inspector Flashcards
1 “[cutting through, massively]”
-inspector (embodiment of socialism) is presented as antithesis + foil to MB (embodiment of capitalism)
-MB represents affluent “hard-headed” businessmen who profit from wars (political allusion to sir stanley baldwin)
-MB’s egotistical monologues are shorted through inspector’s arrivals where he expresses his self-proclaimed omniscience that the “titanic is unsinkable”
1 “One person and one line of enquiry at a time”
-inspector controls structure + expositions which is essential in moving story forward + allowing priestley to build up a “chain of events”
-inspector’s speech is short + concise like “Quite so” - yet his few words shorten MB’s speech
-suggests inspector has shifted power balance, despite not being from an established social class - elucidates social status (symbolised through MB) is weak in the face of morality (symbolised by I)
1 “it’s better to ask for the earth than to take it”
-syntax on “ask” prior to “take” highlights order of importance that’s required for society to be collectively responsible
-“ask” + share opposed to capitalist ideas of “taking” to benefit oneself
-idea of “take” connotes to steal - idea scorned in bible + is a mortal sin
-in edwardian era, religion was highly integral to society
-capitalist ideas dismiss religious teachings - socialism brings back moral foundations
2 “We often do on the young ones. They’re more impressionable”
-inspector makes a mockery of MB
-brands younger generation as “more impressionable” perhaps implying they’re more gullible + malleable
-serves to be ironic as negative connotations of being “impressionable” are positive traits in helping S+E rid their capitalist oblivion
3 “as if she was an animal, a thing, not a person”
degrading triple simile is used by priestley as the inspector is his dramatic vehicle + mouthpiece - uttering views of priestley himself about distributing responsibility
-“animal” highlights their blatant disregard of her humanity through their dehumanising + exploitative treatment
-could be allusion to how inspector is critiquing disregard of women - condemns E + G for identifying her as an object of lust
-neglectful noun “thing” intensifies she was regarded with any form of compassion due to her social class
3 “fire and blood and anguish”
-S acts as the inspector’s proxy when he leaves reciting his exact moral teachings
-demonstrates inspector’s profound impact on younger generation as S now resents her families supercilious airs + graces + tries to catalyse a change
