English AIC

• significance of daisy rentons name

  DAISY:In Christian symbolism, symbol of innocence and purity.. also associated with death as the flower disappears after short period of time- calling herself this shows she is almost reading her own future.. realises she is a innocent victim but also that she is not likely to survive

  RENTON:'for rent' - she recognises she is essentially renting herself out to men in palace bar
• significance of Eva smiths name

  EVA:'eve' biblical illusion. all women have descended from eve in bible.. symbolic of all working class women exploited by capitalist society.
• significance of Eric Birlings name

  ERIC:comes from combination of viking words 'ei' (meaning ever) and 'rikr' (meaning ruler)- represents his power but also abuse of power- represents all men of power (capitalists) being the victim of lust and gluttony, denying their own responsiblity
• significance Of inspector Gooles name


  GOOLE:homophone for 'ghoul' suggesting a phantom and also a morbid interest in death, reminding us that his concern is Eva Smith’s death.
• significance of Arthur Birlings name

  ARTHUR:reminds audience of legendary figure 'king arthur' from 5th century.- priestley shows how effectively people like mr birling own whole country (capitalists own what we should all own)- ironic as king Arthur was seen as good king but arthur birling juxtaposes this
• Significance of Sheila Birlings name

  SHEILA:Latin name comes from Cecilia. This is symbolic in two interesting ways. 'Cecilia' is the feminine form of 'blind' in Latin. blind to impact of actions, seen as weakness, sheila lacks power
• significance of Sybil Birlings name

  SYBIL:10 sybils in Greek and roman legends, sybils were female prophets at different holy sites which were worshiped + believed to have divine knowledge.- hugely ironic as priestly shows sybil to have a lack of knowledge and understanding of our world
• comparison of Sheila and sybils name analysis

  Ironic as Sheila means 'blind' but she comes to be aware of her actions and knowledgable of the world around

  Sybil infers 'all knowing' but is actually blind to current affairs

  
  

  - shows difference between younger and older generation as well as capitalist vs socialist
• MORALITY PLAY


  inspector calls is a morality play

  morality plays were the first king of plays written in English language

  written to explain morals of the bible, performed in churches to those who couldn't read or write (most of society)
• 7 SINS of morality play

  
• how does Priestley attach the 7 sins to the characters in order to add effect

  80% of his audience would have gone to church, writing about christian morality, so attaching the 7 sins communicates priestleys points in a way the audience would understand

  - MR BIRLINGpersonifiesgreed/avarice-SHEILAclearly personifiesenvy- GERALDpersonifieslustand capitalistgreed- SYBILclearly personifiespride-ERICpersonifiesGluttony(which causeslustthrough alcohol abuse)

  uses sins to show didactic purpose, by being a capitalist you are behaving in an anti- Christian manner. To be a good member of society you must be a socialist.
• How is the theme of

  social responsibilityreflected through MR BIRLING?he represents the antithesis of priestleys message on social responsibility.

  When priestley first raises idea of shared responsibility, he says"youd think everybody has to look after everyone else as if were all mixed together like bees in a hive"simile- 'bees in hive' implies responsibility is primitive + demeaning.adjective- 'mixed' shows doesn't want to be associated with lower classes. His intolerance for socialism reflects the political climate of 1910s and suggests he is narrow minded.

  His continued rejection of responsibility seems to be a result of arrogance and disrespect for others. accepting blame would be seen as a sign of weakness and imperfection.

  "I cant accept any responsibility"- he doesnt want to be accused of making a mistake and doesnt want to be burdened.modal verb- "cant" suggests accepting responsibility goes against his nature.
• How is the theme of

  social responsibilityreflected through MRS BIRLING?She personifies upper classes contempt towards poor and authorities neglect to those in need. Priestley uses her to suggest the hatred of social responsibility stems from classism and prejudice.

  She has a duty of care but she neglects this responsibility, Shows institutions set up to help are intrinsically corrupt."we've done a great deal of useful work to help deserving cases"irony- hasn't done this.hyperbolic statement- her charity work brings her a false sense of moral accomplishment. enjoys attention doesn't actually care.adjective- "deserving" foreshadows prejudice and her harsh judgement.
• How is the theme of

  social responsibilityreflected through the INSPECTOR?Priestley's mouthpiece to show importance of universal responsibility in protecting vulnerable + benefiting everyone.

  Inspectors closing speech is direct opposite + parallel of Mr Birlings opening lecture.Whilst Mr birling supported capitalist ideals, The inspector says"their are millions and millions and millions of Eva smiths and john smiths still left with us"repetition of noun"millions" - exaggerates collective societysemantic field of connection- dismisses societal divisions, we are all the same and shared responsibility is the inevitable outcome of living side by side.
• How is the theme of

  social responsibilityreflected through SHEILA?First member of family to grasp concept of shared responsibility, takes it upon herself to continue inspectors message. Physical emobidment of societys ability to improve, acts as inspectors proxy.

  After accepting responsibility, sheila shows permanent change as she promises to"never, never do it again to anybody".Hyperbole- shows change in behaviour is arguably more important than accepting responsibility.

  Perhaps Sheilas acceptance is from her youthfullness. Inspector says "we often do on the young ones, theyre more impressionable".adjective'impressionable' - younger generation more likely to accept responsibility than older
• How is the theme of

  genderreflected through SHEILA?transforms from stereotypical, upper class girl to self-assured, assertive woman.She immitates progression of woman suffrage from 1912-1945.

  when confronting gerald she is"half serious, half playful"this interaction shows she is afraid of questioning menduality of repeating noun-"half"- connotes internal conflict between desire to be assertive but also her inability due to her gender.- she is using a mask to hide her true feelings to remain likeable + meet expectations

  CONTRAST:"looks at him in triumph. He was almost crushed"metaphor -power dynamic shiftedby facing truth, she is liberated which empowers her. This makes her stronger + more capable than those still trapped in their lies.

