Key quotes- Mr. Birling

Question 1

“lower costs, higher prices”

Answer 1

Juxtaposition of lower and higher and the comma which emphasizes the disparity between classes. Everyone is exploited.

Question 2

“you’ve brought us together”

Answer 2

pronoun “us” shows he sees the engagement as a business arrangement.

Question 3

“soon it’ll be an even better time”

Answer 3

dramatic irony: adj “better”. Great depression, whole country destroyed.

Question 4

“everything to lose and nothing to gain”

Answer 4

talking about war, but shows he doesn’t understand war bc people can be emotional. (doesn’t understand human nature)

Question 5

“She’d a lot to say- far too much- so she had to go” AND “panic stricken” (SD)

Answer 5

while being inspected, becomes colloquial. Shorter sentences, more punctuation. “has” imperative verb, as if he has no choice- defensive.

Question 6

“triamphuntly”

Answer 6

adj used to show his jubilation as thinks he’s won a battle. inability to sympathize.

Question 7

mrs B is mr B’s “social superior”

Answer 7

proleptic irony: SD foreshadows his attitude towards the engagement. influencing sheila to marry someone of higher class.

Question 8

“hard headed”
“provincial”
“portentous”

Answer 8

adj “hard”- unwilling to change. (proleptic irony)
unwilling to accept new ideas (proleptic irony)
popmous/serious

Question 9

“Lady Croft… feels you may have done better for yourself socially”… “Its only natural”

Answer 9

. adj “natural”- thinks everyone of higher class worries about social position. ad “better”- considers people of higher class better

Question 10

“good chance of a knighthood”

Answer 10

tries to boast to Gerald- seeking validation, tries to improve his social position constantly