An Inspector Calls - Quotes (Social responsibility) Flashcards
(17 cards)
Thesis statement
Priestley’s play carries the didactic message that the wealthy and capitalist classes need to accept social responsibility for those they employ and exploit for profit, sex or satisfaction. He wants to persuade his audience in 1945 to vote for a socialist government and reject capitalist thinking
“The Germans don’t want war” - Mr Birling
- Capitalists have led us to war
- Shows the capitalist class are ignorant
“You’ll have to get used to that, just as I had” - Mrs Birling
- Patriarchal society
- Tells Mrs Birling that it’s alright for rich men to have affairs while they’re younger
- The trade-off is that Sheila/Mrs Birling get to marry a rich and influential man
“A man has to mind his own business” - Mr Birling
- Priestley is exposing the worst people in the play who are male
- They are the ones who sexually exploit Eva and contributes much more to her tragedy
- Business means capitalism and profit
- These words cause the Inspector to come
“Why shouldn’t they try for higher wages?” - Eric
- Socialist message
- Business owners should share their money more fairly with workers
“These young women counting their pennies” - Inspector
- Priestley has chosen a victim who is female
- Choosing a male character wouldn’t have allowed him to show sexual exploitation
- Contrasts with Mrs Birling who talks about them as girls
- The Inspector says that they must be treated of equal status
- “Pennies” show how little they are left with after their wages
“You might be said to have been jealous of her” - Inspector
- Priestley chooses Eva to be sacked because of vanity because in a patriarchal society, women didn’t typically have careers so they only had status from looks to attract wealthy partners
- Attractiveness was a currency in a world that treats women as commodities
“It happened that a friend of mine… nice little set of rooms” - Eric
- Gerald’s language is deceitful and therefore manipulative - like the capitalist class
- He makes it seem that it was a coincidence but it was actually a room to keep mistresses hidden from other people
“Girls of that class” - Mrs Birling
- Objects to the idea that Eva could have had any fine feelings
- She doesn’t believe that the lower class are allowed the same emotions as the upper classes
“I was in that state when a chap easily turns nasty” - Eric
- We find out that he forced himself upon Eva
- Distances personal responsibility from himself
“Not really. I intended to pay it back” - Eric
- Self-deception - even if he does pay it back it was still theft
- We don’t believe he will pay it back and he’s just spent it
“We are all members of one body” - Inspector
- Christian language is used to persuade the audience to vote for a socialist party
“We are all responsible for each other” - Inspector
- Socialist message
- Exposing Mrs Birling’s charity - it shouldn’t be something up to women like Mrs Birling but the state
“Millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths” - Inspector
- Eva comes first - Priestley’s main focus is women - they are the ones who now have the vote and are dominating his audience
- Most of the men are still at war in 1945
- Feminist message to a female audience would be much more powerful
“They will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish” - Inspector
- A play that tells you that capitalism and men have led us to two world wars
- In 1912, when the play is set, the Inspector says that if we don’t change society, war is inevitable
“How about this ring?” - Gerald
- Gerald’s word summon the next phone call - the next inspector just like Birling’s words summoned Goole
- He wants Sheila to take him back so that it won’t come out as a public scandal
“Not yet. It’s too soon” - Sheila
- In the future she may take him back because it’s a patriarchal society and women’s choices are completely limited in 1912
- In 1945, most women could work and have careers which they don’t want to give back to men returning from war
- Priestley’s socialist message for women to vote for a socialist party
