| How is Sheila presented? | She is shown as a bubbly, young woman who is excited for the dinner. She's also very happy with her life. |
| How is Mr Birling presented? | He is shown as a boastful, heavy man who wants to be seen as the head of the family. |
| How is Mrs Birling presented? | She is shown as a cold woman who doesn't like banter. She has a high status she she sees herself as higher and more important than others. |
| How is Gerald presented? | He is presented as an intelligent, wealthy man who is charming and well-kept. |
| How is Eric presented? | He is presented as slightly on edge and not at ease. He's quiet but catches onto things. |
| Why might Eric be described as "half shy, half assertive"? | He may be described this way because he is hiding something, so it shows his suspiciousness. |
| Who do the stage directions describe when they say of the characters is portentous? | Mr Birling. |
| Why is Inspector Goole's name important? | His name is important because it connotes mystery and suspiciousness, it's also a use of nomenclature. |
| What year and era is the book set? | 1912, the Education Era. |
| Where is a sense of disquiet - unusualness - shown between Sheila and Gerald? | This is shown between Sheila's and Gerald's interactions, for example, when she receives the ring the Gerald wanted her to have. |
| How does Sheila address her parents in the first act? | She addresses them as mummy and daddy. |
| What is anadiplosis? | When you begin the sentnece or clause with the ending of a sentence or clause, e.g. "Our doubt is our passion, and our passion is our task" |
| Where does a theme of responsibility emerge? | When Mr Biriling refuses to even consider the fact that he may be at fault by discharging Eva. |
| What party did Priestly support in 1945? | Labour. |
| What impression do we have of Sheila when she calls her parents mummy or daddy? | She comes across as naive. |
| What are the four main themes? | Social responsibility, age, gender and class. |
| How does Sheila show social responsibility? | "How could i know what would happen afterwards ... it did not seem to be anything terrible at the time"
"It was my own fault"
"I had her turned out of a job.I started it"
“I’ll never, never do it again to anybody"
At the beginning, Sheila didn't seem to take responsibility for what had happened. She showed how we need to realise that we won't always be able to predict the significance of our actions. However, later, Sheila takes responsibility for her actions and tells the truth. She's 'miserable' and owns up for her wrongs. |
| How does Eric show social responsibility? | "You lot may be letting yourselves out nicely, but I can't"
Eric clearly shows that he has a sense of social responsibility. Whilst Gerald and Eric's parents are enjoying being in the clear, Eric still takes the matter of Eva's death very seriously. He is even brave enough to tell his mother that she should feel responsible too. |
| How doesn't Miss Birling show social responsibility? | "But I think she had only herself to blame”
“Go and look for the father of the child. It’s his responsibility”
“I’ve done nothing wrong – and you know it.”
“I accept no blame at all”
Throughout the whole play, Mrs Birling shows no signs of responsibility, dismissing the idea that we should be responsible for each other since it would be 'awkward'. |
