Mr Birling Flashcards
Mr birling being a capitalist businessman makes him
greedy, money driven, and selfish
what does priestly encourage the audience through Mr birling as this type of character
he encourages his audience to look at him through a socialist lens
what quote did Mr birling say to gerald making him look money driven
“working together”
what does “working together” show
shows they Mr birling is using sheila as a business negotiation showing that he is selfish and not caring for others
what stage direction are used to make mr birling look arrogant and dominant
hard headed, practical, businessman
why is the noun “businessman” repeated 3 more times
it reveals his arrogance and self assurance
give quotes that suggests the mr birling was fully confident in their economy and not aware of their failings (metaphor)
unsinkable, completely unsinkable, germans dont want war
give quotes to show mr birlings selfish qualities
“a man has to make his own way” “i cant accept any responsibility”, for lower costs and higher prices, I’m hard-headed, practical man of business.
give a rough analysis of “lower costs and higher prices”
Birling’s desire for higher prices shows that his
overall business aim is to reduce cost and this highlights that he prioritises profit over staff welfare as he clearly has no care or concern for the effect that lowering wages will have on his workers; seeing them as no more than “cheap labour.”
analyse “i cant accept any responsibility”
“I can’t accept any responsibility.” This highlights Mr Birling’s arrogant and dismissive nature as he evidently has a narrow minded and simplistic understanding of Eva’s death. Given his position as the patriarch of the Birling family, Mr Birling is unable to fathom that his discharge of Eva started the “chain of events” that led to her untimely demise as he is entirely new to the concept of being criticised or questioned.
The use of personal pronoun “I” emphasises Mr Birling’s individualist nature as it is clear that Mr Birling only thinks about
himself. We realise that Mr Birling does not believe in “community”, as sees the idea of being “like bees in a
hive” as just “nonsense”,
roughly analyse “a man has to make his own way”
Mr Birling shows that he is arrogant and selfish. This also highlights Priestley’s ideas on social responsibility - he wants the audience to see that Mr Birling is wrong.
give the harsh and insensitive language that priestly uses for responsibility of Mr Birling
cranks, all that nonsense, youd think, as if
“.cranks, all that nonsense, youd think”, as if analysis
makes his sound really heartless. BUT this is all discredited by his comment about the titanic
the titanic is unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable
the titanic symbolises his own family, he believe they are untouchable until the inspector arrives giving them a rude awakening
now look at the pair of them - the famous younger generation who know it all, and they cant even take a joke (ending)
Birling returns to his complacent and arrogant attitude ,that we saw before the Inspector arrives, when it is discovered that the Inspector was not real.
He mocks Sheila and Eric for accepting responsibility.
