Mrs Birling Flashcards
‘Sheila, what an expression! Really the things you girls pick up these days’
A1
-exclamative - she is presented as a marionette of her class as she is complicit in upholding. The exclamative sentence emphasises her frantically trying to iron out any social faux pas so they operate seamlessly within the expectations of their class, she is reluctant to deviate from these in any way. As a member of the older generation and being the most superior standing of her family, she is almost held in aspic within the hardwired conventions of a capitalist and classist society
-noun girls - she patronises sheila with the condescending noun ‘girl’ reinforcing the infantile preservation we see sheila endure in act 1. This could be done as sheila comes to symbolise emancipation, mrs b wants to keep her docile and submissive as she fears any changes to convention that may put her class position under threat. Mrs b belittles sheila in order to dismiss her behaviour and portray it as foolish or uncouth, she reinforces the separation between the older generation who are robust to these newer ways of thinking and the younger ones that seem vulnerable to ‘pinking’ them up as if they were a disease.
‘I consider I did my duty’
A2
-noun duty - the noun duty could be a tool to explore the disparity in the perspectives of capitalists and socialists, for capitalists, upholding the class system was paramount, thus for mrs Birling her duty and personal responsibility may be to uphold the class gap by refusing Eva help. However, this stance contrasts sharply with her anticipated role within her organisation where she is expected to adopt a philanthropic position. Priestley introduces the audience to the social duty vs moral duty dichotomy.
- personal pronoun - the audience awaits with hopeful anticipation as mrs Birling begins her speech with the personal pronoun ‘I’, expecting her to demonstrate remorse and moral guilt. However, she constantly rejects the idea of being held accountable for ay action that doesn’t align with the pristine persona she wishes to portray. Through this, Priestley critiques the classism which penetrates every aspect of Edwardian life, rendering even the welfare organisations hollow, corrupt and performative.
‘enters briskly and self confidently, quite out of key’
A2
-entry - her entry into act 2 is conducted entirely under the arrogance of her social superiority. her ostentatious display of class renders her character discordant within the narrative of grief, remorse and suicide. This further exacerbates her emotional detachment as she maintains the same ‘cold’ demeanour she observed in act1 which is the antithesis to the ‘hysterical’ and remorseful presentation of her daughter.
-adverb briskly - the use of the adverb ‘briskly’ indicated that mrs b is unwilling to pause and contemplate the adverse effects of her familys unscrupulousness and exploitation. Her demeanour is conceited vein and calculated, typical of someone of her social standing who might typically navigate such situations effortlessly with rehearsed social grace
‘I don’t suppose for a moment that we can understand why the girl committed suicide. Girls of that class-‘
A2
-repitition - the term ‘girl’ conveys notations of innocence and vulnerability, shedding light on Mrs Birlings understanding of the innocence inherent in individuals like Eva, while simultaneously showcasing her willingness to exploit them and rationalise it for the capitalist advancement. Additionally, the repetitive use of ‘girl’ showcases how this exploitative and prejudicial treatment of lower class individuals repeatedly commences within society, with figures such as mrs Birling shielded from the consequences by their elevated social status.
-demonstrative adjective - she groups together the lower classes through the demonstrative adjective ‘that’ to dismiss them as an aggregate inferior and homogeneous group that all behave in the same way. The demonstrative adjective not only emphasises the distinctions in their social classes, but also illustrates how Mrs Birling is entirely governed by the arrogance of her social status - she can’t even bring herself to specify Evas social class, considering it so far beneath her.
‘he certainly didn’t make me confess’
A3
-connotations - the verb ‘confess’ has connotations of crime, and by stating she hasn’t committed any unlawful acts, she subtly implies her lack of responsibility and shows her lack of remorse and guilt. Her firm denial of accountability comes effortlessly, reflecting the acceptance and even promotion of selfishness and consequently, irresponsibility within capitalist ideologies, without moral or legal condemnation.
-imperative verb - the imperative verb ‘make’ hints at another reason as to why she so actively rejects responsibility - it is a way of keeping afloat in the power struggle between her and the inspector. Mrs Birlings choice of words subtly suggests that admitting responsibility would be conceding to the inspector, posing a threat to her status in the capitalist hierarchy - she is safeguarding her position within the societal structure dictated by capitalist ideologies.
