Inspector Calls Flashcards
Sheila: “Oh - how …”
“Oh - how horrible”
Sheila is the only character expresses genuine emotion towards the death of Eva Smith.
Sheila: “You don’t … to have … …”
“You don’t seem to have learnt anything”
Sheila acknowledges the fact that the inspectors arrival was all a moral teaching to teach the Birling family to learn how to truly treat and care for people. Priestly does this to portray the older generation as stubborn and opposed to changing their opinion on taking responsibility.
Sheila: “…?”
“Pretty?”
Sheila asking this question shows that her grief was greater due to Eva being pretty which emphasises the warped view that she had on life prior to the inspector arriving and impacting her views. She had the view that someone’s beauty defined the value of their life - this view of course changes after she embraces more socialist views that all should have an equal value of their life. It also shows that prior to the inspectors arrival, all she cared about was beauty which is proved when she says “now I really feel engaged” showing she only cares about the materialistic side of life rather than appreciating the people around her.
Sheila: “But these … aren’t … … - they’re …”
“But these girls aren’t cheap labour - they’re people”
Sheila is standing up for those will not be heard by the Birling family due to them thinking they’re superior to the working class. Sheila is also an upper class girl sticking up for lower class girls which wouldn’t be expected and normal in the Edwardian society - this is due to the fact the younger generation is changing and supporting others which goes against what the older generation thinks, this could be becuase of socialism being on the rise.
Inspector: “We … do make an … on the …”
“We often do make an impact on the young”
This refers to Sheila and how she has been impacted by the inspector unlike her parents - this is due to the generation gap and how close minded the older generation are compared to the older generation.
Sheila: “Yes, go on …” & “…, I couldn’t … go”
“Yes, go on mummy” & “Mother, I couldn’t possibly go”
Shows and evidences that Sheila has changed and matured since the arrival of the inspector, this is because he has taught her the socialist views and opened her up to more than just naive and capitalist views.
Having socialist views = maturity
Sheila: “I felt … about it at the …”
“I felt rotten about it at the time”
“Rotten” is informal - lack of maturity in her vocabulary
Shows immediate remorse for how she treated Eva, accepts responsibility that was she did was wrong
Showing that formal vocabulary doesn’t make you able to accept responsibility but rather your maturity and acceptance of wrongdoing
Sheila: “… - trying not to … the …”
“childish - trying not to face the facts”
Said to her parents - she’s standing up for herself and the death of Eva
She sees what they did was wrong
Irony - refers to her parents as childish where Mrs Birling treats her like a child throughout the play
Sheila: “Now I … feel …”
“Now I really feel engaged”
Sheila is obsessed with materialistic goods and requires a ring or something physical to confirm the engagement
Love doesn’t mean expressions of love but physical gifts
Ring could symbolise a visual marker of ownership from Gerald - submitting herself to societal expectations on women at the beginning
The Inspector: “We are … of one …”
“We are members of one body”
We should all work together as body parts do - socialism
Could represent that the Inspector is speaking on Gods behalf as these words are used in the Holy communion - God sides with socialism and working together
The Inspector: “… you … It’s too … She’s …”
“but you can’t. It’s too late. She’s dead.”
Short sentences
Terse triplet of expressions
Conveys an impactful message of the need for immediate change that should be done now
It’s also very blunt and abrupt - reflecting the way they Birlingd treated Eva very bluntly and arrogantly
The Inspector: “There are … and … and … of Eva … and John … […] … with us.”
“There are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths […] intertwined with us.”
Using a very basic, working class surname to exaggerate and truly represent how many people there are like Eva smith
There are so many people like this who have such a hard life that it makes the Birlings problems (like Sheila being insecure that Eva was laughing at her) look so minuscule
Ridicules the Birlings
“Intertwined” - we are all one, we are one community which is something the Birlings don’t understand - at the end of the day there is only one community of people and as much as you may pretend we don’t, we live in the same world
The Inspector: “She … with a … out inside on a …”
“She lies with a burnt out inside on a slab.”
Harsh imagery and language
Even after her death and having her insides burnt out, she’s on a slab - her life was never comfortable and nice from begging to the end of her life
Mr Birling: “…, absolutely …” & “ The … … so … that it’ll make … impossible.”
“Unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable” & “The world’s developing so fast that it’ll make war impossible.”
Dramatic irony - the audience knows the titanic sank
Birlings predictions are incorrect - to undermine our faith in opinions on society
Mr Birling: “like … in a … – … and all that …”
“like bees in a hive – community and all that nonsense.”
Critiquing the idea that we should look after eachother
“Nonsense” - thinks it’s absolute rubbish - arrogant
Shows Birlings attitudes - judgmental against socialism - people who are capitalist as closed minded
Ridiculing at these ideas - ironic as audience will be believing this
Bees in a hive work together to make honey suggest he understands the fact we can work together but he doesn’t - he is ignorant
