Mrs Birling

Question 1

Mrs Birling: Responsibility

Answer 1

“I’ve done nothing wrong - and you know it” (Act 2)

• epistemic modality expresses remorselessness. reflects delusion world view of nouveau riche.
• Irony amplifies refusal to engage in emancipation, regressing societal progress

Question 2

Mrs Birling: Older Vs Younger

Answer 2

“I don’t believe it. I won’t believe it”

Repetition: emphasises refusal to accept reality, stemming from exploitative nature. Symbolises regression in her character, as she moves away from social responsibility

Characterisation: Priestley characterised her as having unscrupulous nature.

Question 3

Mrs Birling: Social Class

Answer 3

“As if a girl of that sort would ever turn down money”

Periphasis: veils contempt beneath a veneer of civility, attempting to maintain bourgeois propriety. Emblematic of edwardian society refusal to confront harsh reality

Irony; lies in flawed assumption that eva’s actions were motivated by greed, when she refused money on moral grounds.