Mrs Birling traditional?

Answer 55

"When you're married you'll realise...... spend nearly all their time and energy on their business"
Makes us feel empathy for Mrs Birling, she knows the Mr Birling is having affairs but to develop her social class she just has to put up with it.

Question 56

What initially makes Gerald seem very suspicious?

Answer 56

“All right, I knew her. Let’s leave it at that”