AIC- theme of responsbility

• Mr Birling: '"mixed up together like bees in a hive- community and all that nonsense"'
• Birling's use of zoomorphism


  • Deliberately characterises society, belittling the lower class to 'bees'
  • Direct comparison reflects Birling's degradation and mockery against the concept of collective responsibility, portraying it as animalistic behaviour fit for insignificant creatures like 'bees' and not the sophisticated which Birling claims to be
• What Birling does not realise

  The significance of bees as a whole - they pollinate the food crops we use, which is reflective of the use of the lower class as maids and factory workers. This is clearly indicating the absolute importance of the lower class in society, however Birling lacks insight to this and appears to be irresponsible.
• Birling's use of the noun 'nonsense'


  • Shows how he dismisses the idea of intertwining his responsibility with others; he views everyone below him in the social hierarchy as trivial
• Birling's use of the hyphen

  • Emblematic of a theatrical pause, highlighting perhaps Birling's hesitation before verbalising 'community'. The pause symbolises his repulsion to the concept of 'community' to the point he's unable to even verbalise it.
• Inspector: '"they will be taught in fire and blood and anguish"'
• The polysyndeton shown by the repetition of 'and'


  • Highlights the eternal torment awaiting those who neglect their responsibilities
• The inspector's omniscient and prophetic presence


  • Imbues this message with heightened tension, gravity (seriousness) and significance
• 'fire and blood and anguish'


  May also allude to WW2. Priestley is relying on the inspector as his proxy to utter 'anguish'- which symbolises humanity's inability to learn from past mistakes, leading to even more 'blood and anguish'.
• The phrase 'fire and blood and anguish'


  Bears connotations of hell. Thus the inspector could be portrayed as an agent of god attempting to bring back the Birlings back to the foundation of morality- religion.
• Birling's digression (detour) from religious teachings


  Considering they embodied a few from the seven deadly sins of greed and pride, further emphasises the significance of the inspector's prevalence- as an agent of god.
• Sheila: '"but these girls aren't cheap labour, they're people"'
• Sheila's vocabulary shift


  • Exposes her father's exploitative capitalism. 'Girls' denotes innocence and vulnerability, suggesting Sheila now recognises how the capitalist upper class prey on the disadvantaged.
• Act one's Sheila cocooned in privilege


  Undergoes a metamorphosis (change) under the inspector's arrival; her infantile (immature) facade crumbles, revealing an empowering woman for social justice, depicting the women's empowering role in advocating for social justice for oppressed members in society.
• Sheila: '"[rather wildly, with laugh] no he's giving us the rope- to hang ourselves"'
• The stage direction

  • Depicts Sheila's disillusionment with the capitalist ideals. She liberates herself from these social constraints, embracing her unrestrained nature without apologising.
• The rope


  Serves as an emblem for collective responsibility. A 'rope' consists of intertwined fibres, thus this symbolises how Sheila has recognised that all members of society are intertwined with their own responsibilities. Each individual is woven into the fabric of our society. Not independent pieces, but interconnected threads creating a larger united body. Everyone must be in unity to form a moral society.
• Eric: '"i did what i did, and mother did what she did, and the rest of you did what you did to her"'
• The repetition of the personal pronoun 'i'


  • Symbolises Eric's growing sense of personal accountability and social awareness but also maturation of his introspection (self-reflection), he is on a quest for redemption from his capitalist sins.
• The parallelism characterised by repetition of 'did what'

  • Showcases the interconnected nature of everyone's responsibility. Eric emphasis that their negligence and exploitations as capitalists are burdens they must collectively accept.
• The parallelism surrounding 'did what'

  Raises an ambiguous quality as there is no evidence on what they 'did'. Therefore this demonstrates how they are microcosms of the bourgeoisie and therefore symbolise how they 'did what' they wanted to the lower class without any remorse or accountability whatsoever.
• Eric: '"i'm ashamed of you as well- yes both of you"'
• Eric's deliberate use of short sentences

  • Mirrors the inspector's style of speaking. The inspector's brevity (sharp, conciseness) is echoed by Eric to showcase his newfound power rooted in moral conviction.
• As a representative of the younger generation, Eric faces ridicule for his progressive outlook


  However, he develops a condescending demeanour towards his parents, which showcases his heroism in challenging his parents' regressive beliefs and highlighting his commitment to catalysing change.
• The adjective 'ashamed'


  Connotes humiliation, revealing Eric's disillusionment and embarrassment has stemmed from his anagnorisis of capitalists' exploitation of individuals and prioritisation of themselves.