school flashcards
“but these girls aren’t cheap labour - they’re people”
Sheila
-adjective cheap is typically applied to purchase objects but refers to people here.Priestley includes this phrase to show the beginnings of Sheilas realisation about the attitudes towards class divide and generational divide present among her family
-noun labour categorises people solely according to their jobs and the economic value they can create for the business owner.
-collective noun people implies the working class are just as much human as those in the middle class
-whereas labour dehumanises, people connotes more human characteristics such as identity emotion and family. sheila suggests that all life has worth.
-begins to demonstrate an emotional awakening as she displays her empathy for the suffering and exploitation of workers and women
-her new found empathy for the working class reflects priestly hopes that the younger generation will change.
‘as if she were an animal, a thing’
inspector to Eric
-simile comparing Eva to an animal emphasises how unimportant Eva is to the family and how she is considered sub-human. Priestley uses this comparison to emphasise the way in which the bourgeoisie exploit the proletariat. The lack of name implies she is one of many and therefore disposable
-noun ‘thing’ indicates the way, particularly Gerald and Eric have treated Eva as they are able to discard her so easily
-the impersonal noun emphasises the way that these men haven’t considered her as a living person and have been dismissive throughout. The lack of identity assumed with this noun reinforces the relationship between her and Eric as transactional.
‘ill tell you what I told her. Go and look for the father of the child. Its his responsibility’
Mrs billing to inspector
-self referential pronoun ‘ill’ - Sybil’s authoritative tone demonstrates her superiority complex: she is selfish and concerns herself with events that only affect her. Priestley highlights a myopic attitude because it implies that she does not look further than her own needs and beliefs
-imperative verbs ‘go’ ‘look’ implies sybils class and financial security which means she in comfortable in giving orders. Though she is socially superior, and therefore being perceived as being better than others, this contrasts with her manners and her behaviour as she appears rude and aggressive.
-dramatic irony - sybils comments about social responsibility are exaggerated as the audience and she discover that Eric is the father of the child and it is her grandchild she has neglected. this is ironic as sybil is in a position to take a greater role in altruistic social development, beyond the self-serving committee she chairs, but chooses not to.
‘now look at the pair of them - the famous younger generation who know it all and they can’t take a joke-‘
Mr b to sheila and Eric
-dash and irony - ironically this dash precedes the final phone call which symbolically undermines Birlings authority and highlights how he has yet to learn his lesson. the ringing represents a literal and formal disruption to boilings pompous performance and facade. the audience see billings arrogance and hubris as he refuses to accept blame.
-the adjective ‘younger’ places emphasis on the age of sheila and Eric, reflecting the generational divide that Priestley crafts throughout the play.
-the noun ‘joke’ highlights billings lack of care for others in society and his ability to cast aside those who do not benefit him in any way.
‘its my duty to keep labour costs down’
Mr b to Eric and Gerald
-impersonal noun - use of noun ‘labour costs’ demonstrates Birlings dehumanisation of the working class. Birlings use of economic vocabulary shows that workers serve only to profit him, exaggerating Birlings selfish nature. ‘labour’ has marxist connotations, Birling is exploiting these women by taking the surplus value. By referring to them as merely labour, Birling dehumanises these women and connotes a lack of empathy of humanity.
-his use of the noun ‘duty’ is intended to be seen ironically by the audience, emphasising his lack of social responsibility
-the verb ‘keep’ implies ownership and possession. there is a dual meaning here where the workers are being prevented from earning their keep.
