Mr Birling in TEN Quotations - 'An Inspector Calls' GCSE English Literature Revision
Summary
TLDRIn this video, Liam explores 10 pivotal quotations from JB Priestley's 'An Inspector Calls,' focusing on the character Mr. Birling. Liam delves into Mr. Birling's portrayal as a symbol of pre-World War I business owners, highlighting his capitalist mindset and patriarchal authority. The analysis spans the play, offering spoken commentary on each quotation and its significance. Liam also discusses Priestley's intentions, suggesting that Mr. Birling represents the negative aspects of power and capitalism, and may be used to critique anti-socialist views. The video concludes with a call to action for viewers to engage with the content and subscribe for more insightful literary analysis.
Takeaways
- 😀 Liam introduces himself and his role as Mr. Birling, setting the stage for discussing the character from J.B. Priestley's 'An Inspector Calls'.
- 🔍 The video aims to highlight 10 key quotations from the play that are significant for understanding Mr. Birling's character.
- 📚 Mr. Birling, or Arthur Birling, is depicted as the patriarch of a 1912 family and a self-made man with a vague business, representing pre-World War I business owners.
- 💼 Mr. Birling is characterized by his capitalist mindset, prioritizing business interests over personal relationships, as seen in his reaction to his daughter's engagement.
- 🗣️ The play uses Mr. Birling's dialogue and reactions to展现 his arrogance and self-importance, particularly in his self-description as a 'hard-headed practical man of business'.
- 😤 Stage directions and punctuation in the script are analyzed to reveal Mr. Birling's impatience and defensiveness when questioned by the inspector.
- 👨👦 Mr. Birling's relationship with his son Eric is explored, showing a lack of emotional support and understanding, indicative of his poor parenting.
- 💬 Dialogue from other characters, like Eric, provides insight into Mr. Birling's character, revealing his unapproachable nature and the family's strained dynamics.
- 😔 Mr. Birling's reaction to the inspector's inquiries about Eva/Daisy's death shows a fleeting moment of apparent remorse, suggesting a potential for change.
- 🤑 Despite短暂的悔意, Mr. Birling quickly reverts to his money-obsessed nature, prioritizing financial matters over his son's emotional state.
- 😏 The final quotations of the play reinforce Mr. Birling's cruelty and mockery towards his children, showcasing his lack of empathy and the enduring nature of his capitalist and anti-socialist views.
- 📖 The analysis suggests that Priestley intentionally crafted Mr. Birling as a negative representation of power, capitalism, and anti-socialist views to critique the societal issues leading to war.
Q & A
What is the significance of the 10 quotations selected for Mr. Birling in J.B. Priestley's 'An Inspector Calls'?
-The 10 quotations are significant as they span the entire play and provide insights into Mr. Birling's character, his capitalist mindset, and his evolving views throughout the story. They also reflect Priestley's intentions in portraying a character that represents certain societal attitudes of the time.
How does Mr. Birling's character represent the pre-World War I business owners?
-Mr. Birling represents pre-World War I business owners through his vague business dealings, which symbolize the broad spectrum of businesses of that era. His character embodies the capitalist mindset, power, status, and authority that were prevalent among business owners at the time.
What does Mr. Birling's reaction to the inspector's questions reveal about his character?
-Mr. Birling's initial impatience and later attempts to regain control through politeness and flattery reveal his discomfort with being questioned and his struggle with losing the upper hand. It shows his self-preserving nature and his tendency to prioritize his status and authority.
How does Mr. Birling's interaction with his son Eric highlight his parenting style?
-Eric's statement that he couldn't go to Mr. Birling for help in times of trouble indicates a lack of emotional support and understanding from Mr. Birling. This interaction highlights Mr. Birling's poor parenting style, where he is more focused on financial support than emotional connection.
What does Mr. Birling's reaction to the inspector's final speech say about his attitude towards the working class?
