Inspector Calls Quotes P2

Question 1

“ lower costs and higher prices,”

Answer 1

Birling

Question 2

“ there isn’t a chance of war,”

Answer 2

Birling

Question 3

“ unsinkable absolutely unsinkable’l

Answer 3

Birling

Question 4

“ mixed up together like bees in a hive -community and all that nonsense,”

Answer 4

Birling

Question 5

“ a man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own- and”

Answer 5

Birling

Question 6

“(Rather impatiently” yes yes. Horrid business. But I don’t understand why you should come here inspector,”

Answer 6

Birling

Question 7

“ how do you get on with our chief constable, Colonel Robert’s?”

Answer 7

Birling

Question 8

“(Unhappily) Look, inspector -I’d give thousands yes thousands,”

Answer 8

Birling

Question 9

“ lighting should be pink and intimate then it should be brighter and harder”

Answer 9

Inspector

Question 10

“ she swallowed a lot of strong disinfectant. Burnt her inside out of course.”

Answer 10

Inspector

Question 11

“ she was in great agony,”

Answer 11

Inspector

Question 12

“ I don’t play golf,”

Answer 12

Inspector

Question 13

“ each of you helped to kill her,”

Answer 13

Inspector

Question 14

“(Rather savagely to Birling) you started it.”

Answer 14

Inspector

Question 15

“ there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smith’s and John Smiths,”

Answer 15

Inspector

Question 16

“ we don’t live alone,”

Answer 16

Inspector

Question 17

“ we are members of one body,”

Answer 17

Inspector

Question 18

“ we are responsible for each other.”

Answer 18

Inspector

Question 19

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

Answer 19

Inspector

Question 20

“ a rather cold woman and her husband social superior,”

Answer 20

Stage directions on Mrs Birling

Question 21

“ I don’t suppose for a moment that we can understand where the girl committed suicide. Girls of that class-“

Answer 21

Mrs. Birling.

Question 22

“ I did nothing. I’m ashamed of or that won’t bear investigation,”

Answer 22

Mrs Birling

Question 23

“ I’ll tell you what I told her. go and look for the father of the child. it’s his responsibility

Answer 23

Mrs Birling

Question 24

“ as if a girl of that sort would refuse money,”

Answer 24

Mrs Birling

Question 25

“(Very distressed now) no Eric please I didn’t know I didn’t understand”

Answer 25

Mrs Birling

Question 26

“ I was the only one who didn’t give into him,”

Answer 26

Mrs Birling

Question 27

“ oh it’s wonderful! Look mummy isn’t it A beauty?”

Answer 27

Sheila

Question 28

“But these girls aren’t cheap labour theyre people,”

Answer 28

Sheila

Question 29

“ I’ll never, never do it again,”

Answer 29

Sheila

Question 30

“ I know I’m to blame and I’m desperately sorry,”

Answer 30

Sheila

Question 31

(Slowly carefully now) you mustn’t try to build up a kind of war between us and that girl,”

Answer 31

Sheila

Question 32

“ it’s you two who are being childish trying not to face facts,”

Answer 32

Sheila to her parents

Question 33

“ it frightens me the way you talk,”

Answer 33

Sheila to her parents

Question 34

“ Eric is in his early 20s not quite at ease half shy half assertive,”

Answer 34

Stage directions on Eric

Question 35

“ Eric is in his early 20s not quite at ease half shy half assertive,”

Answer 35

Stage directions on Eric

Question 36

“Just let me finish Eric. You’ve a lot to learn yet,”

Answer 36

Birling

Question 37

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

Answer 37

Eric

Question 38

“ because you’re not the kind of father chap could go to when he’s in trouble that’s why,”

Answer 38

Eric

Question 39

“ just used her for the end of a stupid drunken evening as if she were an animal a thing not a person,”

Answer 39

Inspector to Eric

Question 40

“ whoever that chap was the fact remains that I did what I did,”

Answer 40

Eric

Question 41

“(Shouting) and I say the girls dead and we all helped to kill her and that’s what matters,”

Answer 41

Eric

Question 42

“ very much the easy well bread young man about town,”

Answer 42

Stage directions on Gerald

Question 43

“hear hear!”

Answer 43

Gerald drinking to Birlings call for lower costs and higher prices

Question 44

“ we’d have done the same thing,”

Answer 44

Gerald agreeing to Birling sacking Eva

Question 45

“ she knew it couldn’t last hadn’t expected it to last. she didn’t blame me at all,”

Answer 45

Gerald on his relationship with Eva/Daisy

Question 46

“ as I’m rather more upset by this business then I probably appear to be,”

Answer 46

Gerald on the death of Eva

Question 47

“ he at least had some affection for her and made her happy for a time.”

Answer 47

Inspector on Gerald to Eva

Question 48

“ everything is alright now Sheila. (Holds up ring) what about this ring?”

