Eva Smith

Question 1

1. “A good worker too. In fact, the foreman told me he was ready to promote her.” (Mr Birling)

Answer 1

What: Birling admits Eva was capable but still sacked her
• How: Adjective “good” = irony as he rewards skill with punishment
    Balanced syntax = calm tone, masks cruelty
    Passive structure = evades accountability
• Why:
  - Priestley critiques capitalist systems that sacrifice people for control
  - Highlights tension between merit and exploitation

Question 2

2. “She’d had a lot to say – far too much – so she had to go.” (Mr Birling)

Answer 2

What: Justifies sacking Eva for leading a wage strike
• How: Repetition “too much” = resentment at her voice
    Dash = hesitation or underlying threat
    Blunt phrasing = lack of empathy
• Why:
  - Priestley shows how working-class women are punished for protest
  - Exposes authoritarian attitudes among the elite

Question 3

3. “She was a very pretty girl too – with big dark eyes.” (Inspector)

Answer 3

What: Humanises Eva through personal description
• How: Adjectives “pretty”, “big dark eyes” = gentle, emotive imagery
    Tone = respectful, soft
    Use of past tense = emphasises loss
• Why:
  - Priestley restores dignity to the voiceless poor
  - Makes the audience empathise with Eva beyond class labels

Question 4

4. “She called herself Daisy Renton then.” (Gerald)

Answer 4

What: Eva changes her name after losing her job
• How: “Called herself” = constructed identity
    Soft vowel sounds = vulnerability
    Alias = erasure of true self under pressure
• Why:
  - Priestley shows how the poor reinvent themselves for survival
  - Identity becomes fragile in systems of inequality

Question 5

5. “She was young and pretty and warm-hearted – and intensely grateful.” (Gerald)

Answer 5

What: Gerald idealises Eva during their affair
• How: Triplet = emotional, romanticised tone
    Superlative “intensely” = emphasises dependence
    Juxtaposition = pure image vs exploitative reality
• Why:
  - Priestley critiques power imbalance masked as kindness
  - Audience questions whether it was love or control

Question 6

6. “As if a girl of that sort would ever refuse money!” (Mrs Birling)

Answer 6

What: Sybil assumes Eva is immoral because of her class
• How: Phrase “that sort” = dehumanising + prejudiced
    Exclamatory tone = outrage, snobbery
    Irony = Eva did refuse stolen money
• Why:
  - Priestley condemns upper-class assumptions
  - Highlights Eva’s dignity vs Sybil’s hypocrisy

Question 7

7. “She came to you for help, at a time when no woman could have needed it more.” (Inspector)

Answer 7

What: Confronts Sybil’s rejection of Eva at her lowest point
• How: Hyperbole “no woman…more” = emotional urgency
    Anaphora “she came to you” = emphasises betrayal
    Tone = accusatory, sorrowful
• Why:
  - Priestley forces audience to confront cruelty of social rejection
  - Exposes failure of institutions meant to protect

Question 8

8. “She lies with a burnt-out inside on a slab.” (Inspector)

Answer 8

What: Graphic image of Eva’s suicide
• How: Violent imagery “burnt-out inside” = emotional + physical destruction
    Noun “slab” = cold, impersonal death
    Short clause = brutal finality
• Why:
  - Priestley shocks audience into moral awareness
  - Humanises consequences of neglect

Question 9

9. “Remember what you did to her. Remember what you did.” (Inspector)

Answer 9

What: Inspector’s final call to reflect on Eva’s suffering
• How: Anaphora “remember” = moral repetition, pressure
    Direct address “you” = personal guilt
    Short syntax = emotional impact
• Why:
  - Priestley demands audience reflection + long-term responsibility
  - Reinforces Eva as a symbol of forgotten suffering