An Inspector Calls Write down a quote from memory and explain its relevance in terms of character,...

An Inspector Calls

Write down a quote from memory and explain its relevance in terms of character, theme and context.

Themes

• Capitalism V Socialism• Responsibility

– Individual– Collective

• Power – abuse• Character development/changes

Capitalism V Socialism• “Perhaps we may look forward to the time when Crofts

and Birlings are no longer competing but are working together” p.164

Capitalism – the individual becoming bigger and more powerful – Birling sees engagement as business opportunity – selfish

• “hard-headed business man”• Dramatic irony – “steadily increasing prosperity”; “The

Germans don’t want war. … Everything to lose and nothing to gain by war.” Birling looks like a fool; pompous; arrogant

• “A man has to make his own way – has to look after himself”

Character development/changes• Sheila “Now I really feel engaged.” superficial• Birling tells Eric he has “a lot to learn yet” – ironic!• Birling – “There isn’t a chance of war.” • Birling “Titanic … unsinkable”• “In 20 or 30 years’ time … you’ll be living in a world that’ll

have forgotten all these Capital versus Labour agitations”

• “But these girls aren’t cheap labour – they’re people.”• Sheila & Birling extreme opposites “And then she got

herself into trouble there, I suppose?” – always someone else’s fault

• Sheila upset “cry, half-stifled sob”

Responsibility

• “chain of events”• “If we were all responsible for everything that

happened to everybody we’d had anything to do with, it would be very awkward, wouldn’t it?” Birling to Inspector on his involvement in Eva’s death.

• “After all, y’know we’re respectable citizens and not criminals.” – no responsibility

• “(miserably) So I’m really responsible?” Sheila

Power

• “If you don’t come down sharply on some of these people, they’d soon be asking for the earth.” “these” show his class separation

• “So you used the power you had, as a daughter of a good customer and also of a man well-known in the town” Inspector to Sheila

Age

• Birling constantly telling Eric to be quiet during his interrogation. “That’s enough of that.”