inspector calls quotes Flashcards
(7 cards)
mr birling
unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable’ - dramatic irony, repetition, emphasizes that he thinks his word is fact
sheila
‘Oh it’s wonderful! Look mummy - isn’t it a beauty?’ - she values money and materialistic items (such as the ring) more than her engagement itself, shallow like her mother
‘I felt rotten about it at the time and now I feel a lot worse’
‘But these girls aren’t cheap labour - they’re people’
‘He’s giving us the rope so that we’ll hang ourselves’
‘fire blood and anguish’- expressing how she felt once the inspector left, biblical reference showing the change in her character, sense of remorse within her, nouns fire and blood include connotations of hell and death, in an attempt to allow the family to understand the grave consequences they will face unless they amend their ways and misjudged beliefs. nouns not only foreshadow the war but also the destruction the family is apt to experience. with the revelation that a real police inspector is on his way to interview the family, sheila recognizes
context: as a socialist, pr
mrs birling
‘As if a girl of that sort would ever refuse money’ - implies she is below her, judges her for getting pregnant and having sexual relations with a man she’s not married to, believes she’s to blame and deserves what she got, ironic as she works at a women’s charity (Eva however refused to take money from Eric, priesltys message that money doesn’t equate to happiness.
‘I accept no blame for it at all’ - reveals her stubborn refusal to accept any blame, taker responsibility for her actions, her attitude serves to heighten dramatic tension and her dismisiveness directly conflicts Priestlys message ( ), also contrast with the change in even her children, she is stubborn and ultimately refuses to accept blame, the older generation, represented by Mrs. Birling, remains entrenched in rigid classism and refuses to acknowledge the interconnectedness of society.
gerald
easy well-bred man-about-town’
‘I think Miss Birling ought to be excused’ -low opinion of his wife to be, speaks for her, doesn’t let her express her opinion, may believe he is superior and right bc he is a man, controlling and manipulative nature, guilt? context men are superior
‘I want you to know that I didn’t install her there so that I could make love to her’ - refers to her as if she’s some object, like putting a mechanical piece in place(objectifying Eva, trying to appear good when in reality he’s having an affair with her
‘She lived very economically on what I allowed her’ - he wants to have her there, control her, if the circumstances were different and she wasn’t young and beautiful it wouldn’t have been the same
‘I became the most important person in her life’
inspector
Eric
ideas: lack of accountability, immature, disrespectful, ignorant
‘these fat old turds around town’ -ironic considering he was at the palace bar for that sole reason, way he talks about women is ignorant
‘she was a good sport’ - gave him sexual satisfaction, diminishing against women, thinks its all a game, acts as if she’s not a person with feelings and emotions, metaphor as if its a race, like a competition
‘I couldn’t remember her name’ ‘said I didn’t love her’ - shows he didn’t bother to care for her but then phrases that she says he didn’t love her as if its her fault showing he can’t take responsibility for his actions
‘And I say the girl’s dead and we all helped to kill her - and that’s what matters’ -marks Erics full moral awakening, acceptance of responsibility, contrasting sharply with his earlier denial and avoidance
His use of “we all helped” highlights his recognition of collective guilt, which rejects the tendency of his family members to isolate all blame, shows a shift from individual shame to shared accountability, the final clause, “and that’s what matters,” underlines his profound matureness and ethical responsibility over social reputation which overcomes the Birling family’s earlier attitudes.
context
