Mr Birling

• Mr Birling is presented as an unsympathetic character who appears foolish in order to advocate for Priestley's socialist principles
• "You'll hear some people say war is inevitable. And to that I say - fiddlesticks!"


  • Dramatic Irony:

  • Audience has likely just experienced two WWs

  • Birling's credibility reduced

  • "Fiddlesticks":

  • Dismissive tone -> Increased ignorance
• "Unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable"


  • Dramatic Irony:

  • Reduces Birling's credibility

  • Titanic as a symbol of capitalist system:

  • Reflects Birling's views about the future
• "We can't let these Bernard Shaws and H.G. Welles's do all the talking"

  • Socialist writers

  • Dismissive of them, claiming that they don't know what they're talking about despite having made ironic predictions
• Mr Birling is presented as a character who is unwilling to change as he has reaped all the benefits from it, and change would risk his fortunes. However as the play continues it becomes clear that Mr birling had success through the abuse of the working class, helping to promote socialist principles.
• "We play golf together sometimes"


  • Golf is generally a very public sport fir the richest in society

  • Mr Birling is showing off his status

  • Shows the barrier between classes
• "Still I can't accept any social responsibility. If we were all responsible for everything that happened to everybody we'd had anything to do with, it would be very awkward.


  • General terms: "Everything", "Everybody", "Anything":

  • These are the working class

  • Birling in a minority so has no real power

  • Power of working class sown by Jarrow March

  • Awkward -> Threat to his power