aic words

bourgeois

rich upper middle class with materialistic values

didactic

teaches a moral lesson about social responsibility and the need for change

catalyst

the inspector is a catalyst that forces the billings to face their wrongdoing

juxtaposition

contrast between young and old Birlings to show the different generations’ attitudes towards social change

hypocrisy

saying one thing but doing the opposite. evident in mrs birling as her hypocrisy indicates how the upper class refuses to take responsibility for others

collective responsibility

the idea that everyone is responsible for each other, the message priestley is pushing

allegory

a story where characters represent bigger ideas. the whole play is an allegory for social justice and the dangers of ignoring inequality

proletariat

the working middle or lower class

mouthpiece

a character who vocalises someone else’s views. in an inspector calls priestley uses the inspector as his mouthpiece as he cannot be in the play himself so uses the inspector to critique and indict capitalism. this is particularly shown in his final speech where he indicts capitalism’s selfishness and promotes the need for collective social change and a social conscience

debonair

describes gerald. confident, stylish, charming. from act 1 there is a debonair atmosphere from gerald, exemplified through the stage direction man about town, so from the offset we can see this presentation of gerald as well liked and respected with a charming persona. the debonair persona is as a result of his aristocratic background

sardonic

describes eric. mocking or cynical. eric becomes increasingly sardonic, particularly towards his father. he begins to question the ethics behind capitalism and the dehumanising treatment of the lower classes and individuals like eva smith.

political diatribe

forceful, bitter attack. the play was a political diatribe against the Edwardian capitalist system at the time. Priestley was attacking the system to show that not only did it create inequality but it ultimately led to tragedy, manifested through Eva’s death

hubris

excessive pride: the billings and Gerald, especially at the time of pink and intimate lighting. by the end Eric and sheila are able to let go of this but the rest are more reluctant