key quotes

• millions of john and eva smiths.

  
  

  eva smith represents the working class being exploited by the upper class eg birlings/crofts the choice priestley present here is simple: either we live in a equal society or face destruction.Through the repetition of the noun 'millions', priestley opens the limited perspective of the birlings familys dinner to a global concern.The intention is to impress the audience with the importance of this message,hence to prompt individuals to enact social chnage and return to their daily lives.
• we are members of one body

  
  

  
  

  nearing to the end of the speech his insistence that 'we are members of one body' the inspector repeatedly uses the plural pronoun 'we' to indicates that he is grouping a society no matter how small or unseemingly they are.the inspectors abrupt departure at the of the speech highlights that there is no time and the audience should try and move their society to becoming socialists.
• fire blood and anguish

  Apocalyptic imagery-Perhaps Priestley is implying that the upper classes or the whole class system could face destruction and suffering if there is not a change in society towards equality/reffering to war

  
  

  Polysyndeton-The inspector elongates the list making his warning seem more threatening and severe, adding to the idea that upper class families e.g. the Birlings are facing an impending doom

  
  

  Priestley might do this to present the working classes as an irresistible force that could overthrow those in power if they are pushed too far
• we are responsible for each other

  
  

  socialist message- contradicts what mr birling said at the start of the play.

  priestley links war to capitalism-he sets it before ww1 because he wants to explore why ww2 happened because of political classes that were willing to sacrifice their children

  this is the warning that the inspector gives before he leaves
• burnt her insides out of course

  the inspector portrays evas death in a gruesome way in order to shcok the birlings but sheila in particular-she has become a proxy for the inspector.

  violent imagery-to deliberately manipulate sheilas emotions/it tells the audience the crime that the birlings and gerald have committed for eva to commit the method of suicide suggests the amount of horror and exploitation shes been through

  verb 'burn' suggests the pain she experienced and the severeness of the act
• after all it is better to ask for the earth than to take it


  highlights the theme of materialism and status suggests that the capitalist society represented by the birlings and gerald is rapacious

  in 1945 the idea that the earth is being stripped of its goodness and quality by these hungry sets of class who sacrifice their children to go to war for money
• we are respectable citizens and not criminals


  defends him self the birlings and the upper classes shows how they got away with alot of things

  accusing the ruling classes of being criminals/the play is going to prove that eric is a thief-he stole 50 pounds from his father

  sheila got eva sacked because she was jealous

  gerald then exploiting her by putting her in his friends flat and kicking her out when they return and describing her as young and fresh
• feminist perspective


  priestley deliberately chooses a female victim to represent the working class he chooses shelia and mrs birling on purpose to to be significant in mistreating eva because hes exploring the role of women in 1912 before they had no political power and the chance to vote
• feminist perspective


  the predominantly large number of women in the audience watching the play in 1945 -majority of the men are at war at the time.priestley informs the women that they can change society

  
  

  eva is a representation of the women that are being stifled of their opinions.priestley is encouraging the audience that they can change the future.
• young women counting their pennies


  he emphasises 'pennies' because it shows how little they were being paid and the amount they were paid was just sufficient for them to survive-he wants to emphasise that it wasnt enough

  
  

  contributes to evas decision to end her life rather than living in constant hardship
• but its too late you cant shes dead


  when sheila and mr birling try and atone for their actions this highlights the inspectors brutality towards the birlings in order to cut through their class prejudice
• anti war play


  according to priestley there was a second world war because society and the capitalists didnt learn their lesson

  even though eric and sheila have "learnt" the inspectors lesson it didnt avoid ww2
• eric and sheila

  1. sheila has no power in a patriarchal society/she has no power to vote therefore she cant change the political future
  2. the younger generation of men who might have been taught to improve society werent able to because they were killed in ww1
  3. people like birling and gerald who werent in the war had to carry on their political and social views have more of a better influence on the younger generation because there wasnt that many children
• and now shell make you pay a heavier price


  reference to the two world wars/anti war play/feminist play

  eva represents the suffragettes

  millions of women had jobs which led to income,independence,degree they tried to maintain it after ww1

  priestley directs the play towards women because theyre not going to be ordered by the government

  this warning is eva going to haunt the birlings and gradually lose out because society is going to become equal and the capitalists will lose out on money