Sheila Birling Key Language & Structural Features

Question 1

Imagery

Answer 1

Sheila uses imagery when she talks of her mother’s attempts to ‘build up a kind of wall’; implying the metaphorical distance Mrs Birling creates between the classes. When Sheila warns the others that the Inspector is ‘giving us rope so that we hang ourselves’, she once again uses a metaphor to create a visual image of the way the Inspector skilfully manipulates characters into confessing their sin

Question 2

Personal Pronouns

Answer 2

Sheila’s language also reflects her increasing maturity as she begins the play saying “mummy” using a lot of personal pronouns to highlight her selfish, childlike attitude at the start of the play. As the play progresses she refers to Mrs Birling as “mother” which reflects this change and perhaps she doesn’t feel as intimate with her mother and has lost respect for her because of the way she is behaving

Question 3

Sarcasm

Answer 3

Sheila’s language becomes more passionate and she uses sarcasm (“So nothing’s happened, so there’s nothing to be sorry for, nothing to learn.”)

Question 4

Irony

Answer 4

Sheila also uses irony when she is appalled by her parents’ attitudes to carry on as before: “I suppose we’re all nice people now”. Sheila uses irony to show that she completely disagrees with her parents and that she understands the moral consequences of her actions. The use of irony highlights the tensions that existed between the younger

Question 5

Sheila and Eric

Answer 5

Sheila and Eric are less restrained and their use of slang expressions such as ‘squiffy’ which shock their parents and highlight the tensions between the generations.

Question 6

Dramatic Language

Answer 6

Sheila uses dramatic language “We killed her”

Question 7

Stage Directions

Answer 7

Stage directions– she “shivers”, “tensely” - shows her fear

Question 8

Questions

Answer 8

Shows she becomes a bit like the Inspector – asking questions, contradicting her mother.

Question 9

Phrases reminicent of the Inspector

Answer 9

Sheila significantly refuses to take back Gerald’s ring and interestingly she uses phrases reminiscent of the Inspector in her reply, “not yet” and “It’s too soon” which emphasizes the importance of timing – the telephone rings just after.

Question 10

Phrases reminiscent of the Inspector

Answer 10

Sheila significantly refuses to take back Gerald’s ring and interestingly she uses phrases reminiscent of the Inspector in her reply, “not yet” and “It’s too soon” which emphasizes the importance of timing – the telephone rings just after.