Mrs birling

• [About fifty, rather cold women and her husband‘s social superior] act 1


  Stage direction show unsympathetic nature of Mrs birling and oxymoron of cold women as women at the time societal norms was to be loving and maternal so by describing her as cold foreshadows her later detached attitude.

  he being describes as her husband social superior shows her upper class etiquette is not natural to the rest and foreshadows her later embrassment
• Mrs Birling is incorrigible in her repugnance for Eva and her decision
• ‘in spite of what happens to the girl since, I consider I did my duty


  the noun ‘duty’ is ironic as the inspector also used that word but morally to convey socialism however Mrs Birling perception of duty is limited to captillism
• ‘Unlike the other three, I did nothing I’m ashamed of‘


  The preposition ‘unlike‘ present her as social superior to her family. Shows her as cold and uncaring even after killing a child and Eva
• [with dignity] we’ve done great deal of useful work helping the deserving poor 


  adjective ’deserving’ reveals she enjoy playing God in vulnerable people life
• [Triumphantly] Didn’t I tell you? Didn’t I say I couldn’t imagine a real police inspector talking like that to us “


  Repetition of pronoun ‘I’ she believe she‘s above the laws and crime for them is justifiably and they deserve respect. The adverb ‘triumphantly‘ show she feels as though capitalism has won. The rhetorical question show her eagerness
• ‘they‘re over tired. In the morning they’ll be as amused as we are.’
• ‘Ought to go to bed - and forget about this absurd business‘ act 3


  noun ‘business‘ show they see this as another passing issue
• “First the girl herself’

  ‘l secondly the young man he should be made and example of‘


  Mrs Birling upholds patriarchy as blame the girl first. And arguably suggest morality is dependent on who does it as after she finds out it Eric reacts differently.
• “as if a girl of that sort would ever refuse money“


  dismissive noun ‘girl’ crates a barrier. Lexis of ‘sort’ shows Mrs Birling can’t even fathom calling the class names to her the phrase working class is dirty and can’t understand each other.
• “your behaving like a hysterical child”
• “No of course not. he’s only a boy“ 


  Mrs birling imfantilsies Eric and shelters him. The noun ‘boy’ is ironic as he now the father of a child the fact she refuses to see Eric as a man reveals her inability to see thing as they are .
• ‘When you get married you’ll realise that men with important work… spend their time and energy on their business. You'll have to het used to it just as I had.’