Expoitation Flashcards
what is exploitation 2
when someone treats another unfairly in order to benefit - taking advantage of a weakness or a trust
How does the theme of exploitation run through the play
eva is exploited by individuals and capitalism
why is Eva vulnerable
she is a working class woman so has no power and faces discrimination
what message is Priestly sending
- capitalist society prey on vulnerability of working class women to make huge profits and
what are the contextual points 2
1 at the time the play is set the upper classes controlled everything in society - poor lived on landowners estates and had to pay rent or were employed by factory owners and had to obey rules
2 the lower classes were dependent on upper classes for everything and Priestly agues upper classes exploited this dependancy
How did each Birling use exploitation in their mistreatment of Eva 4
1 Mr Birling exploited her for cheap labour
2 Sheila exploited her status as the daughter of a well known man to get her fired
3 Gerald and Eric exploited her for sex
4 Mrs Birling exploited her influence at the charity to get her case denied
What does Priestly use Birlings business to show
capitalisms exploitation of the working class
- profit is prioritised over personal wellbeing
give an example of how Birling uses his position to exploit employees
he threatens employees with unemployment if they don’t follow his strict rules
takes advantage of poverty and high unemployment rates to find workers who will work for low wages
provide a quote to back up this statement
work together for “higher costs lower prices “
he is not concerned with improving working conditions, even though his business is already successful he just wants to make more profit. His workers are reduced to “cost” a figure he wants to lower.
how does Birling dehumanise worker
“several hundred young women” who “keep changing”
shows he doesnt see his employees as individuals - they are a collective.
Keep changing suggests he constantly hires new staff while firing old ones to keep costs low and as they are all women
Priestly indicates women were the most targeted by capitalists because they could be paid lower than a man
what do Gerald and Eric represent 2
the way exploit and mistreat women is accepted and encouraged by society.
Priestly uses them to show how men use the power their wealth brings them to take advantage of lower class women
How did Gerald exploit Eva 2
Priestly suggests rich men like Gerald use women’s fear to get them into bed
what is Gerald’s role 3
He rescues Eva, gives her moneyand a place to stay
. He brings her love and happiness
but he makes her his mistress
abandons her when he sees fit suggest he had an ulterior motive
- he takes advantage of her vulnerability for his own entertainment
why did Gerald get involved with Eva
“looked young and fresh and charming” he was sexually attracted to her
He rescued her from Joe and told her “if she didn’t want anymore of that sort of thing she had better let him take her out of there” . He took advantage of her distress
How does Priestly use the unbalanced relationship
Priestly illustrates the working classes dependence of the upper classes
Eva was “intensly grateful” implies Eva felt she owed Gerald for rescuing her
The love and dependencey in the relationship was not mutual he confessed “he didn’t feel about her as she felt about him” and enjoyed being her “fairy Prince” suggesting he exploited Eva
