Inspector Flashcards
“I m w n l t l, t t w b t i i f a b a a.” Responsibility, War, Morality
“If men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish.”
The Inspector employs vivid, apocalyptic imagery with the words “fire,” “blood,” and “anguish” to stress the imperative of learning social responsibility. This foreshadows the horrors of World War I and embodies the play’s central moral message.
“W h t s s. I t n e, w h t s o g.” Collective Responsibility, Guilt, Morality
“We have to share something. If there’s nothing else, we have to share our guilt.”
The Inspector presents sharing guilt as a communal necessity, using the imperative “have to” to highlight collective responsibility. This reinforces his role as a moral arbiter.
“W h t m h d w h t h a… a c o e.” Causality, Interconnectedness, Consequence
“What happened then may have determined what happened to her afterwards… a chain of events.”
This quote encapsulates the play’s central motif of causality, using the metaphor of a “chain of events” to stress the interconnectedness of actions and their repercussions on others’ lives.
“T g d t.” Consequence, Mortality, Complicity
“The girl’s dead though.”
The stark simplicity of this statement, emphasized by the short, blunt sentence, underscores the irreversible consequences of the characters’ actions and challenges them to confront their complicity.
“W d l a. W a m o o b. W a r f e o.” Social Responsibility, Community, Empathy
“We don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other.”
The Inspector articulates the play’s main theme, the moral imperative of communal responsibility, using the metaphor of a single body to emphasize interconnectedness. The repetition of “we” stresses collective responsibility.
“O E S h g - b t a m a m a m o E S a J S l w u.” Universal Suffering, Social Injustice, Reform
“One Eva Smith has gone - but there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths left with us.”
The Inspector universalizes Eva’s plight, using repetition to stress the “millions” of similar cases, highlighting the widespread nature of such tragedies and the need for societal change.
