Cause And Effect Quotes Flashcards
‘A chain of events’
Inspector
All the events together caused Eva to commit suicide. They were all linked by a ‘CHAIN’.
It was a sequence of events which effected Eva and caused her to commit suicide.
‘We don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other’
Inspector Act 3
-Repetition of ‘WE’ puts emphasis on how we are all responsible for each other.
Inspector reminds the Birling’s they are all responsible as everything they did effected Eva and built up to cause her suicide.
-‘Members of one body’ - we are all members of the same society.
‘And I tell you that the time will soon come when, if men will not learn that lesson, when they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish.’
Inspector Act 3
In this speech the Inspector is telling the audience that if they don’t soon learn how to treat other people in society then they will be taught the hard way such as Eva’s suicide/death, to really show what the cause of their actions on other people can be.
‘Everything we said had happened really had happened’
Shelia Act 3
The older generation and Gerald relax and think all the events of the evening can be forgotten when they realise he wasn’t a real police inspector.
However Shelia and Eric still feel guilty and Shelia makes the point everything they did still really happened and the cause of what they did still affected someone.
Thus don’t understand how’s the others can relax still knowing they did what they did.
‘Yes, but you can’t. It’s too late. She’s dead’
Inspector Act 1
Priestly uses the character of the Inspector to teach the audience the lesson that before you do something you should think about the effect it could have on someone else as after it could be too late.
Uses the Birling’s and Eva’s death to represent this.
Short sentences add emphasis to the major impact their actions had on Eva.
‘A man has to make his own way’
Mr Birling Act 1
- Mr Birling believes in survival of the fittest.
- A very capitalist view.
- Mr Birling believes a man should make his own way in society and look after his own interests at the expense of others.
- Doesn’t believe the society should help each other which contrasts with the inspectors socialist view.
‘But she died in misery and agony - hating life’
Inspector about Eva Act 2
- Socialist view.
- Contrasts to Mr Birling’s view as the Inspector is implying that Eva died like this because of the way she was treated in society = cause and effect.
‘All intertwined with our lives, with what we think and say and do’
Inspector Act 3
- Socialist view.
- Contrasts to Mr Birling’s survival of the fittest, the Inspector provides the opposite view that members of society should look after each other.
-Eva represents the consequences and ‘cause and effect’ of Mr Birling’s viewpoint and survival of the fittest attitudes,
The death represents cause and effect.
‘(Shouting) And I say the girls dead and we all helped to kill her - and that’s what matters-‘
Eric Act 3
‘We all helped to kill her’- Eric realises and accepts responsibility as he knows that together they all helped cause Eva’s death.
(Shouting)- Eric’s anger builds up due to his guilt and how Eva ended up/loses patience with his parents.
‘It’s what happened to the girl and what we did to her that matters’
Eric Act 3
‘What we did to her that matters’- repetition to prove Eric’s guilt and he realises the cause of his actions.
Proves Eric accepts his personal responsibility which was the Inspectors aim for each character.
‘You must’ve known what she was feeling. And you slammed the door in her face’
Inspector Act 2
- Priestly uses the Inspector to express the importance of social responsibility and the effect you can have on other people.
- ‘and you slammed the door in her face’- priestly uses Mr and Mrs Birling to represent how the higher classes focus on improving their own lives and status rather than helping those in society who really need help.
