Eric Birling - Quotes

Question 1

Act One: This describes Eric’s personality

Answer 1

‘half shy, half assertive’

Question 2

Act One: This shows Eric’s immaturity

Answer 2

‘Suddenly I felt I just had to laugh’

Question 3

Act One: Eric talking about Sheila and Gerald getting married, uses a slang term

Answer 3

‘Steady the buffs!’

Question 4

Act One: Shows how Eric is used to drinking

Answer 4

‘(Takes the decanter and helps himself)’

Question 5

Act One: Talking about Mr. Birling firing Eva, Eric doesn’t agree with this decision, begins to show his socialist views and how he isn’t afraid to stand up to his father

Answer 5

‘He could have kept her on instead of throwing her out’

Question 6

Act One: Eric agrees with Eva trying to get a pay rise

Answer 6

‘Why shouldn’t they try for higher wages?’

Question 7

Act One: Eric isn’t afraid to stand up to his father, and voices his views about his dad firing Eva Smith when she asked for a pay rise

Answer 7

‘I’d have let her stay’

Question 8

Act One: Eric hasn’t yet realised that the inspector already knows everything and still wishes to conceal some information - sounds slightly like Mr. Birling

Answer 8

‘We don’t need to tell the inspector all about that’

Question 9

Act Two: This shows how Sheila knows about Eric’s drinking problem and has done for a while

Answer 9

‘drinking too much for the last two years’ (Sheila)

Question 10

Act Three: Eric clearly has a drinking problem and this is highlighted here

Answer 10

‘Could I have a drink first?’

Question 11

Act Three: This compliments the quote from act one about how Eric handles the decanter

Answer 11

‘(familiarity with heavy drinking)’

Question 12

Act Three: Eric is beginning to admit that he gets drunk a lot and does this using slang phrases

Answer 12

‘I was a bit squiffy’

Question 13

Act Three: Eric reacts quite badly when he realises how he has treated Eva and shows guilt and frustration

Answer 13

‘Oh - my God! - how stupid it all is!’

Question 14

Act Three: This shows that Eric has little respect for his father and his father’s friends

Answer 14

‘I hate these fat old tarts round the town - the ones I see some of your respectable friends with-‘

Question 15

Act Three: Eric is very blunt and wishes for his family to take responsibility for what they have done

Answer 15

‘You killed her’

Question 16

Act Three: Eric’s language is common of someone his age, however his mother does not always like his choice of words

Answer 16

‘Damn you’ ‘I don’t give a damn’

Question 17

Act Three: Eric’s socialist views come through a lot towards the end as he begins to show his disappointment in his family

Answer 17

‘I’m ashamed of you as well - yes both of you’

Question 18

Act Three: Eric does not care that IG may not have been real, he knows that there is a lesson to be taken out of what has happened

Answer 18

‘He was our police inspector alright’

Question 19

Act Three: Eric begins to get angry with his family for trying to forget what they have done

Answer 19

‘You’re beginning to pretend now that nothing’s really happened at all’

Question 20

Act Three: Eric is able to take the deeper message from what has happened rather than trying to clear his name all over again

Answer 20

‘And I say the girl’s dead and we all helped to kill her - and that’s what matters-‘

Question 21

Act Three: Eric has taken responsibility on behalf of the whole family for the fact they helped to kill Eva Smith

Answer 21

‘We all helped to kill her’

Question 22

Act Three: Eric is blunt about Eva being dead to try and make his family understand that they have done wrong

Answer 22

‘The girl’s dead, isn’t she?’