An inspector calls key quotes

An Inspector Calls - Key Quotations“You’re squiffy” – Sheila to Eric (Act 1) • Shows Eric/ Sheila’s brother/ sister relationship. • Colloquial language set period. • Shows Eric drinks too much.“I speak as a hard-headed business man.” (Act 1) • Word choice emphasises lack of feeling. • Shows Mr Birling is hard-hearted. • Shows pride in his hard-won success.“If you don’t come down hard on these people they’ll soon be asking forthe earth!” • Birling uses exaggeration/ hyperbole to suggest the workers are asking for too much. • Wants to make the workers’ demands seem unreasonable.“Unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable.” Mr Birling (Act 1) • Dramatic irony – audience knows something the characters don’t. • Arrogance of the wealthy – they think their wealth will last forever. • Titanic is a metaphor for the family and its privileged position.“We really must stop these silly pretences.” Sheila to Mrs Birling (Act 2) • Sheila understands the Inspector’s message. • Characterises Sheila as the only character capable of seeing the truth. • Shows a division growing between Sheila and her mother. • Shows that Sheila understands the need to stop lying. (Key theme)“Girls of that class.” Mrs Birling to the Inspector (Act 2) • Shows Mrs Birling thinks she is socially and morally superior. A snob. • Almost as though the poor are by definition squalid and worthless. • Emphasis on “that” shows her disgust in the working class.“She was very pretty – soft brown hair and big dark eyes.” Gerald (Act 2) • Gerald’s language stresses the contrast between Eva and “women of the town” who he calls “hard-eyed” and “dough-faced”. • By stressing the positive aspects of Eva, it makes her mistreatment seem even more cruel.

“You’re not the kind of father a chap could go to when he’s in trouble.” Eric(Act 2) • Reveals the lack of love in the family. • The Birlings are not only hard-hearted towards the working class, but they are also inadequate parents. • Birling says his son has been spoilt, and he is more concerned with covering up Eric’s wrongdoings so to avoid a social scandal.“We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other.” TheInspector (Act 3) • Priestley’s address to the audience. • The core message of the Inspector and the play. • Directly contrasts with Birling’s message of ‘every man for himself’. • The message applies to all the characters and the audience.“Everything’s all right now, Sheila.” Gerald to Sheila (Act 3) • Shows Gerald as a static character. • This shows Gerald has not understood the message. • He cannot see that Sheila has been changed by the revelations. • He offers Sheila the ring, showing how complacent he is.“Each of you helped to kill her.” The Inspector (Act 3) • Priestly uses a climax to emphasise that our actions have consequences. • The Inspector sums up, showing that the morally neglectful actions of the upper class family have condemned a working class girl to her death. • Nobody in the family is without blame.“Look Inspector, I’d give thousands…” Birling to the Inspector (Act 3) • Birling wouldn’t pay Eva Smith an extra two shillings and sixpence but now offers thousands. • The offer is meaningless because it is not possible to save Eva now. • It shows Birling thinks he can solve everything with money.“We are responsible for each other.” The Inspector (Act 3) • Goole stresses that it is not enough just to keep to a set of accepted manners. • We must all behave morally. • This would have extra resonance before the Second World War – we cannot stand by and let fascism murder millions.“Look at the way he talked to me…” Birling (Act 3) • Tone – shocked/ indignant. • Shows that Birling feels his social status entitles him to different treatment.

“By Jingo! A fake!”“How do you know it’s the same girl?” • Colloquial language – particular to the upper class. • The Birlings are so desperate to believe their own innocence that they are willing to believe a highly unlikely set of coincidences.“That doesn’t matter to me.” Eric (Act 3) • The theories of innocence that Geralnd and Birling are concocting do not take away the fact that Eric feels guilty for his actions. • He is not willing to bury his head in the sand and pretend he has done nothing wrong.“I suppose we’re all nice people now.” Sheila (Act 3) • Sarcastic tone. • Sheila is bitter about her family’s reaction. • She is appalled that they think they have done nothing wrong simply because they think the girl is not dead. • She wants them to acknowledge that they have behaved appallingly.“That was the police. A girl has just died – on her way to the infirmary.” • The twist in the tale. • Mr and Mrs Birling, and Gerald, must face the reality of their actions. • Their denial is destroyed.

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An inspector calls key quotes

by Mister Connor on May 10, 2011

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