Learning about Life Flashcards
Context and Themes
Give an example that shows that Arthur is stubborn.
Arthur is stubborn because he refuses to admit he’s done anything wrong, claiming “There’s every excuse” for what he and Sybil did.
What does Sybil learn about Alderman Meggarty that shocks her?
Sybil learns that Alderman Meggarty is a “notorious womaniser”.
Which characters learn the most during the play?
Eric and Sheila both learn the most — they want to act differently in the future based on what they’ve heard from the Inspector over the course of the play.
At the end of the play, the characters learn that a girl really did die and a real inspector is coming. How might this change the character’s attitudes towards the Inspector’s visit?
Having learnt that a girl has actually died, the characters who dismissed the Inspector’s lessons
(Arthur, Sybil and Gerald) may take them seriously, because they could have legal consequences. This also makes the Inspector seem like a mysterious or even supernatural figure, as he seems to have known in advance that a girl would be brought into the infirmary, so they might now be wondering how he knew this.
Priestley wanted his audience to learn from the play and change their ways. Do you think the play would have had this effect on the original audience? explain why / why not.
The shocking, violent imagery in the Inspector’s final speech and the brutality of Eva / Daisy’s death means that the play is likely to have left a lasting impact on the audience. This would have probably been particularly the case when the play was first performed, as audience members would have lived through the horrors of the Second World War.
