English Literature: An Inspector Calls: Quotes

“as if we were all mixed up like bees in a hive” & “community and all that nonsense”

Act 1

Mr B

Mr Birling: Shows capitalism views, believes he should be separated from lower classes

The Inspector: Opposed to Mr Birling later disproves these notions

Responsibility: Mr B dosen’t want to accept responsibility for others: every man for himself

Social Class: Mr B dosen’t associate with or accept lower class

Different Generations: Sheila, inspector and eric don’t agree with this

“unsinkable” & “nobody wants war”

Act 1

Mr B

Mr B: Dramatic irony, shows is views to be wrong so capitalism is wrong

“ I don’t play golf”

Act 1

Inspector

Inspector: Separating himself from Mr B and capitalist views

Social Class: Golf something seen as place for business and inspector separates himself from that world

Different Generations: Only impressive to older generations - outdated status symbol

“ He’s giving us the rope so that we hang ourselves”

Act 3

Sheila

Sheila: Awareness at inspector’s intentions and her family’s destructive actions

The inspector: Make it clear to the audience of his knowledge and intentions

Generations: Sheila able to comprehend new and unpleasant ideas

“young women ought to be protected” & “we all know one young women who wasn’t”

Act 2

The inspector (& Gerald)

Sheila: Gerald is attempting to control Sheila while undermining her - Men always trying to control her

Inspector: Recognises no difference between what women and men should hear - undermining gerald, recognises the difference in class

Social Class: Sheila is protected because of upper class but Eva was not only not protected but pushed into “disturbing and unpleasant things” because she’s lower class

Gender: Opinion of the time- women could not understand or cope with confusing or distressing things. But only women of upper class deserved that protection

“ you heard her”

Act 2

Gerald

Sheila: words being put into to her mouth so that Gerald gets what he wants

Gender: women being spoken for

“there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths”

Act 3

Inspector

The inspector: Clearly presents his socialist views and displays to the audience that the Birlings and Eva Smith are a microcosm for society

Responsibility: Imploring that the Birlings and the audience recognise the severity of the problem and even if Eva Smith has got justice there are still more who deserve it

“we don’t live alone” & “we are members of one body”

Act 3

The inspector

The inspector: Forcing audience and Birlings to recognise and accept collective responsibility

Responsibility: Upper class must take responsibility for those who cannot do it themselves

Social Class: Upper class must take responsibility for their actions that affect the lower class

“taught it in fire and blood and anguish”

Act 3

The inspector

Inspector: Hell? between all of them the Birlings have committed all of the 7 deadly sins so to put affects of what they have done in to something that can be comprehended

“we’ve several hundred young women there”

Act 1

Mr Birling

Mr Birling: Groups people together because they aren’t of interest to him due to their class

Social Class: Mr B doesn’t recognise them as individual people due to class

Generations: Sheila and Inspector recognise them as individuals

Gender: Perhaps they would be more memorable if they were men

“Chain of events”

Act 1

The inspector

The inspector: Socialist views link to we don’t live alone and we are all members of one body. Contradicts mr B wrong view of “community and all that nonsense”

Responsibility: Our seemingly small actions have repercussions that can alter other’s lives

“these people”

Act 1

Mr Birling

Mr Birling: Separating himself from the lower class

Responsibility: Mr B feels no responsibility for them because they don’t affect him

Social Class: Mr B separating himself from the lower class

Different generations: Others are able to recognise them as individuals

“was it an accident”

Act 1

Sheila

Sheila: Initial shield from the real world and her naivety of it

Social Class: Sheila is shielded because she is upper class. Eva is not

“I hate those hard-eyed, dough faced” & “soft brown hair and big brown eyes”

Act 2

Eric

Gender: people like Eric have made those women like that and they will make Eva/ Daisy like that

“He means that I’m getting hysterical now”

Act 2

Sheila

Sheila: she has been taught that women should be like this and she almost accepts being spoken for

Gender: being hysterical a trait only given to women and it was common thought at the time that women would become hysterical when faced with difficult topics/thoughts

“share our guilt”

Act 2

The inspector

Inspector: begins the build to his overall message of collective responsibility

Responsibility: begins the idea of collective responsibility and a chain of events

“child”

Act 2

Mrs B

Mrs B: Her refusal to accept that Sheila is an adult about to be married and her refusal toc accept what her children may be capable of

Different generations: Mrs B’s refusal to see her children as adults

“girls of that class”

Act 2

Mrs B

Mrs B: doesn’t recognise her connection to them or to even see them as people

Responsibility: Mrs b doesn’t feel a responsibility for them because it is their own fault because of what they do

Social Class: separates them from herself and shows her disgust with the word “that”

“he’s only a boy”

Act 2

Mrs B

Mrs B: refusal to accept that Eric drinks so much and her refusal to see her children for what they really are

Generations: older generations excuse their children’s actions by their apparent young age

Social Class: a man of a lower class would not have been given the same excuses

“i’m not a child don’t you forget”

Act 2

Sheila

Mrs B: Sheila refuses Mrs B insistence that she is a child

Sheila: Her awareness and refusal to be protected

Different Generations: Sheila wants to be recognised as an adult

“mother” “mummy”

Act 1 & 3

Sheila

Sheila: signifies her growth

Different Generations: younger generations growth

“each of you helped to kill her”

Act 3

Inspector

Inspector: continues theme of collective responsibility

Responsibility: adds to the idea of chain of vents and collective responsibility

“all intertwined with our lives”

Act 3

Inspector

Inspector: “chain of events” and that they are in fact all “mixed up like bees in a hive”

Responsibility: They are mixed up together despite gender and class

“these girls aren’t cheap labour - they’re people”

Act 1

Sheila

Mr B: Sheila’s response to his referral to these girls as only pawns to help him

Sheila: Her awareness from the start of the realness of what they’re talking about

Responsibility: she may already be recognising the responsibility that they all have

Social Class: recognition that they’re class doesn’t make them not human

Generations: Sheila from a younger generations is able to understand easily compared to her parents

Gender: Mr B (man) sees them as nothing whereas Sheila (woman) sees them as people