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An Inspector Calls - Coggle Diagram
An Inspector Calls
Mr Birling
He is the owner of Birling and Co., a factory business. He believes that his worker's pay is reasonable.
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'You ought to like this port, Gerald. As a matter of fact, Finchley told me it's the same port your father gets from him.'
‘Now you have brought us together, and perhaps we may look forward to a time when Crofts and Birlings are no longer competing but are working together – for lower costs and higher prices. ’
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'I'm talking as a hard-headed, practical man of business. And I say there isn't a chance of war.'
‘Unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable’
'There's a fair chance that I might find my way into the next Honours List.' Just a knighthood, of course'-'But it’s a bit too early for that. So don’t say anything.'
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The inspector
"need not be a big man, but he creates at once an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness"
Sheila is struck by the truth of what the Inspector says, showing that he is a powerful, manipulative and interesting character.
“Two hours ago a young woman died in the Infirmary. She’d been taken there this afternoon because she’d swallowed a lot of strong disinfectant. Burnt her inside out, of course” the inspector is very blunt and does not use euphemism
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“...It would do us all a bit of good if sometimes we tried to put ourselves in the place of these young women counting their pennies in their dingy little back bedroom”
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“Public men, Mr Birling, have responsibilities as well as privileges”
“You’ve had children. You must have known what she was feeling. And you slammed the door in her face”
Sheila
'Yes – except for all last summer, when you never came near me, and I wondered what had happened to you.'
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'Oh, how horrible! Was it an accident?'
You knew it was me all the time, didn’t you?
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'No, not really. It was my own fault. (Suddenly, to Gerald) All right, Gerald, you needn’t look at me like that. At least, I’m trying to tell the truth. I expect you’ve done things you’re ashamed of too.'
Gerald
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'Mrs Birling, the inspector knows all that. And I don't think it's a very good idea to remind him'
'Sorry- I- well, I've suddenly realized- taken it in properly- that she's dead-'
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Mrs Birling
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‘Sheila! What an expression! Really, the things you girls pick up these days!’
'Now Sheila don’t tease him. When you're married you'll realise that men with important work to do sometimes have to spend nearly all their time and energy on their business.'
‘Now Arthur, I don’t think you ought to talk business on an occasion like this.’
It isn't true. You know him, Gerald - and you're a man - you must know it isn't true.'
‘I don’t suppose for a moment that we can understand why the girl committed suicide. Girls of that class-’
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Eva Smith/Daisy Renton
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She is often referred to as 'the girl', which highlights her youth and innocence.
Priestley uses Eva Smith as a symbol to represent the working class women (and men) who are exploited by capitalists like the Birling family.
Eric
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“early twenties, not quite at ease, half shy, half assertive”