6 KEY QUOTES

• as it happened nearly 2 years ago - obviously it has nothing to do with the wretched girl's suicide - blame and responsibility


  reasoning is ignorant and illogical, yet use of adverb 'obviously' shows arrogant defensiveness - inability to display remorse us reflective of stubbornness of older generations with no allowance of him being responsible - apostrophe of 'girl's' shows suicide is believed to belong to her and not involve him - more macabre matters were possessions of working class
• what's the matter with that child - older vs younger generation


  diminutive noun 'child' disregards Sheilas beliefs immature and unimportant - pronoun 'that' used to expel himself rom responsibility over sheila once she starts exhibiting socialist beliefs - he is strongly repulsed by them he will reject his child
• as if we were all mixed up like bees in a hive- community and all that nonsense - capitalism vs socialism


  birling uses zoomorphism to portray principles of socialism as animalistic, absurd and unachievable - idiomatic noun 'nonsense' used to depict birlings arrogance and ignorance as he is rudely dismissive of any political view he doesn't agree with
• there'll be a public scandal ... and who here will suffer for that more than I will? - guilt


  question is attempt for mr birling to evoke pity and sympathy from family - exposes hypocrisy as he exhibited no sympathy for Eva - verb 'suffer' is hyperbolic and melodramatic proving him to be self centred - highlights incapability of feeling guilt as he is preoccupied with 'public' repercussions - repetition of 'public' in play shows how closely intertwined wealth and reputation were
• not only something to make 'em look prettier but, well, a sort of sign or token of their self-respect - gender


  mouthpiece - stereotypical view of women - tells Gerald clothes have deep meaning for girls - collectivises women, not see them as people - epitomise male gaze, suggest women's purpose is to look 'prettier' - colloquial abbreviation 'em' and phrase 'sort of' show how he didn't take women seriously - speaks about them in offhand and not respectful manner - ironic - Sheilas confrontation with Eva is about clothes - audience question if sheila took dads patriarchal, misogynistic views
• now look at the pair of them- the famous younger generation who know it all. and they can't even take a joke - older vs younger generation


  callousness is apparent through both acerbic tone and ability to dismiss notion of suicide and exploitation of working class as a 'joke' - ridicules his own children yet is ironic as he's the only character who claims yo 'know it all' with mentions of 'unsinkable' titanic and 'silly little war scares' - Priestley encourages younger generation to reject beliefs of their parents