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AIC key themes - Coggle Diagram
AIC key themes
Gender
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Context
Life in 1912 when the play is set= Back then men had all the power and women couldn't vote. Rich girls like Sheila were sheltered from the real world and expected to marry a rich man, while working-class girls like Eva had low wages and almost no rights if men treated them badly.
Life in 1945 when Priestley wrote it= By the end of World War II women had been doing factory and military jobs while men were away fighting. Priestley wrote the play to remind the audience how unequal things used to be in 1912 pushing them to build a fairer and socialist society.
At the start, Sheila lets Gerald and her parents boss her around, but by the end, she hands back her engagement ring and stands up to them. She represents the "New Woman" who refuses to just sit quietly and obey men.
responsibility
Context
Socialism vs Capitalism: Priestley was a socialist. He hated the capitalist mindset where rich bosses like Mr Birling only cared about workers for profit and he used Inspector Goole to put his own views across to the audience.
1912 vs 1945: Priestley wrote the play in 1945 after World War Two but set it in 1912. In 1912, rich people didn't care about the poor. By 1945, people had survived two wars and realised society needed to change and become fairer so the audience already knew Mr Birling was wrong
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The younger gen vs older gen: Sheila and eric who are younger learn to accept their responsibility for their involvement and their actions at the end and feel remorse where as Mr birling and mrs birling wold take any responsibility at all and kept denying even when the inspector calls them out on it
class/social status
Context
Priestley was a socialist who used the Birling family to warn post war Britain not to go back into selfish pre war class inequality.
"Eva" alludes to Eve representing all women while "Smith" is the most common working class surname in Britain. She has no voice or power in the play, symbolising how the working class is acted upon rather than heard
Changes name to daisy renton - daisy like the flower common but delicate and rento like she was being borrowed - rented
Quotes
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''Public men, Mr Birling, have responsibilities as well as privileges” - Inspector
age
Context
In 1912 rich dads like Mr Birling ruled the house and expected their kids to just sit there agree with everything they said and never talk back which is why eric felt like he couldn't talk to his dad about anything.
After ww2 he wanted Britain to become a fairer and more socialist country.He believed that young people were the ones who would make that happen because they weren't obsessed with old fashioned class rules
Quotes
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“Just let me finish, Eric. You've a lot to learn yet.”-Mr birling
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