QUOTE BLURT AIC

• "but these girls aren't cheap labour - they're people"


  Sheila

  Act 1

  Declarative sentence, juxtaposition of cheap labour and people. EM dash gives pause for thought.
• "A man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own – and –”


  Act 1

  Mr Birling

  The inspector arrives - interruption of capitalist ideologies by the socialist mouthpiece. Society has been interrupted in its ways (war) and we must now continue to reflect it
• "they will be taught in fire, blood and anguish."


  The Inspector

  Act 3

  Religious imagery of eternal damnation, calvinist belief of unforgivable sin. Resonates to an audience, references to war.
• "We are members of one body"


  The Inspector

  Act 3

  Socialist influence in its most pure basis of argument, what unifies us is humanity and our nature, domino effect

  Inclusive pronoun "we"
• "It's my duty to keep labour costs down"


  Mr Birling

  Act 1

  Indoctrinated by capitalism to believe his disregard for life is a duty.
• "Unsinkable" "Germans don't want war"


  Mr Birling

  Act 1

  Shows how out of touch the rich are
• " I didn't install her there so that I can make love to her"


  Gerald

  Act 2

  invited to question his intentions, its word or situation. Did he care? Was he limited by class in romance? Or was he making use of a situation where he had the power?
• "A pretty girl in her early 20s, very pleased with life and rather excited"


  Sheila - stage directions

  Similar to eva in appearance and age

  difference - excited and laying "burnt out on a mortuary slab"
• "It frightens me the way you talk"


  Sheila

  Act 3

  She understands the grave nature of their habits, that a girls death so nauseating in its reality, goes unnoticed
• "Everything is all right now sheila, what about this ring?"


  Gerald

  Act 3

  The nature of cheating and scummy toxic masculinity is so normalised he shrugs it off, expecting sheila too as well.
• "Girls of that class - "


  Mrs Birling

  Act 2

  Mentions evas class to downplay the severity in her death, cut off by inspector like Mr Birling. She is gravely wrong.
• "You turned her away when she most needed help...you had in your power to grant her"


  The Inspector

  Hypocrisy of reputation serving charity efforts, that fail. Priestley advocates and highlights the duty we have to help and support the weak in society, not be hateful and dismissive of.
• "I hate those cold eyed, dough faced women"


  Gerald

  metaphor dehumanises women to a face, he only helps eva for her refreshing beauty, reinstalling the patriarchy of a women's treatment dependant on her attractiveness to men.
• “She’d had a lot to say – far too much – so she had to go.”

  Mr Birling

  Treats eva as a disposable commodity, her rights and voice is disregarded as is the meritocracy Mr Birling does not allow.
• "But there are millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still with us"


  The Inspector

  Repetition highlights the constant and dire need for social justice, the exploitation of minority single handedly assures the suffering of millions , the inspector is moral and cares.
• "We often do on the younger ones. They're more impressionable."


  The Inspector

  Highlights the spectrum of capitalist reinforcement, younger generations are a hope for change, "often" reinforces this idea that exploitation is daily, he deals with this daily and notices same patterns
• For lower costs and higher prices!"


  Mr Birling

  His exploitation of eva is present here, whilst he should be toasting to the ir marital engagement, hoping for happiness and prosperity, he instead portrays his single minded focus on self gain and benefit.

  The hidden meaning of costs relating to the lower classes and their poor wages, the lack of meritocracy and highlighted avarice portrays Mr Birling as a capitalist member.
• “The famous younger generation who know it all. And they can’t even take a joke—”


  Mr Birling

  • he is continuously interrupted in his streams of capitalist rhetoric, it makes his argument jagged and messy, a contrast to the Inspectors calm, logical argument.
  • His denial to evas death is cold, calloused. Even upon hearing the distasteful mistreatment of Eva from each and every Birling, he sees the exchange as a joke, questioning its truth. But yet a girl has indeed died, his remark is inappropriate and alarming.
  • Generational divide, interruption - each time we understand he's wrong, so is his rhetoric, so is society.
• There’ll be a public scandal... I was almost certain for a knighthood


  Mr Birling

  • His public status remains a priority to him, above the death of another human being, the disconnection and self absorbed concern is disgusting. His lack of empathy allows him to dismiss the death of Eva due to her class, rather seeing himself as Nouveau Riche as far more important. Lassies fare.
  • He references the idea of knighthood frequently, its his chance of aristocracy, to fit in rather than to be a social imposter with his provincial speech. Rising the hierarchy and solidifying a family name of status and power feeds his ego, over-consuming thoughts that overcome his human nature and ability to have empathy and feel sympathy. Priestley conveys the truly dangerous and harsh reality of this, whilst a young girl lays "burnt out on a mortuary slab", Mr Birling's concern lies within societal constructs.
• “Surely you don’t mean Alderman Meggarty?”