Answer 48

Gerald

Question 49

“ unsinkable absolutely unsinkable,” quote in depth

Answer 49

Dramatic irony- the audience knows he’s wrong. The tone of it is utterly confident- Priestly creates this tone through the repetition of unsinkable and adverb absolutely. This combined with Burling absolute certainty makes him seem ridiculous and ignorant. This line is used to undermine an audience is respect for Birling opinions and everything that stands for.

Question 50

“ like bees in a hive- community and all that nonsense,” quote in depth

Answer 50

Burling believes are looking after himself and his family only. The idea about caring for others he describes as nonsense. This means that he just doesn’t agree. He thinks it’s ridiculous. Describes the idea of community of bees in a hive. He means this is an insult these insects rather than intelligent humans. They also have drones which work slavishly and self for the good of the hive. Burling is implying that caring about community is slavish insect like behaviour not worthy of humans. Burling is attacking socialist ideas here. Through this line, Priestly wants to establish Birling’s contempt for socialism and socialist ideas and his selfish view of the word.

Question 51

“ a man hosting his own business and look after himself and his own -and” quote in depth

Answer 51

It formally establishes Burling view of the world being selfish. We could argue that the entire place set up to expose the consequences of this view. The mistreatment of eva Smith is because all of the Birling share this view to an extent. The dash at the end of the line is to show interruption (when the inspector arrives. This symbolically reinforces the idea that inspector is called to challenge this particular view of the world. By exposing the behaviour of each of the Priestly uses the inspector to build a case against this view.

Question 52

“Pink and intimate brighter and harder,”

Answer 52

The pink and intimate symbolises the private cosy content comfortable world of the birlings at the start of the play. The lighting changes to brighter and harder when the inspector arrives. Like concise truth as it reveals what is hidden by the darkness the inspector is metaphorically shining the lights on the Burling exposing their hidden morality a bright light together with the context of an investigation also has connotations of an interrogation. The inspector is also shining the light on the suffering of the working class exposing the lack of social justice in society.

Question 53

“ Swallowed a lot of strong disinfectant. Burnt her inside out,” quote in depth

Answer 53

This is vivid negative imagery. The word burnt has particular connotations of pain while the idea of being burnt inside out seems agonising and horrific. It is a description that is repeated by the inspector throughout the play. The purpose of this description is to make us see the tragedy of Eva Smiths death. We find ourselves asking what could make someone do this to themselves. Ultimately, the inspector suggest that this result of unequal society and the selfish worldview of Mr Birling. Price uses this imagery to make us feel sympathy for Eva.

Question 54

“We are members of one body,” quote in depth

Answer 54

This is imagery/a metaphor. A body is made up of many parts, e.g. lungs, liver heart et cetera. However, all these individual parts work as a whole for the body as a hole to be healthy parts within it need to be healthy part of the body cells as an impact on the body is a hole, Priestly/the inspector suggesting that the society is like a body as it’s made up with different parts. The metaphor is suggesting that we need to look after all parts of society to be happy. This is a challenge to Burling’s idea that we should look after ourselves and our families.

Question 55

“Girls of that class,” quote in depth

Answer 55

When Mrs. Birling says this, she is suggesting that it’s impossible to understand Eva Smith’s motives. This is an example of class prejudice as she holds negative views of Ava Smith because of our class. This fails to treat Ava Smith as an individual as she is just lump together with other girls of that class as if they are all the same. Mrs. Burling sees herself as disconnected from the working class- she lives in an ivory tower looking down on others.

Question 56

“ you mustn’t try to build up a kind of wall between us and that girl,” quote in depth

Answer 56

This is imagery. A wall is a barrier that keeps things separate so it has connotations of division and segregation. Arguably, the Burling already had war between themselves and the rest of society. Much about the inspector down the walls have built. This is also significant because it shows how Sheila quickly Sheila adopts the socialist views on the inspector.

Question 57

“ just use her for the end of the stupid drunken evening as if she went to animal a thing not a person,” quote in depth

Answer 57

We don’t treat animals or things in the same way we treat humans because we don’t value them in the same way. We could say that Eric objectified or dehumanised Ava Smith. This shows the inspector morally judging for his treatment of Ava Smith. We could agree that this treatment is an extension of burning selfish view of the world if we only think about ourselves it’s easy to treat other people like things. This line is also useful in showing that the inspector isn’t just investigating a crime he’s morally judging the Burling too.

Question 58

“ everything is alright now Sheila. (Holds up the ring) what about this ring?”

Answer 58

This line makes us question the extent to which Gerald has learnt from the inspector visit even though someone might not have died the Burling and Gerald still did what they did. Gerald’s reaction contrasts with Sheila she doesn’t accept the ring as she doesn’t think that everything is alright. Gerald wants to quickly move on from his behaviour. Gerald’s age falls of the older and younger this suggests that you may already be moving beyond the point where he can easily be influenced by new ideas.