Eric Birling - Quotes Flashcards
Act One: This describes Eric’s personality
‘half shy, half assertive’
Act One: This shows Eric’s immaturity
‘Suddenly I felt I just had to laugh’
Act One: Eric talking about Sheila and Gerald getting married, uses a slang term
‘Steady the buffs!’
Act One: Shows how Eric is used to drinking
‘(Takes the decanter and helps himself)’
Act One: Talking about Mr. Birling firing Eva, Eric doesn’t agree with this decision, begins to show his socialist views and how he isn’t afraid to stand up to his father
‘He could have kept her on instead of throwing her out’
Act One: Eric agrees with Eva trying to get a pay rise
‘Why shouldn’t they try for higher wages?’
Act One: Eric isn’t afraid to stand up to his father, and voices his views about his dad firing Eva Smith when she asked for a pay rise
‘I’d have let her stay’
Act One: Eric hasn’t yet realised that the inspector already knows everything and still wishes to conceal some information - sounds slightly like Mr. Birling
‘We don’t need to tell the inspector all about that’
Act Two: This shows how Sheila knows about Eric’s drinking problem and has done for a while
‘drinking too much for the last two years’ (Sheila)
Act Three: Eric clearly has a drinking problem and this is highlighted here
‘Could I have a drink first?’
Act Three: This compliments the quote from act one about how Eric handles the decanter
‘(familiarity with heavy drinking)’
Act Three: Eric is beginning to admit that he gets drunk a lot and does this using slang phrases
‘I was a bit squiffy’
Act Three: Eric reacts quite badly when he realises how he has treated Eva and shows guilt and frustration
‘Oh - my God! - how stupid it all is!’
Act Three: This shows that Eric has little respect for his father and his father’s friends
‘I hate these fat old tarts round the town - the ones I see some of your respectable friends with-‘
Act Three: Eric is very blunt and wishes for his family to take responsibility for what they have done
‘You killed her’
Act Three: Eric’s language is common of someone his age, however his mother does not always like his choice of words
‘Damn you’ ‘I don’t give a damn’
Act Three: Eric’s socialist views come through a lot towards the end as he begins to show his disappointment in his family
‘I’m ashamed of you as well - yes both of you’
Act Three: Eric does not care that IG may not have been real, he knows that there is a lesson to be taken out of what has happened
‘He was our police inspector alright’
Act Three: Eric begins to get angry with his family for trying to forget what they have done
‘You’re beginning to pretend now that nothing’s really happened at all’
Act Three: Eric is able to take the deeper message from what has happened rather than trying to clear his name all over again
‘And I say the girl’s dead and we all helped to kill her - and that’s what matters-‘
Act Three: Eric has taken responsibility on behalf of the whole family for the fact they helped to kill Eva Smith
‘We all helped to kill her’
Act Three: Eric is blunt about Eva being dead to try and make his family understand that they have done wrong
‘The girl’s dead, isn’t she?’