-Mr. Birling's unhappiness and willingness to offer a pay rise to Eva/Daisy after her death, despite coming too late, suggests a possible mellowing of his capitalist views and a rare moment of caring for a member of the working class. However, this change is short-lived, indicating his slow learning and entrenched attitudes.
How does Mr. Birling's behavior after the inspector leaves reflect his values?
-Mr. Birling's immediate focus on the repayment of stolen money rather than his son's emotional state or the loss of a grandchild shows his prioritization of financial matters over human relationships, reinforcing his money-obsessed and harsh character traits.
What message does Priestley convey through Mr. Birling's mockery of the inspector and his own children?
-Through Mr. Birling's mockery, Priestley conveys a message about the cruelty and lack of empathy of certain members of the older generation. This behavior also serves to highlight the character's anti-socialist views and his inability to learn from the inspector's lessons.
How does Mr. Birling's final speech in the play contribute to the audience's lasting impression of him?
-Mr. Birling's final speech, where he mocks his children for being part of the 'younger generation who know it all,' leaves a lasting impression of his cruelty and his refusal to change or accept responsibility. It reinforces the negative qualities Priestley attributes to the older, capitalist generation.
What might be Priestley's intentions in creating Mr. Birling as a character?
-Priestley might have created Mr. Birling to represent the power dynamics of 1912, to critique capitalist views, and to challenge anti-socialist attitudes. By portraying Mr. Birling negatively, Priestley may be advocating for a more socially responsible and less individualistic society.
How does the analysis of stage directions and punctuation in the quotations contribute to the understanding of Mr. Birling's character?
-The analysis of stage directions and punctuation provides insights into Mr. Birling's emotional state and thought processes. For example, the use of dashes in his lines indicates uncertainty or pressure, while changes in tone reflect his attempts to regain control or his reactions to losing authority.
Outlines
📜 Introduction to Mr. Birling's Character Analysis
The video introduces Liam, who discusses the character of Mr. Birling from J.B. Priestley's play 'An Inspector Calls.' Liam plans to analyze 10 key quotations from the play that are significant for understanding Mr. Birling. He provides a brief overview of Mr. Birling's character, highlighting his patriarchal role in a 1912 family setting, his ownership of an unspecified business, and his representation of pre-World War One business owners. Mr. Birling is depicted as enjoying power and status, aspiring to be the Lord Mayor and desiring a knighthood. His character is also shown to be challenged by his role in Eva Smith's suicide and his interactions with his children, reflecting his upbringing and values.
💬 Quotations Reflecting Mr. Birling's Arrogance and Business Mindset
Liam analyzes several quotations that reveal Mr. Birling's arrogance and business-oriented mindset. The first quotation from the stage directions describes Mr. Birling as heavy-looking, pompous, and provincial, suggesting a life of luxury and a lack of physical labor. The second and third quotations, from Mr. Birling's toast, show his capitalist views, focusing on business collaboration and cost efficiency over personal relationships. The fourth and fifth quotations highlight Mr. Birling's impatience and defensiveness when questioned by the inspector, indicating his discomfort with being challenged and his usual position of power.
👨👦 Mr. Birling's Relationship with Family and His Self-Preservation
This section delves into Mr. Birling's interactions with his family, particularly his son Eric. A quotation where Eric explains why he didn't seek help from his father for his troubles paints Mr. Birling as an unsupportive and emotionally distant parent. Further quotations show Mr. Birling's self-preservation and lack of empathy, as he remains calm and polite when the inspector shifts the focus of the investigation to other family members, indicating a selfish and self-centered attitude.
💵 Capitalism and Lack of Empathy in Mr. Birling's Character
The analysis continues with quotations that underscore Mr. Birling's capitalist nature and lack of empathy. Despite the inspector's reminders of the consequences of his actions, Mr. Birling remains fixated on financial matters, showing little concern for his son's emotional state or the loss of a potential grandchild. His harshness and obsession with money are evident in his reactions to Eric's theft and the family's emotional turmoil.
