Mr Birling

P1, Q1: Mr Birling is presented as “pretentious”

• means that he craved public validation & also self importance

• showcases himself as shallow - only cares about how he presents himself to society

• makes us as readers possibly despise Mr Birling - because of how egotistical he appears

• displays arrogant nature of the middle & upper class as they prioritised their position in power and stature in society

P1, Q2: Can be perceived as naive - “you can ignore all this pessimistic talk”

• could be interpreted as he’s optimistic for the future

• could also be viewed as though he’s delusional - adamant that things will stay the same

• Uses dismissive language to downplay worldly matters because he knows others will listen to him because of his influence as a middle-class businessman

• displays how people in higher classes in society were often treated exceptionally because of their class

• him dismissing worldly affairs showcases his sanctimonious nature as he believes that what he says is fact as he presents himself as an intellectual

• makes us as readers perceive Mr Birling as a fraud - he doesn’t know what he’s talking about

• illustrates how capitalist businessmen were seen during the early 1910s - often respected because of their class

P1, Q3: Mr Birling is used by Priestley to showcase the selfish & stern nature of capitalist businessmen men during the early 1910s - “A man has to make his own way”

• reveals his opinion on becoming successful - could be seen as misogynistic as he only refers to men within his speech

• lack of empathy towards other classes - classist behaviour

• opinion formed because of how he became prosperous - through the likings of hard work - became self-made businessman

• makes us as readers view as Mr B. as a hypocrite - he didn’t come from wealth but still has an almost prejudice viewpoint on the working class

• demonstrates the mentality of higher classes - they were influenced by the likings of self-reliance and despite this not having a name during this time, individualism

P2, Q1: Mr Birling presents merciless behaviour - doesn’t responsibility for the aftermath of Eva Smith “I can’t accept any responsibility”

• displays his unapologetic nature - because he could’ve viewed Eva Smith as a nuisance / inconvenience towards himself - opinion shaped because of the perception of women during this time - mistreated significantly and weren’t able to be entirely independent

• Unfair treatment towards as he paid them very little to make a profit

• presents one of the seven deadly sins - greed and being ludicrous

P2, Q3: avaricious nature continues as he says that he has to “keep labour costs down”

• when confronted about his actions, he tries to justify himself for his decision

• Showcases to us as the readers normalised injustice when having a voice - shows how the capitalist men from higher classes benefitted within society - Eva Smith was collateral damage the working class were when someone would get fired