Eric

• it isnt if you cant go and work somewhere else - responsibility


  finds his voice and disagrees with his father - highlights mr birling's stupidity, emphasises helplessness of women
• you dont understand anything. you never did. you never even tried - responsibility


  repetition of pronoun 'you' places blame on others - hyperbole exaggerates wrongdoings
• i did what i did. and mother did what she did. and the rest of you did what you did to her - responsibility


  personal pronoun 'I' shows personal accountability and responsibility eric is taking for actions - direct address 'you' highlights eric directly shaming his oblivious parents for disregard of their responsibility
• i hate these fat old tarts - gender


  hypocrisy as eric frequented palace bar to pay for sex - derogatory language defines women by physical features - prostitution symbolic of exploitation of women by upper class men
• she wasnt the usual sort ... she didnt know what to do - gender


  usage of 'usual' implies visiting prostitutes was the norm - exploitation of women, sentiment furthered by how eva is portrayed as innocent and due to this eric felt he could exploit this fact
• you said yourself she was a good worker - capitalism vs socialism


  feels people should be rewarded for hard work - direct address 'you' shows eric directly critiquing his fathers dehumanising treatment of workers - combating fathers capitalist logic with new found fairer socialist reasoning
• (laughing) oh - for gods sake! what does it matter now whether they give you a knighthood or not - capitalism vs socialism


  stage direction 'laughing' highlights capitalists stupid mindset - juxtaposition of erics despair with mr birlings fixation with money
• youll work for nothing - guilt


  double meaning of nothing - not only will he work for no money by also he will have no motivation to work after evas death
• my god! - guilt


  usage of exclamation shows seriousness - juxtaposed with an indifferent mr birling saying 'yes, yes' highlights subconscious guilt eric feels about death before knowing details
• i threatened to make a row - guilt


  euphemistic language as he is essentially describing assault but cant bear to face the fact so instead calls it a row - coercive imagery of threatened shows unjust power wielded by those high in society
• he could. he could have kept her on instead of throwing her out. i call it tough luck - older vs younger generation


  short sentences highlights finality of argument (mr birling had ability to help her and chose not to) - harsh vocabulary 'throwing her' shows difference in perspective between generations - mr birling viewed it as business but eric recognises catastrophic ramifications of action