Sheila Birling

Question 1

Keywords for Sheila

Answer 1

start: young, pretty, lively, spoilt, selfish, curious, naïve
end: sympathetic, repentant, caring, moral, emotional, honest, changed

Question 2

How is Sheila shown as excitable

Answer 2

she has no worries or concerns and just thinks about her engagement

Question 3

How is Sheila shown as having tension with Gerald from the start

Answer 3

half teases him over his absence ‘all last summer’ - ‘(half serious, half playful)’

Question 4

How is Sheila shown as sensitive

Answer 4

very moved by the news of Eva Smith ‘Oh - how horrible!’

Question 5

How is Sheila shown as seeing Eva as a person

Answer 5

‘But these girls aren’t cheap labour - they’re people’

Question 6

How is Sheila shown as able to criticises her father

Answer 6

‘I think it was a mean thing to do’

Question 7

How is Sheila shown as sorry

Answer 7

‘I’ll never, never do it again to anybody’

Question 8

How is Sheila shown as impressed by Gerald’s honesty

Answer 8

‘At least it’s honest’ ‘I rather respect you more than I’ve ever done before’

Question 9

How is Sheila shown as changed

Answer 9

she has matured and taken on the inspectors message, stronger and sympathetic, accepts responsibilities, learns from what has happened and encourages other, aware of the dangers, changes her language from simple and childish to confident and assertive, directly disagreeing with her parents

Question 10

Key attributes of Sheila

Answer 10

excitable at the start, moved by the news of Eva, treats Eva as a person, prepared to criticise her father, very sorry, has changed, has a conscience, able to admit she is wrong

Question 11

Sheila’s relationship with Mr Birling

Answer 11

he patronises her from the start, trying to protect her from reality, sees her as a ‘child’, she challenges his attitudes and criticises her actions

Question 12

Sheila’s relationship with Mrs Birling

Answer 12

she thought her mothers action were ‘cruel and vile’

Question 13

Sheila’s relationship with Eric

Answer 13

holds very similar views at the end of the play, they stand together as the younger generation and challenge their views

Question 14

Sheila’s relationship with Gerald

Answer 14

excited about their engagement in the opening scene but their is tension about his whereabouts, she hears about the affair and is hurt, but respects his honesty

Question 15

Sheila’s relationship with the inspector

Answer 15

curious at the start and is aware something isn’t right with him, but listens to his message and learns from it

Question 16

Sheila’s relationship with Eva

Answer 16

when they met, she acted selfishly and jealous using her power to get her sacked, but after she realises the consequences of her actions and regrets it

Question 17

What is Sheila significance to the play

Answer 17

learns her lesson and takes responsibility and changes while trying to encourage other, represents younger generation, Priestly saw them as ‘more impressionable’, gives the audience hope that their society can improve

Question 18

Sheila is the symbol of

Answer 18

young women, voice of Eva?, improvement, danger of envy

Question 19

Sheila has the themes of

Answer 19

equality, youth, class, morality, generation gap

Question 20

Sheila has the effect of

Answer 20

insightful, changing, naïve, guilt, remorse

Question 21

Priestley’s voice for Sheila is

Answer 21

socialism, equality, responsibility, change