inspector calls summary- things to remember. Flashcards
where is it set?
fictional industrial midlands town called brumley.
when is it set and written in?
set- 1912.
written- 1945.
what is the message through the play?
encourage people to seize the opportunity given to them by the end of the war to build a better more caring society.
which two names in the play refer to the same people?
eva smith and daisy renton.
what was the order of those interrogated?
mr birling, shelia, gerald, mrs birling, eric.
where did eva originally work and after what was her implied job?
birling and co then Milwards. its implied she worked as a prostitute when she was out of work at the palace bar.
what were prostitutes commonly referred to as?
women of the town.
who was the photograph shown to and what wasn’t made clear?
mr birling, shelia and mrs birling.
never made clear photo was the same.
what is implied about eric abusing his social position to do?
implied eric forces himself on eva, lack of consent. to get what he wants.
why did eva use mrs Birlings name?
more likely to get assistance if she appears to be a deserted wife, also knows eric last name was birling.
when does the play take place?
april 1912.
what is eva’s timeline?
eva sacked by birling and co- september 1910.
eva employed by milwards.
shelia complains and has eva sacked from milwards.
eva (daisy renton) becomes geralds mistress.
gerald breaks off the affair- september 1911.
eric meets eva and forces himself into her lodgings to sleep with her.
after meeting eric several times, eva finds she’s pregnant.
mrs birling turns down eva’s application for help.
eva’s suicide/ the inspector calls.
what happens in act 1?
- birling family celebrating shelia and geralds recent engagement in 1912.
- when the ladies leave the room, birling lectures his son and gerald. he tells them that a man ‘must look after himself.’
- inspector Goole arrives, investigating the death of a young woman eva smith.
- birling is shown a photo and remembers that he sacked her in 1910 for leading a strike. he feels justified in this.
- the inspector shows shelia the photo and discovers she sacked eva from her next job, she regrets this.
- inspector revels that eva changed her name to daisy renton. gerald acts guilty.
what happens in act 2?
- gerald explains he had an affair with eva but hadn’t seen her since autumn 1911.
- shelia gives her ring back to him.
- inspector turns to sybil, who confesses after seeing the photo she had had contact with her under a different name.
- eva, pregnant and desperate approached charity for help. sybil refused as she listed with the name mrs birling.
- she doesn’t regret what she did and believe the child farther should be held responsible.
what happened in act 3?
- eric is revelled as farther, slept with eva several times although nature of relationship unclear.
- stole money from birling office to help eva and turns on his mum when he learns she was uncharitable.
- inspector tells them they are all partly to blame for the death and of the consequences of not being responsible of other people.
- after he leaves family being to question what happened and if inspector was a real one. 2 phones confirm he is unknown to police station and that no suicide has occurred.
- Arthur, sybil and gerald celebrate and congratulate themselves, eric and shelia re upset.
- phone rings, girl has died and a police officer is coming.
act 1 quotations.
- ’ give us the port edna? that’s right’- mr birling.
- ‘when your married you’ll realise that men….sometimes have to spend nearly all their time and energy on business.’- mrs birling to shelia.
- ‘your farther and i have been friendly rivals in business for some time now- though crofts limited are both older and bigger.’- mr birling.
- ‘for lower costs and higher prices.’- mr birling.
- ‘i speak as a hard-headed business man.’- mr birling.
- ‘in twenty or thirty years time- let’s say, in 1940….they’ll be peace and prosperity.’- mr birling.
- ‘a man has to make his own way- has to look after himself.’- mr birling.
- ‘as if we’re all mixed up together like bees in a hive- community and all that nonsense.’- mr birling.
- ‘the germans don’t want war….everything to lose and nothing to gain by war.’- mr birling.
- a man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own.’- mr birling.
- ‘please sir, an inspector has called.’ ‘yes sir.’- edna.
- ‘show him in here. give us some more light.’- mr birling to edna.
- ‘chain of events.’- inspector.
- ‘i don’t come into this suicide business.’- gerald.
- ‘but these girls aren’t cheap labour they’re people.’- shelia.
- ‘so long as we behave ourselves, don’t get into the police court or start a scandal.’- mr birling.
