English AIC (1945) 📗 Flashcards
Synopsis of Act 1 (part 1)
• We are introduced to the Birling family and are currently celebrating Sheila’s and Gerald’s engagement
• Birling is presented as a capitalist who’s arrogant and foolish
• Dramatic irony when Birling says WW1 won’t happen and the titanic is unsinkable
• Inspector Goole is introduced and brings up the case that Eva Smith committed suicide
Act 2 synopsis
• Gerald is questioned and confesses his affair with Daisy
• Sheila breaks off engagement and gives Gerald back the ring (symbolising liberation)
• Inspector questions Mrs Birling who denied charity to Eva Smith after copying her name
• Sheila becomes more mature and reasons with Inspector
• Eva Smith is found out to be pregnant
• Eric is the father of unborn child
• Mrs Birling was involved in death of grandchild
Act 3 synopsis
• We learn of Eric’s coercion and rape of Eva
• Inspector’s final speech and leaves triumphantly
• Conflict within Birling family shows contrast between older and younger gen
• Shows we’re meant to challenge status quo
• Birlings believe they were hoaxed by Inspector and that’s he’s fake
• Revealed at the end that the police are coming to question about a suicide
What did Priestley do for Edwardian England?
Fought in WW1
What does Priestley criticise about WW1?
• The working class soldiers fought hard on the frontline
• Upper class soldiers were positioned far behind them and never got killed
What era was AIC set in?
The Edwardian Era
What is socialism?
The ideology that society should be equal
When did the titanic sink?
1912
What is capitalism?
The belief that promotes individualism and the pursuit of wealth
Why was Priestley taken off air?
• He talked about socialism calling for a fairer society after WW2
• The ban led him to express his ideas through writing books
AIC main themes/messages
• Capitalism disregards equality
• Responsiblity
• Generational divide
• Guilt (expressed by the younger gen)
• Inequality (in genders and classes)
Who is Mr Birling?
• Lord Mayor of Brumley
• Father of Sheila and Eric
• Capitalist who values business and profit
• He fired Eva Smith from his factory after requesting for a pay rise
• Stubborn and only concerned with protecting his reputation
Why does Priestley include Mr & Mrs Birling?
• Used as an emblem of the selfishness and hubris of the upper class
• Theyre designed to be unlikable so the audience would reject their belief system of capitalism
Who is Mrs Birling?
• Member of a charity organisation
• Mother of Sheila and Eric
• Of higher social status than Mr Birling
• Capitalist that’s presented as a snob (only values those of high class)
• Treats the inspector as an inferior
• Refuses to help Eva when coming for support
• Washed in ignorance and narrow mindedness (status quo mindset)
How is Sheila presented?
• At the beginning she’s materialistic and selfish
• She gets Eva fired out of jealousy over a dress
• Towards the end she’s sympathetic towards Eva and realises her mistakes
• She forms a contrast to her parents
Why did Priestley include Sheila in the play?
• She represents the younger generation and socialism
• Reflects new ideas about gender equality after challenging parents/ Gerald
• Gives the audience hope about change
Synopsis of Act 1 (part 2)
• Inspector and Birling portrays a relationship of conflict
• Sheila is questioned and confesses firing Eva from Millwards due to jealousy
• We’re told Eva changed her name to Daisy Renton
• Gerald knows her and implies cheating on Sheila
• Inspector systematically shows people the photograph prop individually to build up tension
Who is Eric?
• Son of Mr and Mrs Birling
• Presented as having a troubled character
• Employed in father’s business
• Stole £50 from father to look after Eva
• Described as squiffy (drunk)
• Meets Eva in a bar and later rapes her
Why does Priestley include Eric in the play?
• He’s used to portray how the upper class abuse their power over the working class
• Raping Eva Smith encapsulates the upper class exploitation
• Towards the end he changes and is aware of responsibilities
• Represents younger generation and socialism like Sheila
• Provides hope that change is possible
How is the Inspector presented?
• Surname is Goole which is a homophone for ghoul (meaning ghost)
• Could depict how he leaves and completely disappears and maybe wasn’t a real inspector
• He controls the structure of the play and uses systematic interrogation with the photograph
• Philanthropist who stands up against social injustice (closing speech)
Why does Priestley include the Inspector in the play?
• He’s used as Priestley’s spokesperson conveying his socialist views
• Creates tension through out which denotes his control in the play and how his confrontation with the Birlings is important
How is Eva Smith presented?
• She doesn’t appear on stage and also gets raped
• Highlights the neglect and mistreatment of women and the lower classes
• Contrasts the Birling family (she’s diligent and considerate)
• Challenges contemporary beliefs about those in poverty and how the poor are deserving of help
Key quotes about responsibility
• ‘A man has to make his own way - has to look after himself and his family’ (Mr Birling) (A1)
• ‘Public men have responsibilities as well as privileges’ (Inspector) (A2)
• ‘We are members of one body.. if men will not learn that lesson then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish’ (Inspector) (A3)
Key quotes about capitalism vs socialism
• The lighting should be pink and intimate until the inspector arrives and then it should be brighter and harder (SD) (A1)
• ‘Men have to spend nearly all their time and energy on their business’ (Mrs Birling) (A1)
• ‘Working together for lower costs and higher prices’ (Mr Birling) (A1)
• ‘Wretched girl’s suicide’ (Mr Birling) (A1)
• ‘It’s better to ask for the Earth than to take it’ (Inspector) (A2) 📍
Key quotes about the generational divide
• ‘I know I’m to blame and I’m desperately sorry’
• ‘I can’t stop thinking about it’
(Sheila) (A2)
• ‘I think she only had herself to blame’
• ‘I don’t believe it, I won’t believe it’
(Mrs Birling) (A2)
• ‘I’m ashamed of you as well - yes both of you’ (Eric) (A3)
Key quotes about class
• ‘Heavily comfortable but not cosy and homelike’ (SD) (A1) (illusion)
• ‘Peace and prosperity and rapid progress everywhere’
• ‘Unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable’
(Mr Birling) (A1) (UC pride)
• [who has put the ring on, admiringly] ‘Now I really feel engaged’ (Sheila) (A1) (materialism)
• ‘Girls of that class’ (Mrs Birling) (A2)
• ‘Millions and millions of Eva Smiths’ (Inspector) (A3)
Key quotes about gender
• ‘But these girls aren’t cheap labour- they’re people’ (Sheila) (A1)
• ‘I was in that state when a chap easily turns nasty’ (Eric) (A2)
• ‘I didn’t install her there so I could make love to her’ (Gerald) (A2)
• ‘I accept no blame for it at all’ (Mrs Birling) (A2)
Why does Priestley set the novel in 1912 despite writing it in 1945?
• Priestly wants to show what society would go back to if no change happens due to the fact that labour were in power
• At the end of the war, the NHS was introduced and women started becoming employed improving social sustainability
Who is Gerald?
Why is Gerald included in the play?
Why is Gerald included in the play?
