Me Biroing Flashcards
Personification of a capitalist
Feeling is the personification of ideology, the pursuit of establishing a high status semen encompasses, every sense of his being. This is ridiculous through to critique hollowness of capitalism.
“ we may look forward to a time where crafts and bearings are no longer competing, but are working together for labour costs and higher prices.
Here, he expresses his perceived function of Sheila and Gerald’s marriage, which is a financial transaction. He old are selfish, disregard for his daughter and expose his exploits of nature as he wishes to take advantage of both customers and workers .
Is a paragon of the obstinate in a capitalist mr Birling fails to show any remorse for the death of Eva. He remained static throughout the play, despite inspectors advertisement of socialism.
Relatonship with eric
Birling proudly declares that a man must “look after himself – and his family too”., Priestley exposes him as a hypocrite when the setting is described as being “substantial but not
cosy and home-like.”
This juxtaposition implies that Birling has not taken the time to care for his family but has built a cold, unloving home that is designed to show off how successful he is rather than nurture a family.
In the Edwardian era, Britain was divided by a strict class hierarchy and climbing the ladder was a preoccupation for many middle- and upper-class people.
neglected his responsibility as a father to Eric says, “you’re not the kind of father a chap can go to when he’s in trouble.” dialogue highlights the lack of trust and love in their relationship and that Eric’s troubles might have been avoided if Birling was a more responsible father.
Wealth
Member of nouvou riche
Britain was strictly governed by the class system and people were taught to believe that those at the top must be respected.
Mr. Birling fixated on maintaining an image of wealth. use of setting in Act One the furniture in their house is described with the adjective “solid”, this adjective shows how expensive the furniture must be and immediately creates an impression of wealth about the family. also symbolises the power that the older Birlings hold in society; they are dominant, stubborn and difficult to move.
, Priestley uses a juxtaposition s the home as “…not cosy and homelike.” suggests that their home is not a warm, welcoming or even pleasant place to live despite all the money they have spent on it. creates a cold sinister atmosphere the older Edwardian generation had become so fixated on materialistic things like status and reputation that they forgot about more spiritual values like love and family. This encourages the audience to question capitalism and whether pursuing wealth like the Birlings will actually provide you with a happy or fulfilling life.
Irresponsible
opening stage directions a “curtained window” . it could symbolise how irresponsible the Birling family truly is.
they are content to cut themselves off from the wider world and live in a bubble of privilege at the expense of the lower classes.
Birling “nonsense.” the idea of human beings being connected and responsible towards one another is ridiculous and absurd; as if it is a joke to him.
He also goes on to say that it would be “very awkward” if everybody had to look after one another. The adjective “awkward” implies it is laziness that stops him from taking responsibility. he knows that living in a responsible society is not impossible but that he does not want to make the effort or the personal sacrifices it would involve.
The Edwardian era was a time of great prosperity for the upper classes and Birling clearly does not want to risk his high status by having to worry about others. To the audience, this may seem particularly selfish and cold hearted.
Personification part 2
Working class often stereotyped as being lazy and immoral in the Edwardian era.
Describe evas death “horrid business” abstract noun “business” is revealing because it seems extremely dismissive and cold. display no emotion whatsoever towards it. see it as a nuisance that has ruined their evening.
Mr. Birling refers to “the wretched girl’s suicide”. “wretched” angry Birling is that he is being forced to think about the death of somebody of the lower class. symbolises he views lower class people as inferior or even pathetic.
extremely cold hearted and unlikeable in this moment as it arrives just after the audience hears how emotive details about how Eva
died in “great agony” after “burning her insides out”.
After serving in WW1, Priestley was appalled by the treatment of working class soldiers he had fought alongside in the trenches. encouraging the audience to sympathise with disadvantaged people. He also encourages us to mistrust selfish, cruel capitalists who helped to create such an unequal society in the Edwardian era by portraying the cold hearted attitudes of Mr. and Mrs. Birling.
Mysogeny
He is the paragon of the patriarchal male of 1912, Britain he uses misogyny to assess his power treating women as property
Mr Birling : we have several hundred young woman you know”
Cold and statistical language. He only uses a please as faceless mass or a number rather individuals. He does not care for their welfare or who they are as people he just uses them for cheap labour.
“ she had a lot to say… far too much”
Mr Birling exaggeration suggests in toleration to hear voice he refuses to listen to a reasonable demands, cannot stand the idea of a working-class women standing of herself, he sucks her to keep his power
“ not only to make a prettier, but well sort of sign or token of their self respect.”
Mouthpiece for stereotypical view on women, collectivising, or women stripping them of their individuality. He epitomises the male gays, suggesting sole purpose of women is beauty. The colloquial abbreviation could affect how he does not like women seriously as he speaks about them in an offhand mannor. Ironic how Shelagh’s compensation was about clothes pops. Mr Birling has projected his misogynistic ideas to his daughter.
Cyclical structure
Please a cyclical structure to portray Mr Birling, a stagnant with an S views he stands to represent the other classes are trapped in a cycle of morality and preoccupation with superficial wealth.
“(Jovially) but the whole thing is different now”
To fix an unorthodox emotion for a play concerns with suicide. He’s so self-absorbed, he seems to operate in his own realm. He is a pathetic towards things around him.
He’s insecure in social position
“ provincial in his speech” is humble beginnings are evident it reveals lower class origins, lack of sophisticated tainted by a regional accent
“ dubiously if this comes out at the inquest, it isn’t going to do us, much Good”
He has a high external locus teaches his behaviour as a result of external influences. Feelings anxiety at the mention of the press stems from fear of his reputation, being compromised, not from the motivation of guilt of evas death. “ dubious” has connotations of shyness movement of dramatic irony, because Burling is due a fortune procedures, exploring every fibre of birlong is superficial. What are they are they are wrong
Ridicuke capitalism
“Unsinkable absolutely unsinkable”
Dramatic irony 1945 audience would be aware that the titanic to sink
Therefore, Mr Burling from the offset is ridiculed and satirised by Priestly, because Mr Burling is the personification of capitalism, capitalism by extension is being ridiculed on satirised as well .
He’s a microcosm for capitalism is ignorance and bigot behaviour. Therefore implies that all capitalists are ignorant, bigot and untrustworthy presenting socialism as a better and more progressive alternative for society.
Repeated sibilance codes forshaddow how Mr Birling will slowly, and softly disintegrate in his position of power in his position of power, because he is going to be weakened by socialism metaphorically going to sink