- ‘one person and one line of inquiry at a time.’- inspector goole.
- ‘it’s my duty to ask questions.’- inspector.
-‘ if we were all responsible for everything that happened to everybody we’d had anything to do with, it would be very awkward wouldn’t it?’- mr birling.
act 2 quotes.
- ‘you mustn’t try to build up a kind of wall between us and that girl.’- shelia.
- ‘nothing but morbid curiosity.’- mrs birling.
- ‘yes i think it was simply a piece of gross impertinence.’ -mrs birling.
- ‘why should you do any protesting? it was you who turned the girl out in the first place.’- inspector.
- ‘i didn’t install her there so that i could make love to her. i made her go to morgan terrace because i was sorry for her.’ ‘it wasn’t disgusting.’- gerald.
- ‘she didn’t blame me at all.’ -gerald.
- ‘i rather expect you more than i’ve ever done before.’- shelia.
- ‘my god!….i’ve suddenly realised-taken in properly- that she’s dead.’- gerald.
- ‘i’m rather more upset by this business than i probably appear to be.’- gerald.
- ‘please don’t contradict me like that.’- mrs birling.
- ‘girls of that class.’- mrs birling.
- ‘if you think you can bring any pressure to bear upon me, inspector, your quite mistaken. unlike the other three, i did nothing i’m ashamed of or that won’t bear investigation.’- mrs birling.
- ‘first the girl herself….secondly, i blame the young man who was the father of the child….he should be made an example of.’- mrs birling.
act 3 quotes.
- ‘i wasn’t in love with her or anything- but i liked her, she was pretty and a good sport.’- eric.
- ‘the moneys not the important thing. it’s what happend to the girl and what we all did to her that matters.’- eric.
- ‘i was in a state when a chap easily turns nasty.’- eric.
- ‘you’re not the kind of father a chap can go to when he’s in trouble.’- eric.
- ‘we are members of one body. we are responsible for each other.’- inspector.
- ‘one eva smith has gone….but there are millions….of eva smiths….all intertwines with our lives….if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish- inspector.
- ‘there isn’t any such inspector. we’ve been had.’- gerald.
- ‘everything’s alright now shelia. (holds up the ring) what about this ring?’- gerald.
- ‘we’ve no proof it was the same photograph and therefore no proof it was the same girl.’- gerald.
- ‘you’re beginning to pretend that nothings really happened at all.’- eric.
- ‘the fact remains that i did what i did.’- eric.
- ‘the point is you don’t seem to have learnt anything.’- shelia.
- ‘probably a socialist or some sort or crank.’- mr birling.
- ‘between us we drove that girl to commit suicide.’- shelia.
- ‘i don’t care about that, the point is that you don’t seem to have learnt anything.’ -shelia.
- ‘the famous younger generation who know it all.’- mr birling.
- ‘(as they stare guiltily and dumbfounded, the curtain falls.)- final line.
5 things to remember: mr Arthur birling: what doesn’t he believe in?
social responsibility.
5 things to remember: mr Arthur birling: what type of person is he?
wealthy, middle class businessman.
5 things to remember: mr Arthur birling: what is he keen to receive?
knighthood.
5 things to remember: mr Arthur birling: who is his views completely opposite to?
inspector gools.
5 things to remember: mr Arthur birling: what does he like to do?
take charge and tends to preach about his views.
5 things to remember: mrs Sybil birling: what does she come from which is better than her husbands?
high social class.
5 things to remember: mrs Sybil birling: what type of person is she and how does she regard others?
haughty. regards most people as socially beneath her.
5 things to remember: mrs Sybil birling: what is she not used to being?
contradicted.
5 things to remember: mrs Sybil birling: who is she prejudice towards and what kind of views does she have?
eva smith. rigid Edwardian views.
5 things to remember: mrs Sybil birling: what is she most concerned about?
avoiding scandal than being honest.
5 things to remember: shelia birling: what will her engagement to gerald bring to her dad?
financial rewards.
5 things to remember: shelia birling: what does she acknowledges?
her guilt and is genuinely remorseful.
5 things to remember: shelia birling: what does she recognise in relation to the inspector?
no good lying.
