an inspector calls Flashcards
inspector: “there are millions of john smiths and eva smiths still left with us”
- signals to the audience that eva represents the working class and represents the people that are being exploited by the upper classes like the birlings.
inspector: we are members of one body
-religious imagery
-preistley does this as he knows his 1945 audience will believe in christianity, so he marries their christianity to their sense of moral purpose to make socialism appear as good and faith-filled
inspector: we are responsible for each other
-Priestley is displaying his socialist message which contradicts what birling said at the beginning of the play that a man just has to look after his family and himself
-this shows a conflict which links to warfare which Priestley is constantly trying to discuss because he is linking war to capitalism
-portraying capitalism in a negative way
inspector: burnt her insides out
-violent imagery
-portrays a horrible picture deliberately designed to manipulate sheila’s emotions
-tells the audience how terrible of a crime the birlings and gerald have commited
-suggests the horror and pain she puts herself through now is equivalent in her own mind to the horror and pain that eva has recieved at the hands of the birlings and gerald
gerald:
respectable citizens, not criminals
- suggests the upper class of being criminal
- the play proves this in a literal and moral sense
- we find out that eric is a theif
- the birling family is corrupt (birling fired eva, sheila got eva fired, gerald houses eva as it is cheaper for him than prostitution)
femenist inerpretation:
why does preistley make the protagonist (eva) female?
why does he make sheila and mrs birling significant players in mistreating eva?
- Priestley is exploring the role of women before they were given the right to vote in 1912
- Priestley knows his audience will be mainly female due to the war, so he calls out that they have the power to make a change because they have the right to vote
gerald:
I hate those hard-eyed dough-faced women
- he hates them because they look ugly
- contrasts this to what he describes eva to be like
- he sees them regularly, has sex with them and regrets it
- shows he sees sex as a financial transaction
gerald:
i told the girl that if she didn’t want any more of that sort of thing, she’d better let me take her out of there
- “girl”, dissmissive, she is not a woman, only someone he can exploit
- “better let me”, establishing a threat, if she does not let her take him away, other perverts will have sex with her
- using his power over her to force her into a relationship
gerald:
I didn’t ask for anything in return
- emotionally manipulating eva
- she knows he is exploiting her, but she still falls in love with him as she is dependent on him to survive
mrs birling:
You’ve argued this most cleverly
- trying to build an excuse for killing eva smith
- shows unsympathy
- priestly uses this to expose the hypocrisy of the upper class
Sheila:
no not yet. It’s too soon. I must think.
- Sheila feels forced into accepting the marriage
- very likely she did get married due to the war
- the audience feels Sheila has learned from the inspector, but she still goes back to being childish and naïve
- Priestley is sending a message about how we did not learn from the first world war, just like how the Birlings did not learn from the death of Eva smith
eric:
Why shouldn’t they try for higher wages… we try for the highest prices
- presents eric as a socialist
- he strives for equality
- shows a divide between him and his parents
Eric:
I was in that state where a chap easily turns nasty
- “chap”, displaces his responsibility
- shows how he is no different from any other young upper class male in his society (abusive of power)
- trying to avoid responsibility
Eric:
I hate these fat old tarts
- mimicking Gerald’s behavior “hard eyed doe faced women”
- Priestley shows how all rich men exploit their power and do not respect women
Eric:
you killed her-and the child… your own grandchild
- he does feel true guilt for his actions
- conveys how he was invested in the responsibility of the child and he actually wanted to be a parent
- he is not accepting responsibility for the death of Eva
- he is still running from his problems
- the audience does sympathise for Eric as he does learn the lesson whereas his parents do not
- Priestley shows a divide between the older and younger generation
mr birling:
all mixed up like bees in a hive
- mr birling is delivering a long speech mocking socialism and ideas of community
- simile implies that socialists are like mixed up animals
- verb phrase “mixed up”
believes that different classes should not mix
mr birling:
unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable
- shows his perceived ignorance
- shows dramatic irony
- shows his cocky and egotistical behaviour
- repetition of “unsinkable”, implies how he is discussing a topic he has no real knowledge in
mr birling:
several hundred young women
- he is exploiting the gender pay gap
- does not care for his employees
- priestley presents capitalism in a bad way by doing this
- birling is a misogynistic character
mr birling:
it is my duty to keep labour costs down
- he believes what he is doing is right
- he believes he is serving his country by doing this
- he is only interested in facts and statistics
mr birling:
half-civilised bulkans
- prejudiced behaviour
- insults anyone he disagrees with by alienating them and calling them animals
- shows his arrogance
mrs birling:
but I accpet no blame for it at all
- symbolise the uncaring nature of capitalism
- priestley is projecting his socialist views
- shows her pride
why is mrs birling called sybil birling?
- links to the greek god sybil who were famous for their prophecies
- priestly uses this ironically to explain how mrs birling is blind to the truth
- she knows nothing of eric alcohol addiction
- she does not know that eric was in a relationship with eva
mrs birling:
i don’t believe it. I won’t believe it…
- she is purposely blinding herself from the truth of eric’s relationship with eva
- shows her arrogance
mrs birling:
just as I had
- she is explaining to sheila that she will have to get used to men being away
- priestley is showing how women in their society are being made to accept the injustices of the behaviour of upper class men
sheila:
I’ll never let it go out of my sight for an instant
- she is being recieved the ring
- seems like she is happy to be married
- true meaning shows how she must rely on gerald, which is why she cannot let go of this marriage
sheila:
but these girls aren’t cheap labour- they’re people
- priestley is conveying his socialist views
- they are humans and must be respected
- she still refers to them as “girls”
- although she wants the audience to sympathise for them, she still belittles them
- shows how she still has prejudiced views and may have not learned the inspector’s lesson
sheila:
she looked as if she could take care of herself
- she is jealous of eva
- she gets her fired for being too attractive
- shows how selfish eva is
- she later comes to realise this when the inspector comes
sheila:
the point is, you don’t seem to have learnt anything
- sheila has taken on the role of the inspector
- priestley was conveying his views through the inspector, therefore he is conveying his views through sheila
- she has learned the lesson, her parents have not
- represents how society did not learn their lesson from WW1
gerald:
(distressed) sorry- i - well, ive suddenly realised - taken it in propperly, thats shes dead
- he feels sorry for his actions
- he only now just realises how serious this situation is
sheila:
But she was very pretty and looked as if she could take care of herself
- shows Sheila’s jealousy, which lead to her being fired
- ironic, she was making minimum wage
- shows the undeserved power of the upper class since she was able to fire Eva in the first place
