Act 1

Question 1

Dinner and Speech

Answer 1

• “squiffy” “Really the things you girls pick up these days!”: exclamation mark for emphasis, “girls” as derogatory because Mrs B does not think much of younger people, also shows societal expectations placed on Sheila.
• “one of the happiest nights of my life” , “ for lower costs and higher prices” - selfish self absorbed capitalistic nature of Mr B. , possessive
• “hard headed business man” repetition
• ‘there isn’t a chance of war” - proleptic irony
• “unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable” - makes Mr Birling look stupid, and thus the ideas he represents (like capitalism) are ridiculed.
• “I don’t want lecture you two young fellows again”: Age conflict
• structural point about Mr Birling’s language being colloquial despite him trying to appear upper class and how much he talks

Question 2

Inspector’s arrival

Answer 2

• “burnt her inside out”: gory imagery, dark and straightforward, shocks the upper class
• refuses the port

Question 3

Mr Birling interrogation

Question 4

Sheila’s Interrogation

Question 5

Opening

Answer 5

• “[the lighting should be pink and intimate]”: rose tinted glasses, in their own world, rich and happy with no concerns (represents upper class).
• “[until the Inspector arrives and then it should be brighter and harder]”: shining a light on upper class’s actions, scrutinize them, expose them to the real world and consequences of their actions