eric birling Flashcards
how is eric presented at the start of the play?
not fully mature
how was eric described at the start of the play by the stage directions?
“half-shy, half assertive”
what does the adjective shy connote?
- nervousness
- lack of confidence
what does the word assertive connote?
- confidence
- dominance
why is shy and assertive used in the same sentence?
creates a sense of confusion implying he is secretive- foreshadowing the later secret which is going to come out about him.
how does priestly want the audience to view eric at the start of the play?
negatively- to show a capitalist, patriarchal society is not trustworthy- therefore encouraging the audience to reject the capitalist ideas eric has
why is eric associated with alcohol
foreshadows the drunken behaviour he had on the night he met eva smith
why is it significant that his sister sheila refers to him as ‘squiffy’
the use of informal language shows they are fashionable members of the younger generation who can adapt their language to the time - foreshadowing them adapting their attitudes towards social responsibility
how does eric describe himself on the night he meets eva
‘in that state when a chap easily turns nasty’
why does eric use the word chap when describing himself on the night he met eva
third person- trying to distance himself from the implied rape
why does eric use the words that state when describing himself on the night he met eva
he is appealing to a commonly shared belief that others have had the same experience
what is significant about the way eric describes himself on the night he met eva
it shows the lack of responsibility for his actions as it suggests he is using alcohol as an excuse fr his implied rape of eva smith.
how des eric show immaturity towards eva?
asks her to marry him
gives her stolen money
this shows he doesn’t see the long term consequences
how is it shown that eric has learnt a lesson on social responsibility?
whether the inspector is real or not doesn’t matter to eric its what’s learned that counts
what quote shows he has learned a lesson on social responsibility
‘its what happened to the girl and what we all did to her that matters’
