Mr Birling Flashcards
Use of dramatic irony to show Mr Birling’s ignorance and disconnect from the real world, invalidating his views
“Unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable”
Use of imperatives to try and order the Inspector around at the start to exercise power over him
“Sit down” + “Have a drink”
Is able to stop interruptions from anyone but the Inspector
“Just let me finish Eric”
Tries to win back control over the situation from the Inspector
“Well - if you don’t mind - I’ll find out first”
Mentions his connections as an intimidation tactic
“We play golf together”
Shows off his achievements to his social superiors as a way of proving himself - showing his insecurity
“I was Lord Mayor here two years ago when Royalty visited us”
Desperate attempt to salvage his reputation at the end
“I’d give thousands – yes, thousands”.
Only starts asking questions to uncover the truth when the matter affects him (money stolen)
“How could you have paid it back?”
Exposing hypocrisy because of proof he makes wildly inaccurate claims about the future
“We don’t guess”
Exposing hypocrisy because his capitalist motto does not apply to everyone in society
“A man has to make his own way - has to look after himself”
Switches topic of conversation to himself again through use of personal pronoun and possessive
“It’s one of the happiest nights of my life”
Taking control after the departure of the Inspector + Not taking responsibility for his actions
“Drop that. There’s every excuse for what both your mother and I did”
Use of imperatives mid-play
“Have him in and get it over, then let the lad go”
Proud of himself and his family, smug
“I think you’re a pretty fortunate young man too, Gerald”
Shows he was not born into wealth but is rather self-made, confirming he is upper middle class instead of upper class
“Rather provincial in his speech” + “Y’know, eh?”
