arthur birling Flashcards
“we may look forward to the time when Crofts and Birlings are no longer competing but are working together - for lower costs and higher prices.”
(Start of Act 1)
The start of the act, toasting about the joining of the family.
- Represented as one of the themes in Seven Deadly Sins - Greed.
- Comparative Adjectives - “Lower costs and higher prices” - doesn’t care about how this will impact people - mistreats his workers and exploits them.
- Birling is about numbers, profits, and labour costs and prioritises that above the human aspect - self interest. Capitalist representation.
“Your engagement to Sheila means a tremendous lot to me”
(Start of Act 1)
The start of the act, toasting about the joining of the family.
- Represented as one of the themes in Seven Deadly Sins - Greed.
- Suppose to be congratulating Gerald and Sheila’s engagement, but instead talks about business - using engagement as business-deal.
- Pronoun “me” - does him good and not his daughter.
“clothes mean something quite different to a woman. Not just something to wear - and not only something to make ‘em look prettier.”
(Start of Act 1)
When the men are left alone, they are having a chat.
- Makes some old-fashioned and patronising points about women
- Quite sexist - suggesting that clothes are somehow more important to women than to men.
- The fact that he thinks clothes ‘make ‘em look prettier’ shows he objectifies women
“Germans don’t want war. Nobody wants war.”
“Unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable.”
(Start of Act 1)
Arther is making a long speech about his ideology on the world.
- Pronoun “nobody” - making impudence assumptions about everyone.
- Lack of knowledge of the world around him - live within a bubble.
- Adverb “absolutely” - the mindless presumptions Arthur is making, highly praising the Titanic being unsinkable, which in fact it did sink.
- Dramatic Irony undermines wealthy capitalists and made them seem ridiculous, unreliable, and lacking wisdom to the 1946 audience very early on in the play, someone who you shouldn’t go for guidance.
“I’m taking as a hard headed, practical man of business.”
(Start of Act 1)
Arther is making a long speech about his ideology on the world.
- adjective “hard” could imply that he shows no mercy and only care about profit and business, he also make tough decisions easily.
“you’d think everybody has to look after everybody else, as if we were all mixed up together like bees in a hive – community and all that nonsense.”
(Act 1)
Arther is making a long speech about his ideology on the world and exactly when the inspector arrives.
- simile shows the thought of working together for the greater good of others, sickens him and undermines it.
“(rather impatiently) Yes, yes. Horrid business.”
(Act 1)
Inspector just told Mr Birling that someone died of suicide.
- the reptition and short
phrases “yes” shows a dismissal tone, not taking it seriously as he should be, no empathy.
“Still, I can’t accept any responsibility.”
(Act 1)
Talked about sacking Eva.
* Refuses to take responsibility of the girl’s suicide.
* would be “very awkward” if they are responsible of everyone.
“Perhaps I ought to warn you that he is an old friend of mine and that I see him fairly frequently”
(Act 1)
Didn’t like the way the inspector’s attitude.
- Shows he abuses his status and power - it’s frequent.
- A typical Edwardian middle-class factory man.
“You’re the one I blame for this.”
(Act 3)
After the inspector left, he felt so angry, he went to get a drink.
- Irresponsible.
- Instead of finding ways to become a better person, point fingers at the “culprit” blaming them for the scandal that might occur.
- Pronoun “one” - advocating he doesn’t find this his fault but Eric’s as he’s the only person who actually did help Eva by giving her money and didn’t blame his wife who most likely pushed Eva to commit suicide.
“I’ve got to cover this up as soon as possible” (Act 3)
“There’ll be a public scandal” (Act 3)
He found out that Eric stole money.
After the inspector left, he felt so angry, he started yelling at Eric.
- entitled - cares more about how this will affect the family’s reputation rather than repenting the actions he did and how it affected Eva.
“You! You don’t seem to care about anything. But I care. I was almost certain of a knighthood in the next Honours List-”
(Act3)
- Status-obsessed character.
- Irony - he claims Eric doesn’t know anything, but when in reality, he is the one who doesn’t care - selfishness and indifference to Eva’s suffering.
- Pronoun ‘you’ to verbally attack his son and show how he is separating Eric’s ideas from his own – they have become ‘you’ and ‘I’- have completely opposite ideas about life.
- Pronoun “anything” and the verb “care” to Arthur is all about status and knighthoods, he never thought about the responsibility he needs to bear, showing a lack of empathy and selfishness he has.
“(amused) And you’re not, eh?”(Act 3)
When Sheila was criticising her parents for continuing their life normally again, like nothing happened.
- stage direction “(amused)” shows how he is undermining the situation, he doesn’t take what Sheila says seriously, think she is the odd one out instead.
“The famous younger generation”
(Act 3)
Mr Birling is mocking Sheila and Eric after Sheila’s refusal to take back the ring.
- Sarcastic comment thinks he is right and his own daughter and son are wrong - divide between generations.
- Isn’t a parental figure, should be on their own blood’s side but instead thinks of them as foolish.
- Refuses to change - stubborn and static till the end.
