Inspector Flashcards
‘it’s better to ask for the earth than to take it’
L = hyperbolic metaphor emphasizes unreasonable nature of Mr B’s exploitation of his workers; they have asked for a pay rise; he exploits them for low wages without asking
‘lonely, half starved, desperate’
L = emotive language. Inspector uses emotive language to try to provoke a sense of guilt in the Birlings so they feel responsible for what happened to her. R = makes audience sympathise with Eva and realise how vulnerable she
‘young ones…more impressionable’
C = reflects Priestley’s hope that social change lay with the younger generation. R = targeted at younger MC audience members post WW2 to change society for the better – NHS in 1948 etc.
‘your daughter isn’t living on the moon’
L = hyperbolic imagery. Sheila should know what is happening in her world and not be protected from it. Only by understanding her world can she begin to change it for the better
‘we are members of one body. We are responsible for each other
L = metaphor. Health of body ( D = society) depends on its component parts (D = how individuals in society treat each other)
‘fire and blood and anguish’
L = violent tricolon emphasizes his message of need for social change. R = audience in 1946 lived through two WW. Realise need for social change to avoid more suffering.
‘you slammed the door in her face’
L = metaphor/idiom = violence of image emphasizes terrible consequences of Mrs B’s refusal to help Daisy. R = audience feel disgust at her behaviour
‘used her as if she was an animal, a thing, not a person’
L = noun choices emphasize how Eric dehumanised her. R = audience feel horror at his treatment of her
‘public men…have responsibilities as well as privileges’
L = nouns emphasize that any person in public office eg. Mr B as magistrate, have a responsibility to protect other members of society and treat them with equality not abuse their position of power for personal privilege
‘we’ll have to share our guilt…‘a chain of events’
L = verb ‘share’ – we are all responsible for each other in society; our actions have an impact on others. L = metaphor ‘chain of events’ – one action leads to another, and all actions have consequences; no one person is responsible for what happened to Eva
