Power Flashcards
I was Lord Mayor here two years ago when Royalty visited us
He is shown to be determined to prove his value to the Crofts by emphasising how he is moving up the ranks. The personal pronoun ‘I’ shows he is not focusing on Sheila’s engagement but how it can benefit him. The semantic field of power and British hierarchy shows his desire to climb up the social ladder
You turned her away when she most needed help
Mrs Birling abused her power for the sake of her dignity
Impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness
The Inspector is commanding and authoritative from his entrance, garnering the most respect despite being of a lower social status
He’s a notorious womaniser as well as being one of the worst sots and rogues in Brumley
Joe Meggarty is shown to abuse his power as an ‘alderman’ and the elder Birlings are surprised to hear it highlighting how easily those in power are able to abuse others without anyone realising.
Perhaps we may look forward to the time when Crofts and Birlings are no longer competing but are working together
Mr Birling is once more thinking about how this engagement will benefit his social status and financial power. It is stated that Crofts Limited is far bigger than Birling and Company, but by joining the two will be an incredibly wealthy and powerful business.
Mrs Birling, you’re a member - a prominent member - of the Brumley Women’s Charity Organisation, aren’t you?
Mrs Birling is only concerned about her social status and the power she has, like her husband. She uses the charity as a way to appear respectable to society and increase her own social reputation
