Mrs Birling Flashcards
What does Mrs birling Metaphorically represent?
Capitalism.
ignorance to lower classes
Selfishness
What does she morally represent in the morality play?
She metaphorically represents wrath and pride
Her disdain for the lower class is evident
Pride-her social position and name- ‘first she called herself Mrs Birling!’
How do the stage directions represent her?
‘cold’
adjective symbolisies and forshadows her behaviour towards lower classes e.g towards Eva
Coupled with her age being ‘fifty’ we have a notion that the older generation are more narrow minded and reluctant to change
‘husbands social superior’
her position in society is made clear and outlines her pride, refusing Eva smith the charity.
noun ‘superior’ further modifies her position and this belief she is above others, showing the gap capitalism creates
‘Girls of that class’
dehumanisation of Eva smith
‘girls’ - generalisation with implication that all poor, less fortunate girls try to commit suicide, she has a lack of understanding. apathy displayed linking back to ‘cold’
‘a girl of that sort’
determiner ‘that’ reiterates disdain and a huge disrehard for the girls
foreshadows the incident in the charity
sense of detachment
morally superior, capitalism encourages moral corruption
‘i used my influence to have it refused’
abstrant noun ‘influence’ shows she abuses her position
the capacity or power of a person or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions
‘predjudiced me against her case’
‘predjudice’ - literally
an unfavourable opinion or feeling formed without knowledge thought of reason
origin of the word; jodicium legal proceedings ( her behaviour is criminal)
‘perfectly justified’
adverb ‘perfectly’ hightens the ignorance of Mrs Birling
she is unable to see error of her behaviour
‘justified’ literally, show an act claim, statement etc.
to defend or uphold as warranted
How is Mrs Birling shown as naive?
she blames the father of the child
‘pink and intimate lighting’
sees nothing wrong with her family, only seeing what she wants to see
What happens when Mrs Birling shows remorse?
Her remorse is only shown when she finds out its Eric whos the father
her remorse is short lived and she turns ‘cold’ again
morality play- shows a lack of conscience- priestleys message about capitalist supporters
sees the lower class as immoral or morally inferior
‘But surely…I mean… its ridiculous…’
moment she acknowledges some understanding of Erics behaviour
breakdown of language shows she is in shock and disgust
‘ridiculous’ - adjective, absurd that eric has had a relationship with a girl of a lower class, Gerald ‘disgusting affair’
link to stage direction ‘very distressed now’ only concerned when it involves eric
‘triumphantly’
as if she has won something, been in a compeition, who has she defeated? a fight between the classes, fight between her and a defenceless pregnant woman.
