-An Inspector Calls' Quotes

Question 1

“Yes go on mummy”

-Sheila

Answer 1

• Sheila is childish and spoilt

- Progression throughout the play

Question 2

“you’ll realise that men with important work do sometimes have to spend nearly all their time and energy on their business”

-Mrs B

Answer 2

• Very stereotypical for that time

- Highlights the role of women in that time

Question 3

“I speak as a hard-headed business man”

Birling

Answer 3

• Capitalist view points

- Business man

Question 4

“Capital versus Labour”

Birling

Answer 4

-His capitalist philosophy is starting to become increasingly obvious

Question 5

“Don’t get into the police court or start a scandal”

Birling

Answer 5

• Smug manner

- Foreshadows future events

Question 6

“You’d think everybody had to look after everybody else, as if we were all mixed together like bees in a hive”

Birling

Answer 6

-Capitalist philosophy contrasts to the socialist views that the inspector has because he is about to arrive

Question 7

“If we were responsible for everything that happened to everybody we’d had anything to do with, it would be very awkward”

Birling

Answer 7

• Key theme and a recurring message throughout the play

- Joint responsibility

Question 8

“If you don’t come down sharply on some of these people, they’d soon be asking for the earth”

Birling

Answer 8

-No sympathy or compassion for people that work for him

Question 9

“It’s about time you learned to face a few responsibilities”

Birling

Answer 9

• Irony because he hasn’t faced any responsibility

- Relates to the key theme of joint responsibility and that we are all responsible for each other.

Question 10

“You talk as if we were responsible”

-Sheila

Answer 10

• relates to the theme of joint responsibility

- dramatic irony

Question 11

“There are a lot of young women living that sort of existence in every city and big town in this country”

-Inspector

Answer 11

• links to life is cyclical
• socialist view points
• encourages reader to change

Question 12

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

-Sheila

Answer 12

• defensive manner

- shows that their is some form of hope in the younger generation to change

Question 13

“After all, y’know, we’re respectable citizens and not criminals”

-Gerald

Answer 13

• links to the idea that respectability is not the same as being morally good
• dramatic irony

Question 14

“We’ll have to share our guilt”

-Inspector

Answer 14

• shows that the rich should respect some social responsibilities
• links to the idea that we are all responsible for each other

Question 15

“We often do on the young ones”

-Inspector

Answer 15

• provides hope for the future as the younger generation change
• more responsibility

Question 16

“No he’s giving us the rope- so that we’ll hang ourselves”

-Sheila

Answer 16

• metaphor
• shows that the Inspector wants them to realise what they have done
• Sheila is taking responsibility
• Priestly is trying to get his socialist views across

Question 17

“Public men, Mr Birling, have responsibilities”

-Inspector

Answer 17

-links to the recurring message throughout the play of joint responsibility

Question 18

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

-Mrs Birling

Answer 18

• dramatic irony
• Mrs Birling shows no form of guilt and is not remorseful
• links to theme that you must take responsibility in order to change.

Question 19

“Because you’re not the kind of father a chap could go to when he’s in trouble”

-Eric

Answer 19

• they are inadequate parents

- may help show the change an hope in the younger generation

Question 20

“You’ll be able to divide the responsibility between you when I’ve gone”

-Inspector

Answer 20

• key message in the play that we are all responsible for each other
• Priestly is getting his socialist view points across through the Inspector

Question 21

“One Eva Smith has gone but there are millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us”

-Inspector

Answer 21

• key social message
• Priestly is getting his socialist views but using the Inspector
• the common name represents the social class
• highlights all of the socialists
• shows the key theme that life is cyclical

Question 22

“We are members of one body”

-Inspector

Answer 22

• links to the idea that we are all responsible for each other
• recurring message throughout the play

Question 23

“The point is, you don’t seem to have learnt anything”

-Sheila

Answer 23

• she understands that Inspector’s job
• highlights the hope in the younger generation
• she has took responsibility and has changed linking to one of the key themes in the play

Question 24

“Whoever the chap was, the fact remains that I did what I did”

-Eric

Answer 24

• highlights the hope for the younger generation and their socialist ideas
• she has took responsibility and has changed linking to one of the key themes in the play

Question 25

“and it doesn’t alter the fact that we all helped to kill her”

-Eric

Answer 25

• Priestley’s message
• further highlights the hope of the younger generation
• links to the theme, we are all responsible for each other