characters on the birlings in an inspector calls

Question 1

arthur birling

Answer 1

“And I’m talking as a hard-headed, practical man of business. And I say there isn’t a chance of war. The world’s developing so fast that it’ll make war impossible.”

Question 2

arthur birling

Answer 2

“…clothes mean something quite different to a woman. Not just something to wear - and not only something to make ‘em look prettier.’”

Question 3

arthur birling

Answer 3

“…we may look forward to the time when Crofts and Birlings are no longer competing but are working together - for lower costs and higher prices.”

Question 4

arthur birling

Answer 4

“Is there any reason why my wife should answer questions from you, Inspector?”

Question 5

sybil birling

Answer 5

“She was claiming elaborate fine feelings and scruples that were simply absurd in a girl in her position.”

Question 6

sybil birling

Answer 6

“No, of course not. He’s only a boy.” And later “(staggered) it isn’t true.”

Question 7

sybil birling

Answer 7

“She was claiming elaborate fine feelings and scruples that were simply absurd in a girl in her position.”

Question 8

sybil birling

Answer 8

“What an expression, Sheila! Really, the things you girls pick up these days!”

Question 9

sybil birling

Answer 9

Secondly, I blame the young man who was the father of the child she was going to have. If, as she said, he didn’t belong to her class, and was some drunken young idler, then that’s all the more reason why he shouldn’t escape. He should be made an example of. If the girl’s death is due to anybody, then it’s due to him.

Question 10

sheila birling

Answer 10

“I’m sorry Daddy actually I was listening.”

Question 11

sheila birling

Answer 11

“I tell you - whoever that inspector was, it was anything but a joke.”

Question 12

sheila birling

Answer 12

“Yes, of course it is. That’s what I meant when I talked about building up a wall that’s sure to be knocked flat. It makes it all harder to bear.”

Question 13

sheila birling

Answer 13

I don’t dislike you as I did half an hour ago, Gerald. In fact, in some odd way, I rather respect you more than I’ve ever done before. I knew anyhow you were lying about those months last year when you hardly came near me. I knew there was something fishy about that time. And now at least you’ve been honest. And I believe what you told us about the way you helped her at first. Just out of pity. And it was my fault really that she was so desperate when you first met her. But this has made a difference. You and I aren’t the same people who sat down to dinner here. We’d have to start all over again, getting to know each other.

Question 14

Eric birling

Answer 14

“I don’t know - really. Suddenly I felt I just had to laugh.”

Question 15

Eric birling

Answer 15

“No, I mean about this girl - Eva Smith. Why shouldn’t they try for higher wages? We try for the highest possible prices. And I don’t see why she should have been sacked just because she’d a bit more spirit than the others.”

Question 16

Eric birling

Answer 16

“(bursting out) What’s the use of talking about behaving sensibly. You’re beginning to pretend now that nothing’s really happened at all. And I can’t see it like that. This girl’s still dead, isn’t she? Nobody’s brought her to life, have they?”

Question 17

what does this quote mean?

“Sure to be, unless Eric’s been up to something.”

Answer 17

Mr Birling suggests that he is in line for a knighthood so long as the family have behaved themselves. Gerald confidently makes a joke at Eric’s expense which is full of irony.

Question 18

what does this quote mean?

“All right. I knew her. Let’s leave it at that.”

Answer 18

This abrupt line of dialogue shows how initially Gerald is very evasive about his involvement with Eva Smith and wants to close down the topic as soon as possible.

Question 19

what does this quote mean?

“The girl saw me looking at her and then gave me a glance that was nothing less than a cry for help.”

Answer 19

Gerald honestly tells the story of how he met Eva. He was in the wrong to have an affair and then abandon Eva but, his use of emotive language ‘cry for help’ makes us realise that he genuinely felt sorry for her and wanted to help her.

Question 20

what does the sentence mean?

…he creates at once an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness.

Answer 20

The fact that his presence combines ‘massiveness’ with ‘purposefulness’ suggests that the Inspector would be a very imposing figure.

Question 21

what does this quotation mean?

“Her position now is that she lies with a burnt out inside on a slab.”

Answer 21

This is such a shocking image presented in plain language, it is not surprising that it impacts upon the emotions of the other characters and the audience. The Inspector uses this language intentionally to make the family more likely to confess.

Question 22

what does this quote reinforce?

“And I tell you that the time will soon come when, if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish. Good night.”

Answer 22

The Inspector predicts a hell like future, filled with a nightmarish vision of ‘fire’ and ‘blood’. Priestley experienced war first hand, so some suspect that what he saw in wartime influenced the Inspector’s final speech.

Question 23

what does this quote mean?
Birling: “…she’d been working in one of our machine shops for over a year. A good worker too. In fact, the foreman there told me he was ready to promote her into what we call a leading operator - head of a small group of girls. But after they came back from their holidays that August, they were all rather restless, and they suddenly decided to ask for more money.”

Answer 23

Even by Mr Birling’s own admission, Eva Smith had lots of qualities that showed her strong will - she was lively, worked well and was in line for a promotion. He sees her asking for more money as a bad thing, as Eric later states ‘I don’t see why she should have been sacked just because she’d a bit more spirit than the others. You said yourself she was a good worker.’ The same strong will that made her stand out as a good worker eventually got her the sack.

Question 24

what does this quote highlight?
“Well, when I tried the thing on and looked at myself and knew that it was all wrong, I caught sight of this girl smiling at Miss Francis - as if to say: ‘doesn’t she look awful’ - and I was absolutely furious.”

Answer 24

Here the audience would empathise with Eva and see her laughing at Sheila as showing that she has a good sense of humour and a human side. If Priestley had not shown this side to Eva then she might have come across as ‘too good to be true’ and would not be believable as a character.

Question 25

what does this quote illustrate?
Inspector: “She kept a rough sort of diary. And she said there that she had to go away and be quiet and remember ‘just to make it last longer’. She felt there’d never be anything as good again for her - so she had to make it last longer”.

Answer 25

The Inspector explains how Eva Smith went away to be ‘quiet’ and to ‘remember’. These words clearly show that Eva was emotionally sensitive. The fact she also felt that ‘there’d never be anything as good again for her’ make us realise how devastated she was when Gerald ended their relationship. The fact that Gerald just got back on with his life and relationship with Sheila makes the audience empathise even more with the sensitive Eva.

Question 26

what are the websites that I took it from and use the hyperlinks as well.

Answer 26

BBC bitesize:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zwscxsg/revision/8
quizlet:
https://quizlet.com/116600977/english-mr-birling-quotes-inspector-calls-flash-cards/
CRAM:
https://www.cram.com/flashcards/an-inspector-calls–6661764