Essential

Question 1

Act 1

The rejection of socialism

Mr Birling

Answer 1

A man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own.

Question 2

Act 1

2

Sheila

Answer 2

But these girls aren’t cheap labor – they’re people.

Question 3

Act 1

3

Mr Birling

Answer 3

If we were all responsible for everything that happened to everybody we’d had anything to do with, it would be very awkward, wouldn’t it?

Question 4

Act 2

4

Mrs Birling

Answer 4

First, the girl herself. … Secondly, I blame the young man who was the father of the child… He should be made an example of

Question 5

Act 3

5

Eric

Answer 5

I wasn’t in love with her or anything – but I liked her – she was pretty and a good sport.

Question 6

Act 3

80% of his audience is Christian and go to Church weekly this is symbolically asking what Christ would do and linking it being good to your neighbor. SO they should vote towards the socialist movement if they truly want to be a moral good so he utilizes the Christian faith to persuade other conservative yet Christian watchers to support the socialist view.

Inspector Goole

Answer 6

We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other.

Question 7

Act 3

7

Sheila

Answer 7

The point is, you don’t seem to have learnt anything.

Question 8

Act 3

Eva Smith represents the working people and this play will be displayed to middle class and educated in which he wants them to change their views on the working class

Inspector Goole

Answer 8

One Eva Smith has gone… but there are millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths… all intertwined with our lives

Question 9

Act 1

9

Mrs Birling

Answer 9

When you’re married, you’ll realise that men with important work to do sometimes have to spend all their time and energy on their business.

Question 10

Act 1

10

Mr Birling

Answer 10

Clothes mean something quite different to a woman.

Question 11

It links more to Priestley’s message of anti-war and suggests how Capitalism wants war for the increase supply and demand.

Answer 11

“The Germans don’t want war. Nobody wants war…And why?”
“Everything to lose and nothing to gain by war” Mr Birling

Question 12

This refers to the Titanic and discredits MR Birling yet it was also a symbol of how “unsinkable” was the greatest wartime hero Winston Churchill and can’t be kicked out of power. That nothing is inevitable and how conservative political powers who were so powerful were overturned by the new socialist movement with the Labor party. People believed that there would be no other wars yet the WW2. His message is that greedy capitalist and those in authority didn’t learn their lesson with WW1 which lead to WW2

Answer 12

“Unsinkable absolutely unsinkable” Mr Birling

Question 13

Priestley is making a parallel between all those who died in WW1 and how the phone call symbolized the WW2 with Mr Birling didn’t learn anything and so history repeated itself

Answer 13

“Now look at the pair of them - the famous younger generation who know it all. And they can’t even take a joke” Mr Birling

Question 14

This is telling us that the Inspector believes in community and specifically picked women. Many women in the play and have many roles how shows how horrible

Answer 14

“do us all a bit of good if sometimes we try to put ourselves in the place of these young women counting their pennies, in their dingy little back bedrooms”

Question 15

This could be reference to Industrial unrest or the world wars and making a direct link to Capitalism and their exploitations of workers and how these world wars should teach them to stop their immoral behavior. He links this to be a test for the Birling family since there is one more act to go and wants to see if he will learn their lesson same for the audience. Similar to the story of Adam and Eve. Are you going to create a socialist and utopic society or WW3?

Answer 15

“if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish”

Question 16

This is the moment Sheila got Eva to get fired. Highlighting how odd it is for top and bottom social class. Since she can only care if appearance has an extremely high importance and have been taught by the patriarchal society. Damaged women by limiting their choices and forcing them to marry to gain any form of independence or agency. They are oppressed that their way of thinking has been damaged by society and highlights to the audience and how woman are being taught like things only men like. With the change in Sheila symbolizing how women can be without such damaged thinking. She contrasts her Mother’s mindset

Answer 16

“In fact, in a kind of way, you might be said to have been jealous of her”

Question 17

The word ‘‘only’’ shows how the abuse could have been worse. This is common knowledge and everyone knows how Alderman McGharty behaviors and society has done nothing. Sybil would rather hide the truth by trying to shut her up. Sheila is becoming a symbol for the younger generation with Priestley is trying to ask them to identify with her. The struggle between Eric and Sheila and their parents makes it so the younger generation can relate to their struggles.

Answer 17

“A girl I know had to see him at the town hall one afternoon and she only escaped with a torn blouse” Sheila

Question 18

Gerald’s theory makes the older generation relieved since they are not interested in their actions but only their reputation but Sheila is saying that is not how to run a successful society that the consequences of your actions needed to be taken care of as well

Answer 18

“Alright. But it doesn’t make any real difference, you know”

Question 19

Eric has found the socialist message. Preistley is looking at the economics of his day and he agrees yet he got Eva pregnant and found out in quite a violent way

Answer 19

“Why shouldn’t they try for higher wages? We try for the highest possible prices”

Question 20

This is a euphemism and this is against her wishes and yet she feels she needs to stick to him since that is her only route to any financecail security. Focuses on Eric to make clear that is the men around her that led her to her fate including Gerald.

Answer 20

“I was in that state when a chap easily turns nasty- and I threatened to make a row”

Question 21

He justifies the theft since he is only tricking himself and only learns the lesson in the moment and not later. Exploitering others is not seen as theft in Capitalism.

Answer 21

“Not really. I intend to pay it back”

Question 22

Eric agrees with Sheila and characterizing as a story and how its a story that is continuously being repeated in reality across society and how the rich exploit the poor and can be changed by voting for socialist

Answer 22

“it’s still the same rotten story whether it’s been told to a police inspector or somebody else”

Question 23

Sybil defends Gerald and Priestley is saying how women of Mrs Birling generation would have to turn a blind eye to their infidelity yet she has to put up with it since that’s how society has oppresses women and its a transactional cost. You have to marry a man with high status and let him do immoral things to keep the high status. Feel sympathy for her but less when she tells her daughter this. In 1912, it was like this for mothers and grandmothers so lets change it today.

Answer 23

[Men] “have to spend nearly all their time and energy on their business. You’ll have to get used to that, just as I had”

Question 24

She won’t accept responsibility and begins talk about how superior figure like herself and how an sub-human can understand her. How the class system is the enemy and how it doesn’t even to allow you to see people as human and Birling = pernicious effect and Sybil is added pernicious effect

Answer 24

“Girls of that class”

Question 25

It shows how society refused to learn the lesson of the WW1 and how it’s human nature to avoid the painful truths. and for a better society and we need to become better humans just like Eric and Sheila do

Answer 25

(agitated) “I can’t believe it. I won’t believe it”

Question 26

It was a careful arrangement and needs a private place to take women and the nice part is about being able to engage infidelity and choose Eva because he knows she is young and vulnerable. Self-delusion and how he believes he is hero despite kicking her out knowing she is in love with him

Answer 26

“I happened that a friend of mine […] let me have the key of a nice little set of rooms he had”

Question 27

The only hope for the younger generation is Sheila. Gerald hasn’t learnt his lesson and morally corrupt. She doesn’t know whether or not to marry since this her only way to power and independency and how she may not be able to fully take the Inspector’s teaching. Towards the audience how they’re are not powerless like Sheila and they can make a difference

Answer 27

“Everything is alright now, Sheila.(Hold up the ring) What abiout this ring?”
“No, not yet. It’s too soon. I must think”