Paper 2 - An Inspector Calls Flashcards
What does Mr Birling represent in the play?
He represents all of the capitalists in the Edwardian/Post-war era who care about nothing but themselves and the money that they make.
What evidence suggests that Mr Birling is arrogant?
Quotes can include:
“And I’m talking as a hard-headed, practical man of business. And I say there isn’t a chance of war. The world’s developing so fast that it’ll make war impossible.”,
“The titanic - she sails next week […] - unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable.”
“And to that I say - fiddlesticks! The germans don’t want war. Nobody wants war.”
What evidence suggests that Mr Birling has patronising views on women?
Quotes can include:
“Now Sheila […] you’ll realize that men with important work to do have to spend nearly all their time on energy and business. You’ll have to get used to that”
“You’d think a girl had never any clothes before she gets married. Women are potty about them.”
“ clothes mean something quite different to a woman. Not just something to wear – and not only something to make ‘em look prettier”
What evidence suggests that Mr Birling is very capitalistic?
Quotes can include:
“Perhaps we may look forward to the time when Crofts and Birlings are no longer competing but are working together – for lower costs and higher prices.”
“We employers at last are coming together to see that our interests – and the interests of capital – are properly protected.”
“We were paying the usual rates and if they didn’t like those rates, they could go and work somewhere else. It’s a free country, I told them”
What evidence suggests that Mr Birling is very materialistic?
Quotes can include:
“Is there any reason why my wife should answer questions from you, Inspector?”
“– while she doesn’t object to my girl”
“I don’t see that it’s any concern of yours how I choose to run my business”
What does Sheila represent in the play?
She represents one side of 20th-century youth - who is open-minded, accepts responsibility and is a facet for change within the play and represents it in the world as a whole.
What evidence suggests that Sheila is naïve?