  Sybil Birling

  • The disconnection of public appearances of upper class men/councillors like Meggarty and their true moral corruption is highlighted, not even Mrs Birling can piece together. It presents how out of touch the rich are, and how the exploitive nature of capitalist society is hidden by a false face of publicity.
  • Alderman Meggarty has an influential position as alderman, and yet is portrayed as one of the largest "sots and rogues in brumley". A man who uses his position to exploit the patriarchy as seen in his cornering of Eva at the palace bar, is actually considered "respectable" amongst the birlings. Rather these characters are microcosms for society's flaws. Meggarty an individual that accounts for a population of men, in a society that normalised misogyny , whilst the birlings the typical upperclass family that not only ignore it, but feed into it.
• “Nothing to do with you, Sheila. Run along.”


  Mr Birling

  patriarchal beliefs, women's brain too small, too stupid, emotional, inferior, incapable.

  Unable to process or handle political affairs, they attempt to preserve her innocence and naivety perhaps to maintain the patriarchy and prevent her own personal involvement and development.
• “[The men are talking business]”


  Early acts of the play

  Reflective of continuous patriarchy throughout the home, traditional values prevent women having a voice or representation in the grand scheme of society, of which they are a victim and part of.
• “I know I’m to blame – and I’m desperately sorry.


  Sheila

  The minority of characters to understand and embody the sense of responsibility, even at the expense of her own pride and ego, she accepts the shame of what she has done out of empathy and respect. Her perceptive development allows her to form own personal beliefs, learning the important moral lesson of responsibility, becoming a foil to those around her who fail to do so.
• “You mustn’t try to build up a kind of wall between us and that girl.”


  Sheila

  reflectant of the societal divide between rich and poor

  the wall a metaphor for the out of touch and ignorant nature of society

  criticises the lack of responsibility for eva around her peers, almost hysterical in disbelief as she continues
• “It’s you two who are being childish – trying not to face the facts


  sheila

  she reverses the roles of maturity, instead taking it upon herself to highlight the punitive flaws in her parents political and moral beliefs, and inability to overcome pride in order to process and adress the very real death of eva

  contrasts the naive "rather excited" girl of earlier acts, who dressed her parents as "mummy" and "daddy", to "mother"

  Priestley admires the courage in herself, and inspired it amongst a younger generation to break the cycle
• “A lively good-looking girl – country-bred.”


  DESCRIBING EVA

  very similar to sheila in appearance and gender, her naivety too, country bred suggests a light and relatable air to eva, instantly likeable to an audience for her good natured hard work, we are inclined to sympathise for her.

  -yet even with a prized appearance, it can not save her from the flaws of society, and its mistreatment that beats her to suicide.
• "Soft brown hair and big dark eyes"


  Gerald

  Her appearance is what separated her and valued her worthy of protection against the "hard eyed" and "dough faced women" that gerald despises, she is objectified to aesthetic pleasing, whilst geralds description may be seen as endearing, it holds a sinister tone in corporating the context of the palace bar and controversial power dynamics the relationship held.
• She was claiming elaborate fine feelings and scruples... simply absurd in a girl of her position"


  Mrs birling

  she attempts to undermine the guilt and shame that surrounds her dismissal of a pregnant vulnerable eva in the very institution of which she was meant to recieve help in, by dehumanising her. Her class values her as stupid, impossible of "fine feelings", as if an alien, she is incapable of expressing human nature and good values without malicious intent, due to her "lesser than class"
• both "pretty", eva " good-looking", both in "early twenties'


  Eva may be working-class, but she is shown to have more self-respect and honesty than many of the upper-class characters.

  Both presented as similar.....almewnfwbfej
• • “Easy well-bred young man-about-town”


  Rule of three

  • "young" ironic as he's in early thirties = lack of understanding - old in age not maturity, childish = capitalism foolish
  • "well-bred" = aristocrat up-bringing, perfection of upper class appearances - well kept, presentable, wealthy, socialite "man about town"
  • suggestive of his charismatic sexual appeal, would've been dressed up smart = audience = vanity = false face to hide exploitation
• AUDIENCE

  First showing (1945) = Moscow

  Gerald = communist audience instantly aligns him to their own beliefs, a lazy elite living at the expense of others in luxury, communism = controversial = propaganda - NO

  Second showing (1946) = London, many 'geralds' in audience, an audience surrogate for many, however grows into something worthy of condemning