  By constructing her own voice, she became self aware. Shows respecting women gives them autonomy.Society makes women appear weak + two-dimentional as they havnt had oppurtunity to explore their own identities.
• How is the theme of

  genderreflected through ERIC?Erics treatment of Eva is an allegory for how upper class men treated women and viewed sex. Just as eric did, Men abused women + took advantage of desperate situations some women were in.

  vague declarative- "was in that state were a chap easily turns nasty".noun'chap' - wont take responsibility for his sexual violence as it is natural for a 'man' + he could not restrain himselfShows how society treated violent masculinity as if it were natural or even desirable, and so couldn't be helped.
• How is the theme of

  genderreflected through GERALD?Where as Erics masculinity is crude and imperfect, Gerald is a symbol for the resdfined, cultured masculinity of the upper class

  Despite being polite + charming, his mysogony is insidious. His behaviour towards women is manipulative + selfish showing even the most respectable men were corrupt.

  "shes had a long, exciting and tiring day - we were celebrating our engagement - she's obviously had as much as she can stand"- by speaking for her, symbolises how men stole womens voices.- epitomises how women were erased from convos concerning them.patronising + belittling tone- almost infantilises her.adjectives-"long, exciting tiring" present women as delicate + childlike. Also allude female hysteria - invalidating her before she reveals his secrets.Shows how sexist steryotypes were used to benefit/ protect men.declarative- "we were celebrating our engagement" -stakes his claim over her, objectifies her, reflects 1910s.
• How is the theme of

  genderreflected through MRS BIRLING?symbolic of traditional 1912 woman, when in presence of a man she acts as their subordinate.Its important to recognise she is"her husbands social superior"however due to her gender she is automatically his subordinate.

  Despite being opinionated, she only holds strong opinions about women and is not heavily involved in any mans business.Her attitude to other women is mocking which mirrors her husbands sexist tendencies.

  Refers to sheila as"over excited" "hysterical child"derogitory tone-invalidates sheila portraying her as immature. (ironic as her morals are more matured )- women also used misogynystic language to dismiss others.
• context of the theme

  GENDERSEXISM NOT MAIN FOCUS. characters are not confronted about mysogny. This avoided making play even more controversial.

  
  

  Gender is still constant undercurrent in all dialogue.

  term-42

  Inequality in society is multifaced + not dependent on one thing.

  
  

  Society must face all its prejudices to truly become equal.
• BRITIANS GENERATION DIVIDE OF 1945

  
• How is the theme of

  agereflected through MR + MRS BIRLING?As the patriachs of the birling family, they are a symbol of the older generations power and control over society.see themselves as teachers to youth due to experience.

  M. BIRLING"now u 3 young people just listen to this, and remember what i am telling you now"imperatives"listen"and"remember"- emphacise Birlings desire for attention + for his children to be his disciples. Wants to have impact on young generationadjective"young"- shows he is fixated on age + superiority - adjective is patronising + mocking.shows arrogant + hubristic nature

  MRS BIRLING"please dont contradict me like that"verb"contradict"- she Seems to ban people disagreeing with he, presenting older generation as strict dictatorship- desires to stay in control and wants children to obey the 'pecking order
• How is the theme of

  agereflected through SHEILA + ERIC BIRLING?Represent changing face of british society.At beggining are mouthpieces for their parents beliefs, they quickly break free + think independent

  They accept responsibility for actions + encourage others to do same. They are are in close proximity to socialist ideologys.younger generations R capable of starting a revolution.

  ERICrepetition"he could, he could of kept her in, instead od throwing her out"whilst the older generation see no possibility of forgiving others, the youth are more understanding. He recognises how capitalist system is toxic + exploitive.

  SHEILA"these girls arnt cheap labour - theyre people"reflects left wing politicsuses shrewdness to express ridiculousness of older generation facades.
• how is the theme of

  classrepresented through MR BIRLING?member of nouveau riche, meaning he established himself without inheriting money.

  he has made it his personal obligation to keep lower classes in check as he states"if you dont come down sharply, theyd soon be asking for the earth"hyperbolic metaphor'soon be asking for the earth'- implies LC are greedy- shows UC viewed any socialist that showed a strong moral compass as an outrage to societyCapitalist purposfully perpetuated the cycle of poverty + widened class disparities as they believed themself as righteous.
• How is the theme of

  classrepresented through MRS BIRLING?The epitome of upper class prejudice.Her"cold"demeanour + social superiority makes her blunt + judgmental

  "girls of that class"noun'girl'- infantilises her portraying her as weak + foolishshe generilises"girls of that class"showing she doesnt believe Eva deserves any of her attention.- upper class were deliberatly dismissive
• How is the theme of class represented class represented through the INSPECTOR? Purpose of inspectors visit was to condemn capitalism and the action of those who support it.

  "its better to ask for the earth than to take it"

  Hyperbole- Birling + all capitalists were responsible for"taking the earth"and making a"nasty mess"of Eva smiths life.this imagery- shows how extreme capitalist destruction is.Business men have"the [whole] earth"but still prevent others from asking for higher wages.
• How is the theme of

  classrepresented through EVA SMITH?