Mr Birling

Question 1

evidence of Mr Birling’s arrogance

Answer 1

• '’unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable’’
• '’there isn’t a chance of war’’
• '’the world’s developing so fast it’ll make war impossible’’

Question 1

importance of ‘‘there isn’t a chance of war’’ / ‘‘the world’s developing so fast it’ll make war impossible’’ (Act 1)

Answer 1

• dramatic irony = WW1 occurs 2 years after
• repeats idea
• shows Mr Birling is wrong on this point and many other ideas
• audience loses trust in him as a character and dislikes him from start of play

Question 2

evidence of Mr Birling’s capitalism and greed

Answer 2

'’lower costs and higher prices’’

Question 3

analysis of ‘‘lower costs and higher prices’’

Answer 3

• sees his daughters engagement as mainly a business deal
• doesn’t consider impact that ‘‘higher prices’’ may have on others and just wants more money

Question 4

evidence of Mr Birling being possessive

Answer 4

'’is there any reason why my wife should answer questions from you, Inspector?’’

Question 5

importance of Mr Birlings possessiveness

Answer 5

• sees ‘his’ wife as a possession
• doesn’t allow Mrs Birling to talk for herself
• sticks to old-fashioned gender stereotypes of the time