The opening Flashcards
Priestly uses the opulance of the opening set to contrast with the current rationing the audience partook due to war, to alienate the audience from the birlings and form an antagonistic relationship towards them
Alienation- distance audience emotionally to prevent empathy
-11)”Heavily comfortable, but not cosy and homelike” (stage direction)
- 12)A maid cleans “dessert plates and champagne glasses”
-13) And provides “decanter of port, cigar box and cigarettes”
associate enmity for materialism with capitalism and war
Presents distinct differences between the current post war socialism with capitalism and edwardian beliefs to scare his predominantly female audience that capitalism would return their lack of rights
-14)Mr Birling: “Give us the port Edna” (first line of show)
- 12) A maid cleans “dessert plates and champagne glasses”
- 13)And provides “decanter of port, cigar box and cigarettes”
-Mrs Birling: 14) ‘When you’re married you’ll realize that men have important work to do sometimes have to spend nearly all their time and energy on their business. You’ll have to get used to that, just as I had’
Prestley establishes Mr Birlings lack of wisdom
1) (first line of show) “unsinkable absolutely unsinkable.”
15) His response about idea of war say’s “fiddlesticks!” and “There’ll be peace and prosperity and rapid progress everywhere”
caricature, apotheosis of edwardian society
Act 1 stage set
11)”Heavily comfortable, but not cosy and homelike” (stage direction)
Zoom, Technique, Stage direction
-“Heavily” large amounts—> emphasises wealth of “comfortability”
- “Not… homelike” juxtaposes “comfortable”
—> Unloving family/ surface level stability in welath (not emotional stability with eachother)
-“Stage description” Priestly’s own interpritation/bias
12)A maid cleans “dessert plates and champagne glasses”
13) And provides “decanter of port, cigar box and cigarettes”
-Mixture of Syndetic and Asyndetic listing vary’s pace (slows and quickens pace) emphasises the granduer of the birlings
- “Port”, “Champagne”, “Desserts” extremly luxurios items
—>Contrast to current rationing
—–>Alienates Audeince and cuases enmity
15) Mr Birling: “Give us the port Edna” (first line of show)
-Opening line, immediate heirarcy
-“Give” imperative, forcfull/unjust
-Dismisses enda and her importance
14) ‘When you’re married you’ll realize that men have important work to do sometimes have to spend nearly all their time and energy on their business. You’ll have to get used to that, just as I had’
“Important”-Great signifigance or value
establishes heirarchy between men and women
“Important work to do”- trivialises/ over explaines, seems condescending, Mrs Birling internilises patriarchy therefore views sheila as unintelligent and is condescending towards her.
“You’ll have to get used to that” sense of hoplessness/ surrender to patriarchy —> presents edwardian view of women
Associates hierarchy/patriarchy to be edwardian like capitalism
War effort/labour of women would be overlooked and reverted back to edwardian beliefes
1) “unsinkable absolutely unsinkable.”
-Dramatic irony, raises audience ego (superiority complex)
-Repetition establishes/emphasises his beliefes
15) His response about idea of war say’s “fiddlesticks!” and “There’ll be peace and prosperity and rapid progress everywhere”
-“Fiddlesticks!” exclamative presents passion (vehement beliefe) and flippant manner (contrast to its seriousness and devestation)
-Dramatic irony “Peace” vs WW2 “Prosperity” vs 1929 Wall street crash
-Syndetic listing calms pace
—–>Mr birling has a sense of calm yet is extremly passionate and closed minded
—–>Ignorant/ follows current social beliefes
—->Establishes him as an apotheosis of the Edwardian ideology and its fualts
—–>Superiority complex of audience makes them feel more confident in thier opposition and therefore in thier socialism
https://codexterous.home.blog/2020/11/29/an-inspector-calls-a-detailed-analysis-part-1/
