Mr Birling Flashcards
“H-h, p m o b.”
“Hard-headed, practical man of business.”
Mr Birling thinks very highly of himself.
“A h l m […] r p i h s.”
“A heavy looking man […] rather provincial in his speech.”
Although he talks very highly of himself, Priestly indicates that he might not be the sharpest tool in the shed.
“F! T G d w w.”
“Fiddlesticks! The Germans don’t want war”
Mr Birling is shown to be a bit of a fool to the audience via dramatic irony.
“J a k, o c”
“Just a knighthood, of course.”
Mr Birling tries to impress Gerald - however it is very likely that this isn’t entirely true. It is very typical of his character to assume that he Weill get honoured.
“I k t B o p w”
“I know the Brumley officers pretty well”
He tries to use his background to intimidate the Inspector. It doesn’t work.
“I m d t k l c d”
“It’s my duty to keep labour costs down”
Mr Birling’s excuse for firing Eva. He cannot see beyond his own desire for profit.
“T P m e t i u.”
“The Press might easily take it up.”
Mr Birling appears to be more worried about his reputation than the fate of Eva Smith.
“L I - I g t.”
“Look Inspector - I’d give thousands.”
Mr Birling wouldn’t give 2.5 shillings to Eva Smith but is now willing to give thousands of pounds to cover his back. He needs to realise that money isn’t the answer to everything.
“(t t I) Y d s t c a a.”
“(to the Inspector) You don’t seem to care about anything.”
He doesn’t appear to realise the scope of what he has done and instead gets shirty with the Inspector.
“(t S) Y h a g l o i y.”
“(to Sheila) You’ll have a good laugh over it yet!”
Once Mr Birling has gotten enough evidence to disprove the existence of the Inspector he completely lets go of any lesson or scandal that could have arisen.
