Mr birling Flashcards

1
Q

Big ideas

A

Mr Birling serves as a microcosm of Capitalism’s arrogance and dominance.

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2
Q

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”

A

“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.

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3
Q

“hard-headed practical man of business”

A

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

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4
Q

about titanic

A

‘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.

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5
Q

community

A

‘community and all that nonsense’

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6
Q

duty

A

Well, it’s my duty to keep labour costs down’

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