Mr Birling Flashcards
1
Q
“Giving us the port Edna “
“You ought to like this port, Gerald … same port your father gets”
Social class
A
- The play opens with Mr Birling’s first line “Giving us the port Edna” which establishes his boastful nature as well as his wealth as a port was sold at a prohibitive price.
- speaks to Edna with less respect than he would with everyone else which signifies how the lower class are treated with very little respect by the upper classes.
- His proudness is further highlighted through “you ought to like this port, Gerald…. same port your father gets” which portrays him as a highly materialistic man but also shows how insecure he is towards his social status as Gerald comes from a higher class than him. The fact that Mr Birling bought the same port that Gerald’s father uses shows how much he aspires to be part of the upper class.
- the use of the modal verb “ought” shows what a domineering character Mr Birling is-he even tells his social superior what to do. Arthur demonstrates his harsh and overbearing nature by telling others what to do.
2
Q
Mr Birling: “Your just the kind of son in law I’ve always wanted” because Crofts and Birlings would be working together for “lower costs and higher prices” capitalism
A
- The fact that Mr Birling is only happy with Gerald due to the business opportunities that he brings demonstrates how Mr Birling best interest at heart is money, even if it costs his owns daughter’s happiness, which portrays him as opportunistic and materialistic.
- “lower costs” implies how Mr birling is willing to pay his workers little so he can have more profit which, again, shows his how selfish and mercenary he is . Through this, Priestley is showing the unfairness of capitalism.
3
Q
Mr Birling: says that rumors about war is “silly pessimistic talk” / “silly little war scares … ”
“silly little war scares … peace and prosperity and rapid progress everywhere”
A
- The use of the adjective “silly” creates a condescending tone and implies that he thinks his word and beliefs are right and far more superior which shows how arrogant of a person he is
- His arrogance is further heightened by dismissing these political predictions as “talk
- Dramatic irony = shows that we cannot trust his beliefs , distrust in the audience towards him, Priestley is getting the audience to disagree with him from the start and therefore all his beliefs and opinions are discredited. It also displays him as arrogant and overconfident.
- The adjective “little” and the verb “scares” highlights his disregarding attitude towards any negative in the future whiles also harshly contrasting the scale of destruction the Great War and WW2 caused in reality.
- This is further juxtaposed by the use of dramatic irony “peace and prosperity and rapid progress everywhere” = shows Mr B lack of awareness and overconfidence
4
Q
Mr Birling : “Fiddlesticks! The Germans don’t want war ”
A
- Fiddlesticks – belittling, treating war as a ridiculous notion, condescending
- Use of exclamatory sentence shows how passionate he is
- The play is set 2 years before WW1
- The contemporary audience would have just been through WW2
- Dramatic irony shows the ignorance of capitalists
- Mr B believes that nothing bad will happen due to technological advances but he is also blinded by the benefits of business
5
Q
Mr Birling : “ I’m talking a hard headed , practical man of business”
capitalism
A
• The fact that this repeated twice shows how passionate he is about business
“Hard-headed” suggests that he is narrow-minded and foreshadows what happens at the end of the play
- Priestley uses Birling to show that capitalists are not to be trusted
- Also implies how he thinks that the success of his business, entitles him to correct political views mirroring the social expectations of the upper-class being intelligent and knowledgeable around the events happening in society
- Priestley uses Birling as a symbol of the callous and heartlessness of capitalism. Through his character he is criticizing the complacency of capitalist prosperity
6
Q
“Just a knighthood of course” Social class, appearance vs reality
A
- Sees sycophancy as a means of acquiring a “knighthood” instead of actually doing good in society. Priestley demonstrates the selfish desires of a capitalist through this.
