First Rate tutor analysis of an inspector calls

• Eric Berling: '"I don't even remember - that's the hellish thing"'
• This quote shows


  Eric Berling was quite hedonistic, pleasure-seeking, and selfish, and used Daisy Renton immorally
• Word level analysis


  • The verb "remember" ties into his alcoholism and how he used Daisy Renton

  The phrase "hellish thing" is an exaggeration (hyperbole)
• Eric Berling: '"She wouldn't take any more and she didn't want to see me again"'
• This quote shows


  • Daisy Renton was more moral than Eric Berling, even as a prostitute

  The alliteration of "w" in "wooden" and "want", and the repetition of "she", emphasize Daisy's morality compared to Eric
• Eric Berling: '"and the child she'd had - I've skipped out a few words here - you killed them both"'
• This quote shows


  • Eric is angry at his mother for turning away Daisy/Eva when she was pregnant

  The powerful, violent verb "killed" shows Eric's disgust at his mother's actions
• Eric Berling: '"What happened to the girl and what we all did to her matters"'
• This quote shows


  • Eric takes responsibility and social responsibility for his role in harming people like Eva Smith

  The repetition of "what" emphasizes his wish to change and become a better person
• Rational


  (in classical economic theory) economic agents are able to consider the outcome of their choices and recognise the net benefits of each one
• Rational agents will select the choice which presents the highest benefits
• Consumers act rationally by


  Maximising their utility
• Producers act rationally by


  Selling goods/services in a way that maximises their profits
• Workers act rationally by


  Balancing welfare at work with consideration of both pay and benefits
• Governments act rationally by


  Placing the interests of the people they serve first in order to maximise their welfare
• Rationality in classical economic theory is a flawed assumption as people usually don't act rationally
• Marginal utility


  The additional utility (satisfaction) gained from the consumption of an additional product
• If you add up marginal utility for each unit you get total utility
• sheila is arguably one of the characters that experiences the most profound change: 'she goes from being very sheltered very selfish also quite jealous to actually having a social conscience and also seeing the role that people like her have and the power that people like her have in affecting change in society'
• pretty


  Sheila felt really really insecure about her appearance and also quite jealous of eva smith's beauty
• Sheila felt jealous of Eva Smith's beauty


  Sheila used her influence to punish Eva Smith
• girls


  Sheila humanises Eva Smith and women like her, seeing them as human beings not just cheap labour
• cheap labor


  Sheila is disgusted at how her father sees Eva Smith and women like her in a very dehumanising and limited way
• you


  Sheila is very accusatory towards her parents, showing her disgust at their reluctance to change
• i, i'm


  Sheila feels self-recriminatory, showing a massive character transformation from her initial naivety
• Priestley uses Sheila's character to give us hope and show the ability that the younger generation have to change society for the better