quotes Flashcards
Mrs Birling: first the girl herself, secondly i blame the young man who was the father
- dramatic irony as its eric
- links to morality as later on she quotes ‘ if only i knew’ saying good and bad dependant on who does it
- shows capitalist have no morality
inspector: but there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths
- eva and john smith extended metaphor for the working class
- repetition of “millions” open up the play from the one family’s to a global concern
- represent the number of working- class men and women who were exploited on a daily basis by the greed of capitalism
- priestley makes the point that society as a whole is guilty of neglecting and abusing the most vunerable members
inspector: if men will not learn that lesson then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish
- either live in an equal society, or face intense suffering and destruction
- Biblical language suggests both earthly ( foreboding ww1) and eternal significance.
- intention is to impress the audience with the importance of his message
- idea of the birling family committing moral crimes
- “fire and blood and anguish” would speak to an audience just emerging from the very real horrors of the Blitz and the front lines
Mr Birling at beginning: a man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own
- sums up capitalism
- can be used with describing any character
- dramatic irony can be seen as they all some how get involved with eva instead of ‘ minding their own business’ and all of their business is exposed to everyone
- capitalism as belief is wealth money and only caring for yourself is more important than anything else
- selfish society
inspector: we are members of one body we are responsible for each other
- socialism, responsibility, problem in society
- metaphor
- collective pronoun used to make it apply to everyone so more memorable and more affecting
- suggesting everyone in society should help one another as we need one another to function like our body relies on each part
- goes against capitalist views as capitalism work by themselves
- religious imagery
- 80% of Priestley audience were Christian
mr birling: if we were responsible for everything that happened to everyone…it would be very awkward wouldn’t it?
- trying to wipe their hands clean from responsibility
- don’t expect responsibility so treat people as though they are objects
-foreboding as next act (3) becomes awkward as no one can accept the fact of what has happened
-show how life for them will become awkward if they are carry on like this
sheila: you don’t seem to have learnt anything
-direct quote
-shows power of socialism, transforms people into people with morality and beliefs
-speaks for people with no voice
- could say eventually she will stop speaking out as her family isnt changing because of power of capitalism
Eric: i wasn’t in love with her or anything- but i liked her- she was a good sport
theme: gender, patriarchy, capitalism, injustice
-patriarchy as how men viewed woman
-sport suggest they only use her and move on
-treat her like a game
- being a rich man comes with privilege, no one will say anything wrong of what he did
sheila: theses girls aren’t cheap labour they’re people
- capitalist vs socialism idea
- shows how capitalism people use people to benefit themselves, dehumanizing people
-shows how mr birling views sheila - when she found out gerald had an affair he tells sheila to calm down as she’s almost just business to him to sell for marriage so birling social states will be higher
mr birling: clothes mean something quite different to a woman
how men view woman
- shows men are powerful therefore judged upon wealth, closes link to masculinity
-woman judged on looks, dictated how they would be treated
-more dresed= more respect
-more skin shown= less respect shown
-nicer clothes=more respect
mrs b: you’ll realise men with important work to do…spend all their time and energy on their business
gender and family
-has a set mind of female gender role
-patriarchy society
- shows from the start she wont change as raising daughter in the same way
priestley message/ idea
priestley makes the point that society as a whole is guilty of neglecting and abusing the most vulnerable members
- just society is learn through inspector demonstrates social responsibility
-wanted to build a better more caring society
-represents his ideas of equality and social responsibility through his main character of Inspector Goole. Unlike the Birling family, Priestley represents the Inspector with strong opinions and belief that women should be respected better within society.
inspector: what happened to her then may have determined what happened to her afterwards and what happened to her afterwards may have driven her to suicide
- structural device used, shows everyone is linked together all responsible
-structure itself emphasizes how everything is connected and leads on from another - responsibility( theme links to)
eric: she didn’t want me to marry her
-suggest he cared for her as he didn’t want to leave her with a baby and no money
-shows hope in younger generation
eric: i did what i did she did what she did
use of personal pronouns takes full responsibility for his actions before any one else
