An Inspector Calls Flashcards
‘Arthur Birling is a ….’
‘heavy looking, rather portentous man’
Mrs Birling is her husbands….
‘social superior’
‘Sheila is a … in her early … very …. with life’
A very pretty girl in her early 20’s, very pleased with life
Gerald is ‘rather too manly to …’
‘To be a dandy’
Eric is ‘half…, half…..’
‘half shy, half assertive’
‘It’s exactly the same……’
Port your father gets’
Who says ‘one of these purple faced old men’
Sheila
Who didn’t come near Sheila ‘for all last summer’
Gerald
Who suddenly guffaws? Who responds with ‘you’re squiffy!’
Eric guffaws, Sheila responds
Who is ‘just the kind of son-in-law I (Birling) always wanted?
Gerald
What 2 things is Birling wrong about in Act 1? Use quotes
1) ‘I say there isn’t a chance of war’
2) ‘The Titanic, she sails next week - unsinkable!’
Who does Eric say ‘Steady the Buffs’ to?
Sheila and Gerald
What line of Gerald’s is ironic in Act 1?
‘You seem to be a nice, well behaved family’
How does Eric respond to Birling’s question of ‘want another glass of port?’
‘Yes please!’
How is the inspector described?
‘Impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness’
What information is given to us about Eva Smith’s death?
‘2 hours ago a young woman died in the infirmary. She’d been taken there this afternoon because she swallowed a lot of strong disinfectant. Burnt her inside out.’
Where was Eva Smith working in 1910
Birling and Co
What is the Inspector’s method of working?
‘One person and one line of enquiry at a time’
Why did Mr Birling fire Eva Smith?
‘She had a lot to say - far too much. So she had to go.’
What does the inspector say his duty is?
‘It’s my duty to ask questions’
When Sheila re-enters the room, she asks a lot of questions. Give examples of this
‘What’s this all about?’
‘What business?’
‘Was it an accident?’
How does Sheila give away that she recognises Eva Smith?
‘She looks at it closely, recognises it with a little cry, gives a half stifled sob and runs out’
What was Eva Smith’s next action after getting fired from Milwards?
‘She changed her name to Daisy Renton’
What advice and knowledge does Sheila give to Gerald at the end of Act 1?
‘Why-you fool- he knows. Of course he knows. And I hate to think how much he knows that we don’t know yet.’
What advice about guilt does the Inspector give at the start of Act 2?
‘We’ll have to share our guilt.’
Who says ‘That - I consider - is a trifle impertinent’?
Sybil
Which quote shows Sybil high class status look down upon the poor?
‘Girls of that class-‘
What does Gerald reveal about Eric’s drinking?
‘I have gathered that he does drink pretty hard’
What advice does Sheila give to her mother about the Inspector’s questioning?
‘You mustn’t try to build up a kind of wall between us and that girl. If you do, the Inspector will just break it down.’
Which stage direction shows that the Inspector is in control?
‘(Cutting in, with authority)’
Who says ‘No, he’s giving us rope so that we’ll hang ourselves’
Sheila
What twist between Sheila and Gerald takes place midway through Act 2?
Sheila says ‘Gerald, I think you’d better take this with you. (she hands him the ring)’
What does the Inspector reveal about Sybil’s interactions with Eva Smith?
‘Mrs Birling spoke to and saw her only 2 weeks ago!’
What did Eva Smith say her name was at the meeting with Sybil?
‘Mrs Birling’
According to Sybil, who’s responsible for Eva Smith’s baby?
‘Go look for the father of the child. It’s his responsibility!’
What description is given to us about the father of the baby?
‘The father was only a youngster - silly and wild and drinking too much/’
How does Sybil think the father of the baby should be dealt with?
‘He ought to be dealt with very severely.’
At the start of Act 3, what information about Eric’s drinking is given to us?
‘His familiarity with quick drinking’
How does Eric say Eva treated him?
‘She treated me as if i were a kid’
Where did Eric get the money from?
He stole it from his dad’s office
Why didn’t Eric go to his father to solve the money issue?
Eric says ‘you’re not the kind of father a chap could go to when he’s in trouble!’
What is Eric’s reaction to when he finds out his mother killed his child and it’s mother?
‘You turned her away -yes and you killed her!’
‘Your own grandchild - you killed them both!’
What does the Inspector say in his final speech?
‘Just remember this. One Eva Smith has gone, but there are millions of Eva Smith’s and John Smith’s left with us with their lives, their hopes and fears.’
How does the Inspector close his speech?
‘We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other. I tell you that the time will soon come when, if men will not learn that lesson, they will be taught in fire and blood and anguish’
Who does Mr Birling blame?
Eric
Give 2 examples of Mr Birling’s selfishness
1) ‘I was almost certain for a knighthood in the next honours list’
2) ‘Who will suffer from this more than I will?’
What does Sheila say about her parents behaviour?
‘It’s you two who are being childish - trying not to face the facts.’
What does Eric say about Inspector Goole?
‘He was our police inspector all right’
What information does Gerald reveal about the inspector?
‘That man was not a police officer’
What does Gerald reveal about the infirmary?
‘No girl has died in there today.’
What does Mr Birling say about Sheila and Eric at the end of act 3?
‘The famous younger generation who can’t even take a joke’
What cliff hanger is given to us at the end of the play?
‘That was the police. A girl has just died on the way to the infirmary - after swallowing some disinfectant. And a police officer is on his way here to ask some- questions’
