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English - An Inspector Calls - Coggle Diagram
English - An Inspector Calls
Arthur Birling
Head of the Birling household
Wealthy "hard-headed" business man
Active community of Brumely and thinks he might be in the running for a Knighthood
Materialistic and possessive
Old fashioned views about women
Insecure about coming from a working-class background
Comes across as arrogant in the beginning of the play
Socially inferior to his wife
Arrogant
"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"
his arrogance and complacency are made very clear when he repeats the idea of war being "impossible" - pushing his views onto others
as the audience knows his views and predictions are incorrect e.g he states the titanic is "unsinkable, the audience loose trust in him
makes long speeches about subjects the audience would know are incorrect (dramatic irony) and is certain he is correct
Patronising views (women)
"...clothes mean something quite different to a woman. Not just something to wear - and not only something to make 'em look prettier."
suggests he is sexist by stating how he thinks clothes are more important to women than they are men because women use them to make them seem more attractive to please men
the way he states "to make 'em look prettier" also suggests how he objectifies women too
makes old fashioned and patronising points on women about how they dress and their appearance
Capitalist
"..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"
clear he is driven by money (capitalist)
the fact he sees his daughters engagement as a chance to make profit from her marriage shows to what extent how greedy and self obsessed he is
he doesn't consider the impact "higher prices" may have on others just how it will benefit him
business man who's main goal is making money , this makes him come across as greedy
Possessive
"Is there any reason why my wife should answer questions from you, Inspector?"
the emphasis on Sybil being "his wife" suggests he sees her as a possession
he does not allow Sybil to talk for herself
on a number of occasions Mr Birling refers to people or things "being his"
Context
Play was written after WW2
J B Priestly believed in socialism
Mr Birling represents the greedy business men who only care for themselves
Priestly uses him to show how the Eva Smiths of the world will continue to suffer if men like him stay in the position they have
Gerald Croft
Sheila Birling
Eric Birling
Sybil Birling
Mr Birlings wife
cold-hearted and snobbish despite being a prominent member of a local women's charity
still sees both of he children as young children not established adults
her uncaring nature eventually leads to her downfall and forces her to unknowingly condemn her son
Cold
unsympathetic when describing Eva Smith's situation
she pressumes because Eva is poor, pregnant and single she is a bad person
"She was claiming elaborate fine feelings and scruples that were simply absurd in a girl in her position."
assumes because Eva is unmarried she is unable to have "fine feelings", a very cruel and cold opinion
Ignorant
when eric is accused of drinking she quickly jumps to his defence
"No, of course not. He's only a boy." And later "(staggered) it isn’t true."
her ignorance is shown when she defends eric
stating eric is "only a boy". Eric is a young man and no longer a boy, Sybil refuses to see this and her shock (staggered) is further evidence of this
Snobbish
she shows she is snobbish when she criticises a member of her family
"What an expression, Sheila! Really, the things you girls pick up these days!"
Sybil has snobbish opinions that people should speak and behave 'properly'
Sybil shouts at Sheila for using the word squiffy - which means drunk
Sybil Birling, like her husband Arthur, represents a type of middle-class snobbery that existed prior to the World Wars
Daisy Renton
Inspector Goole
Eva Smith