The Inspector Flashcards
“(cutting through massively)”
-pragmatic, direct, straightforward, intimidating
“It’s the way I like to work. One person and one line of inquiry at a time. Otherwise, there’s a muddle.”
“one”
acknowledging individuals and the struggles unique to their life
“muddle”
will make his cases messy and hard to figure out
-he finds each case extremely important
-wants to be certain
-doesn’t downplay the importance of someone’s life
“Because what happened to her then may have determined what happened to her afterwards, and what happened afterwards may have driven her to suicide, A chain of events.”
repetition
- highlights his views on social responsibility
- the upper and middle class have more than the rest, therefore it is their moral duty to give them the means to a happy future
- we musn’t treat people badly as we do not know where our actions will lead them
- blaming them for her death
- wants them to take accountability
“chain”
emphasis on making sure you are aware of how you treat others
-every action leads to something else
“(slowly) Are you sure you don’t know.”
no question mark- he already knows but is attempting to get them to admit to their actions Priestley illustrating how the upper class care about ther comfort and reputation more than morality
“I’ve thought that it would do us all a bit of good if sometimes we tried to put ourselves in the place of these young women countin their pennies in their dingy little back bedrooms.”
“put ourselves in the place”
empathy
promoting social responsibility
-explains why priestley created the Commonwealth Party
“pennies” revealing of their desperation and struggle
reflects how Priestley became increasingly critical of his hometown due to the amount of poverty
“You think young women ought to be protected against unpleasant and disturbing things?”
“We don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other. And I tell you that the time will soon come when, if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish.”
“We”
anaphora brings in the audience to show us that this is a collective responsibility
also removes social class divide- promoting equality and socialist values
“members”
suggesting we all have the same interest
"body" all parts are equally important when contributing to its fucntions- cannot work properly without certain parts -illustrating how no one is of less importance and that human beings cannot be dismissed because of their social class or it will be fatal to society
“fire and blood and anguish”
power of three describing the world wars
fire could be refering to hell- implying that they have gravely sinned and must repent (by improving society)
this power of three uses graphic language and suggests that humans only learn from their mistakes through the painful consequences
humans must be more progressive and less selfish to prevent this outcome.
“One Eva Smith has gone- but there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us.”
repetition of “millions”
- emphatic and nearly hyperbolic
- creates the impression that the plights that plague Eva’s life are an epidemic that cause the whole of the working class to suffer
- highlighting his socialist values
- compassionate and undertsanding of the working class
- inspector is used as a proxy for Priestley’s political beliefs
Gerald: “not criminals”
“I wouldn’t know where to draw the line”
which also links to “you needn’t give me any rope-“
“line” suggests that the difference between capitalists and criminals is very little becuase of how they exploit people
-eric is a criminal as he forced himself on a woman
-gerald had kept daisy as a mistress
-mr birling underpays his workers
quote links to “you needn’t give me any rope”
-eventually the upper class will reveal their immoral and criminal behaviour
-or are even capable of murder
“I haven’t much time”
- could be that he has to prevent the death of eva for the second time in the play through a phone call
- is it about society changing quickly for the betterment of the poor and everyone?
- a new government is needed
- 1945-46 the conservative party was replaced by the labour party
“Remember what you did.”
“remember” becomes the imperative
- having to even tell them this after they drove a young lady to her death reflects how society doesn’t learn from the past, and that the upper class and the birlings will grow the not accept their actions and the consequences
- conservative party got voted in again in the 2010s and organisations that have helped the working class such as the NHS have suffered greatly.
