Mr birling Flashcards
Big ideas
Mr Birling serves as a microcosm of Capitalism’s arrogance and dominance.
living embodiment of the capitalist ideology (everything
revolves around profit at all costs). His physical appearance is a reflection of capitalism; he wears
formal clothes; he is “heavy looking” (symbolises greed) and frequently displays his
“portentous” attitude
“heavy-looking, rather portentous man in his middle fifties with fairly easy manners but rather provincial in his speech”
“heavy-looking, rather portentous man”: This immediately establishes him as a figure of authority and wealth, perhaps even a bit self absorbed
“in his middle fifties”: This places him as a mature, experienced man, likely at the peak of his career and social standing.
“with fairly easy manners but rather provincial in his speech”: This suggests a contrast between his outward demeanour and his somewhat unrefined or uncultured language, hinting at his limited worldview.
“hard-headed practical man of business”
thinks highly of himself, need approval so repeats the phrase. “Hard headed” means realistic, practical but not sentimental
- his views are not thought through with empathy
- has had business experience, not moral
- Priestley is using language of the Labour Party manifesto..to turn it into a drama his audience can relate to…an allusion to the language of Sir Stanley Baldwin
- treats Sheila’s marriage as a business, she is his property
https://lightbulbrevision.com/arthur-birling
about titanic
‘unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable’
intensifier ‘absolutely’ showing his complete confidence in his judgement.
Context: The Titanic famously sank in 1912, the year that the play is set in. The watching audience of 1945/46 knew this and so Priestley uses dramatic irony to show how flawed Arthur Birling’s judgement is. From this point onwards, we do not trust anything that he says.
community
‘community and all that nonsense’
duty
now sheila
Well, it’s my duty to keep labour costs down’
“Now, Sheila. - You must understand that a lot of young men…” - Birling
- Justifying Gerald’s unfaithful nature
- Trying to fix their relationship for his own financial benefit and selfish intent, showing upper-class male behaviour as a whole
