class in aic Flashcards
steroetypes of lower class intro
in his dadactic play priestley calls for a change in the treatement and stereotypes faced by the lower class and overtly criticises the clomplacent nature of the upper class
in the second world war everyone had to suffer blitz, drafting and evacuation together and the suffeirng was not exclusive to one group of people rather everyone was vunerable, creating a new sense of unity and a redenifed nationalism that instead meant a higher communal aspect
sterotyps of lower class pargaprah ideas
priestley subverts ideas of immorality in women in the lower class by drawing very clear parralels between eva and sheila- despite their stark differnce are both described as pretty and we know to be very moral girls in their early 20s- therefore it becomes evident that the only separation is their class structure- both creating empathy for sheilas repression of character but mostly showing how detromental class is on a person. upon meeting sheila she is a shallow girl whos main characteristics are ‘pretty and excited’ excited creates an airiness and sense of naivty, whilst this is starkly juxtoposed by eva awho has been through so much shes resorted to violent suicide
evas character is symbolic for many reasons- she is never actually seen by us on stage meaning that her story is told through various biased mouths, here we see how lower class people are voiceless and restricted and the stereotypes of them are formulated by the rich, her lack of presence also aids priestleys point as she doesnt reprresent one person and cannot be tied down as an exception to a host of immoral lower class poeple, rather its important that shes representitive of ‘millions and millions of eva smiths’
- smith surname draws links to blacksmiths
the backwards stereotypes of the upper class family juxotpose this, such as in the beginning when the house is described as ‘pink’- representitive of rose coloured glasses that allow them to dictate how they can view the outside world based on what is fitting
mr b paragraph starter and context
through mr b priestley highlights the negative cycle of classism, as he faces prejudice due to his position as a nveau rich industrialist rather than an old money genntleman, which instead of giving him a snese of empathy causes him to use his control over others as an outlet for his repression in his on societal settings- halting others from becoming mobile like him whilst also holding the belief that hard work got him there and he is the rule rather than the excption
his tratment of eva and his workers is ironic as he is a victim himself of the class system prejudice, priestley recognises how the upper class noveau rich are unwilling to challange societal order and how its on the youths
mr b paragraph structure
mr birling has a clear insecurity for his social mobility through marriage that makes him his wifes social inferior, shes speaks condescendingly to him reminding him hes ‘not supposed to say such things’ and mocks him due to his ‘provinical’ tone of speaking, he cannot hide from the remenanse of his lower class background
he combats these fears and insecurities rather than trying to change the state of the world by ‘coming down sharply’ on his workers, repressing them from gaining infleunce as he did but also lecturing his yotuh that they just need work and expeirnce in order to thrive as he did- hipociritcal, he also combats his provinical tone of speeking with the qunaitity in which he lectures, priestley mocks his substance less speeches through dramatic irony
his own repression is shon through the crofts, but due to the insecurity he passes it off as ‘only natural’ priestley sees how the scoially mobile elders are unwilling to risk their position by changing socieites structure
- several hundred women
- lower costs and higher prices
- same port as your father
mrs b paragprah starter and context
through mrs birling priestley exposes the complacancy of the upper class old money in repressing those below them as they are selfishly the sole benefactors in such an unjsut victorian society
they have a complete opposal to change
mrs b paragraph structure
shes described as a ‘cold woman’ upon description which is an oxymoron as mother figures are usually warm and nurturing, its clear that her egotistical upbringing has moulded a deeply selfish nature
‘naturally, one of the things that prejudiced me against her’- mrs b sees the idea of the lower class being inferior as her birth right and so is not receptible to the idea of change, shes deeply comfortable in admitting that she has a prejudice against the poor and does not see why she would not, one the tings alos implies that theres a host of natural qualities such as class and gender
her morals are overtly skewed, she is most bothered by the impertinence of eva tp try and taint her family name, by the idea of her husband complimenting a cook and by sheila usig unfemenine and modern slang such as squiffy as htese are not traditional values- in contrast to this clear acts of immorality like her partake in the death of her grand child do not phase her, horrofying the audience
she views change as an act of submission- you have no power over me
‘i dont suppose for a moment we can try to understands why rhe girl committed suicide, girls of that class’- this is a very telling statement, the repeated usage of the word girl exposes how mrs b is trying to assert her dominance over eva by infantilizing her, the use of the word THAT in that class others it and makes it sounds overtly immoral and disgusting- othering the group as if they are alien. she further alienates lower class women by implying that their mindsets arent comprehensible and they do not posses logic
