MR BIRLING QUOTES Flashcards
“a man has to make his own way ….
- has to look after himself” - SOCIAL CLASS/GENERATIONAL DIVIDE
“giving us..
the port EDNA” SOCIAL CLASS
“hard headed, practical…
man of business” SOCIAL CLASS
“A man has to make his own way…
– has to look after himself – and his family too, of course…” SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
“The Germans don’t want war…
Nobody wants war.” SOCIAL CLASS ARROGANCE- dramatic irony but use in paragraph of social class to show mr bs naivety
“The Titanic… unsinkable,…
absolutely unsinkable.” - SOCIAL CLASS- DRAMATIC IRONY, but use in paragraph of social class to show mr bs naivety
“If you don’t come down sharply on these people, ….
they’d soon be asking for the earth.” SOCIAL CLASS NAIVETY
“I can’t accept any…
responsibility.” SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
As if were all mixed up , like bees in a hive..
“Community and all that nonsense.” SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
“I was an alderman for years – and Lord Mayor two…
years ago – and I’m still on the Bench.” SOCIAL CLASS (mostly) also SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AS DESPITE THESE ROLES MR B IS UNABLE TO HELP THE WORKING CLASS
“There’s every excuse…
for what your mother and I did.” GENERATIONAL DIVIDE- unable to change mindset , unlike Sheila and Eric
“Probably a socialist …
or some sort of crank.” SOCIAL CLASS
“We’re in for a time of …
steadily increasing prosperity.” SOCIAL CLASS - dramatic irony as there was an industrial collapse in BRITain and America ( GREAT DEPRESSION )
“She’d had a lot to say – far too…
much – so she had to go.” GENDER DIVIDE - highlights MR BS AUTHORITARIAN and PATRIARCHAL attitude.
“Nothing to do with you, ….
Sheila. Run along.” GENDER DIVIDE/GENERATIONAL DIVIDE -
This quote reflects Birling’s PATRONISING attitude toward his daughter
“The famous younger…
generation who know it all.” GENERATIONAL DIVIDE
Birling’s SARCASTIC remark about Sheila and Eric represents the GENERATIONAL DIVIDE
“Look, Inspector – I’d give thousands…
– yes, thousands.” SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY- mr birling uses his wealth in attempt to excuse his wrongdoings
“A heavy-looking, rather portentous man..
in his fifties.”
“He is a man of wealth,…
power, and self-assurance.”
“He is shocked and offended when the
Inspector questions his family.”
“He is dismissive of…
the younger generation.”
“Fiddlesticks”
SOCIAL CLASS
Mr. Birling’s use of the word “fiddlesticks” reveals his dismissive attitude towards ideas of social responsibility, reflecting his belief that such concerns are trivial and unworthy of attention. This dismissive tone highlights his arrogance and detachment, as he ignores the moral obligation to care for others, reinforcing Priestley’s critique of the upper class’s indifference to the struggles of the working class.
