Shelia - Responsibility

Key Quote

"""But these girls aren't cheap labour - they're people."" (Act 1) "

Technique 1

"Sheila’s juxtaposition of “cheap labour” and “people” rejects her father’s dehumanising (not human) capitalist mindset. She challenges the view of workers as expendable resources, emphasising their humanity against exploitation (taking advantage)."

RAD

"Sheila’s empathy foils (opposes) Mr Birling’s remorseless (no guilt) dismissal, challenging the bourgeois mindset of profits over people. "

Technique 2

"Sheila’s syntax (word order), ending with “they’re people,” gives emotional weight to her realisation and responsibility. Priestley uses her as a dramatic vehicle (message tool) to critique laissez-faire capitalism’s unscrupulous (immoral) exploitation of the proletariat."

Context

Women: Sheila’s empathy shows the interconnectedness (all connected) of gender and class struggles, challenging the dehumanisation of working-class women. Class System: Sheila scrupulously (morally correct) defies her father’s belief, recognising workers’ humanity against class exploitation."

WOW

"Sheila’s line adds to the unity of action, marking a pivotal (turning) moment in the play’s focus on collective guilt. Priestley’s use of unities intensifies the scrupulous (moral) urgency, showing the interconnectedness (all connected) of every action."