Mr Birling

Question 1

“is there any reason why my wife should answer questions from you inspector?”
A2

Answer 1

• possessive pronoun “my” is a means of him establishing control to elevate himself - marriage in 1912 Britain was a means of achieving social mobility- was perceived as a transaction - B taking ownership of his wife in thus moment may be a metaphor for him grasping onto his status & value under society which is currently under threat
• use of rhetorical q paints B as patronizing , he is in a power struggle with the inspector & he immediately resorts to aggression & disrespect to win the social battle - painting himself as undeserving of respect

Question 2

how is Sheila presented as a transaction

Answer 2

• his artificial care for his daughter is ironic as we know that he exploits Sheila for social & financial gain through marriage - only views her only function as his daughter is to marry an affluent man thus he is sure to mention her martial status even though it is not relevant
• from this we see his hollowness : doesn’t care a young girl was subject to suicide so his apparent concern for Sheila to be exposed to a police investigation is deceitful
• ultimately , P highlights how the individualistic notions of capitalism compromise having meaningful relationships as Mr B fails to show compassion to anyone , even his wife + daughter

Question 3

as if we’re all ___ up together like ___ in a __ - community & all that ___
A1
- capitalism vs socialism
- responsibility
- social class

Answer 3

as if we’re all mixed up together like bees in a hive - community and all that nonsense

• he employs zoomorphism to characterize society , particularly likening the lower classes to “bees”
• this direct comparison reflects his degradation & mockery of the concept of collective responsibility - portraying it as an animalistic & primal behavior fit only for insignificant creatures like “bees”
• deliberate insertion of hyphen prompts theatrical pause - compelling actor who plays Mr B to hesitate before articulating word “community” - this pause emphasizes his physical repulsion to the concept , suggesting an inability to even verbalize it

Question 4

“public men , Mr B have ___ as well as _____” (inspector)
A2
- capitalism vs socialism
- responsibility
- social class

Answer 4

“Public men , Mr b have responsibilities as well as privileges”

• syntax of phrase places “responsibilities” before “privileges” reflecting the direct order of importance emphasized by the inspector to mr B
• however , mr b inverts this sequence ,prioritizing his privileges & materialistic gains over his responsibilities & the development of a collective social conscience
• concise , fragmented structure of “public men” followed by “Mr B” mirrors Mr b’s fragmented perception of responsibility & accountability for his exploitative treatment of the Lower class
• he perceives his social status as granting him the authority to dehumanize those beneath him & absolve himself from any responsibility for the suffering he causes them

Question 5

“ there’ll be a public ____”
A3
- old v young
- guilt
- social class

Answer 5

“there’ll be a public scandal”
- rather them admitting to the grave crime he has contributed to , Mr b employs euphemistic lang to brand it as a mere ‘scandal’ - exacerbates his stubbornness as a rep of the older gen , as he adamantly refuses to acknowledge the truth & feels no remorse for his exploitation of Eva
- also implies his hesitancy to confront the crime , perhaps driven by fear that doing so would dismantle the carefully crafted facade he maintains for public perception
- mr b persists in his self serving outlook , thus is presented as a stagnant character as he ignores his moral & civic obligations as a member of society
- his lack of character development is disheartening , yet unsurprising for the audience , as P establishes early on that capitalist characters from the older gen prioritize social status over compassion , remorse + social form

Question 6

the famous ___ ___ who know it all. And now they can’t even ___ a ___
A3
- Young v old
- social class
- guilt

Answer 6

“the famous younger generation who know it all. And now they can’t even take a joke”
- ironic Mr B derisively labels the younger gen as “know it all’s” given he is the only character who asserts to “know it all”, referencing events like the “titanic” & dismissing concerns as “silly little war scares”
- P deliberately sets the play in 1912 to fragmentize the “know it all” ignorance of the older gen
- by labelling them as the “younger gen” , P aligns Sheila + Eric with his contemporary audience , aiming for them to feel provoked by Mr B’s ignorant sarcasm. P’s intentions is to urge his audience to repudiate the capitalist perspectives held by their parents
- following Mr B’s remorseless & callous dismissal of the suicide as a mere ‘joke’ , he is abruptly interrupted by the telephone , echoing the earlier interruption by the inspector in Act 1
- perhaps P opted for the form of a play to convey his allegorical diatribe enabling him to visually depict mr b’s beliefs as emblematic of the capitalist older gen.