Act 2

• 'massively taking charge'

  Embedded and contextualised example: Following the in-family arguments at the start of Act 2 of the play, the Inspector cuts in, “massively taking charge” of the situation.

  Reasons for learning it:

  • It’s short and easy to memorise
  • It’s in the stage directions which gives you a method right away
  • Priestley uses cognates of the adjective “massive” (massive, massiveness, massively) throughout the play to describe the Inspector - he has the power, despite being of a lower social class - he is in charge - and his ideas (socialism, essentially) are “massive” too (important, significant, hard to ignore, etc)

  Relevant characters and themes: The Inspector, wealth and power, social class, the supernatural
• What metaphor does Sheila use in Act 2?

  Giving us the rope to hang ourselves
• What does Sheila's metaphor suggest about the Inspector's role?

  He allows them to self-destruct
• What are the implications of the metaphor about hanging in the play?

  • Represents punishment and consequences
  • Foreshadows in-fighting among characters
  • Reflects societal attitudes towards capital punishment
• How does Sheila's character change by Act 2?

  She becomes wise and powerful
• Which characters and themes are relevant in this context?

  • Relevant characters: Sheila
  • Themes: Wealth and power, gender, age, generations
• 'hard-eyed, dough faced woman'

  Embedded and contextualised example: During his account of his connection with Eva Smith, Gerald describes his encounters with the women of the town in the Palace Bar, who he describes as “hard-eyed dough-faced women”.

  Reasons for learning it:

  • It’s short and easy to memorise
  • You can zoom in to the two compound adjectives and discuss the meanings of each
  • “hard-eyed” conveys the sense that these women have been worn down and hardened by life, their spirits, their souls are hard - they have a kind of courage but one born of suffering
  • “dough-faced” conveys their physical plight - they are pale and bloated, presumably through malnourishment, drained of blood and of life

  Relevant characters and themes: Gerald, Eva Smith, gender, wealth and power, social class
• 'deserving cases'

  Embedded and contextualised example: In her introduction to the work that the Brumley Women’s Charity Organisation do, Mrs Birling says that they aim to help “deserving cases”.

  Reasons for learning it:

  • Extremely easy to memorise
  • You can zoom into each of the words and discuss the implied meaning
  • Adjective “deserving” conveys the subjective nature of the BWCO - they get to decide who deserves help - this is not about need but about merit - they have to earn the help in some way
  • Noun “cases” is dehumanising - they don’t see these women as people but as “cases” - something to solve or to ignore

  Relevant characters and themes: Mrs Birling, Eva Smith, gender, blame and responsibility, wealth and power, social class
• 'Mother, I think it was cruel and vile'

  Embedded and contextualised example: Towards the end of Act 2, Sheila interrupts Mrs Birling to give her view of her mother’s treatment of Eva Smith, saying, “Mother, I think it was cruel and vile”.

  Reasons for learning it:

  • Term of address “mother” - a shift from “mummy” used at the start of the play - perhaps conveys Sheila’s new maturity - but, more interestingly, it conveys her emotional distance from her mother - it is far more formal and less intimate - she is becoming her own person in all kinds of ways
  • Two very emotive adjectives (“cruel and vile”) - convey Sheila’s disgust at her mother’s behaviour - emphasise the growing distance between Sheila and her parents in terms of their values and principles

  Relevant characters and themes: Sheila, Mrs Birling, gender, wealth and power, blame and responsibility, age and the generations