- Establishes his strong desire to social climb and become part of the upper-class
- The fact that he is trying to please Gerald also shows it desperation to make a good impression which could serve as a reflection to how the upper class present themselves as morally superior meanwhile they are severely corrupt and take advantage of the lower class
7
Q
clothing is “a sort of sign or token of their self-respect” Gender
A
- Shows how shallow-minded and traditional Mr birling is
- Shows the lack of respect towards women during the 20th century which can be especially emphasized when we consider that during this time women had very little rights or say
8
Q
Refers to socialists as “cranks”
all mixed up together like bees in a hive – community and all that nonsense. Social responsibility, capitalism
A
- Expresses his firm belief on class division and shows how condescending he is despite the fact the idea of bees working together in a hive reflect a harmonious society which therefore makes the audience have negative attitudes towards Mr birling and therefore capitalism.
- Suggest the idea of social responsibility is ridiculous and implies that the idea of community is an insignificant concept, applicable only to insects and other primitive form of life
- Bees are vital for human survival = middle and upper classes depend on the proletariat for their survival, it should be incumbent on them to be socially responsible for them
9
Q
“a man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own and –“ social responsibility, capitalism
- refusual to take what?
- corrupt nature
- business before own
A
- Highlights his refusal to take social responsibility and instead maximize his own financial and social happiness
- By basing Arthur’s morals on basic capitalist principles the audience are able to see the corrupt nature of capitalism
- The fact that he mentions his “own” last could hint at how he places his business at utmost importance and therefore enhances his greedy nature
10
Q
I was an alderman for years / Perhaps I ought to explain first that this is Mr Gerald Croft
Social class,
A
- Reflection of how the rich used to use “soft” power – of connection and influence- to intimidate those around them
- Birling is using Gerald as a shield, he is trying to dissipate the blame from him and his family by introducing a very powerful person to intimidate the inspector, however the Inspector mockingly replies with “Mr Gerald Croft-eh” showing his disregard for social class = Priestley is putting forward socialist views
11
Q
Yes, yes. Horrid business. / unpleasant business. Social responsibility
A
- By metaphorically comparing the death to ‘business’ Pretely presents Birling to be overly capitalistic as he thinks of something as serious as a death as ‘business’ = arrogance and desensitized to the lives of the working class
- Dehumanizes Eva’s death as business = presents capitalism as cold and cruel
- Contrasts sharply with how passionate the Inspector is about Eva’s rights and is adamant that justice will be served through “fire, blood and anguish” thus shining a positive and heroic light on socialism
- Highlights how he is only sees this as an unwelcomed interruption to his evening
12
Q
Wretched girl’s suicide. Social responsibility, class
A
- Use of derogatory and impersonal language highlights the cruelty of the upper class and capitalism
- The adjective “wretched” has connotations of filth, mimicking the disgust the upper class have towards the lower class as well as how they deemed them as worthless
- Refuses to take responsibility = further suggested through the apostrophe in “girl’s” , implying that the suicide is in her responsibility thus mirroring Mr B’s belief in that he shouldn’t have responsibility whatsoever
13
Q
Rubbish! If you don’t come down sharply on some of these people, they’d soon be asking for the earth. Social class,
A
- Prejudice against the working class
- Hyperbole “asking for the earth “ to suggest that their demands are unreasonable and the working class are greedy when in reality they need to be cared for and helped. Ironic as Mr Birling is displayed as an extremely greedy person - desperate to increase profits and always striving for power
- The use of the adverb “sharply” creates the impression that the working class are wild animals that need to be tamed as well as reflect the harsh treatment the working class were subjected to during this time
- Priestley wanted to show that arrogance and prejudice existing in the older generations is what is stopping the community from being socially conscious of their actions as they are much too influenced by status. Sways the audience towards socialist ideas
14
Q
Now, Sheila, I’m not defending him. But you must understand that a lot of young men- Gender, responsibility
A
- Cares more about the political alliance between him and the father of Gerald’s business in order to increase profits than the happiness of his daughter.
- “ a lot of young men” suggests that he has had an affair before and also reflects how men during this period were constantly excused for adultery
15
Q
The press might easily take it up— Appearance vs reality
there will be a public scandal
A
- highlights his selfishness; he holds no regard to Eva’s suicide and is only worried about the ruining of his reputation and wealth.
- purblind quest for materialistic items such as money and titles pushes him away from his family and strips him of empathy of any kind