😏 Cruelty and Mockery: Mr. Birling's Final Impressions
The final quotations analyzed in the video reveal Mr. Birling's cruelty and mocking nature, especially towards his children. Even after the inspector's departure and the revelation of the fraud, Mr. Birling fails to show compassion, instead choosing to ridicule his children's emotional responses. These actions reinforce the play's portrayal of Mr. Birling as a representative of the older, capitalist generation, whose negative qualities may have contributed to societal issues. The video concludes with a discussion on Priestley's intentions for creating such a character, suggesting a critique of power, capitalism, and anti-socialist views.
📝 Conclusion and Encouragement for Further Engagement
Liam concludes the video by encouraging viewers to engage with the content, offering assistance for their studies and inviting feedback or questions. He emphasizes the importance of understanding Priestley's intentions behind Mr. Birling's character and how it reflects societal criticisms. The video ends on a positive note, wishing viewers well and reminding them of the importance of taking breaks during revision.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Patriarchal
💡Capitalist Mindset
💡Self-made Man
💡Etiquette
💡Lord Mayor
💡Authority
💡Catalyst Views
💡Social Class
💡Power Dynamics
💡Anti-Socialist Views
Highlights
Introduction to the importance of analyzing quotations for understanding Mr. Birling's character in J.B. Priestley's 'An Inspector Calls'.
Liam introduces himself and the purpose of the video, which is to provide key quotations for analyzing Mr. Birling.
Mr. Birling is described as a heavy-looking, pompous, and provincial character, indicating his background and attitude.
Mr. Birling's capitalist mindset is revealed through his focus on business benefits over personal happiness during his daughter's engagement celebration.
The term 'hard-headed practical man of business' is used by Mr. Birling to describe himself, showing his self-perception and values.
Mr. Birling's impatience and defensiveness are highlighted during the inspector's questioning, revealing his discomfort with scrutiny.
A change in Mr. Birling's tone is noted when the inspector shifts focus from him to other family members, showing Mr. Birling's relief and selfishness.
Eric's statement about not being able to approach Mr. Birling for help illustrates the lack of emotional support from Mr. Birling as a father.
Mr. Birling's unhappiness and willingness to pay thousands are mentioned when reminded of Eva/Daisy's death, suggesting a potential shift in his views.
Mr. Birling's harsh and money-obsessed nature is displayed when he confronts his son about stolen money, prioritizing finances over emotional well-being.
Mr. Birling's mocking of the inspector and his own children after discovering the inspector's fraud reveals his cruelty and lack of empathy.
The final quotation of the play shows Mr. Birling mocking the 'younger generation,' reinforcing his disconnection and negative portrayal.
Analysis of Priestley's intentions behind creating Mr. Birling as a character, suggesting he represents the capitalist views and power structure of 1912.
Discussion on how Mr. Birling's character is used to critique capitalist and anti-socialist views, reflecting Priestley's own stance.
Encouragement for viewers to like, comment, and subscribe for more content, emphasizing the educational value of the video.
Transcripts
here I have 26 different quotations that
I think are really important for us to
think about what we think about mr.
Birling in JB Priestley's and inspector
calls but which 10 do I think are the
most important let's find out
[Music]
hey everyone it's me Liam aka mr. Knight
aka dystopia drunky and if you're
watching this video then it's because
you're looking for some quotations for
the character mr. Birling in JB
Priestley's play and inspector calls
well congrats to you because in this
video I am going to give you 10 that's
right a whopping 10 quotations for the
character and I've even made sure that
they span the whole play alongside each
quotation i will be doing some spoken
analysis so you might find it useful to
grab a pen and paper before the
quotations I will quickly summarize the
character and after them I will also
think a little about Priestley's
intentions for making the character
exactly the way that they are so make
sure you stick around for the whole
video and of course if as you're
watching this video you think that it is
super helpful and that you would like
some more content like this you can let
me know by dropping the video a like
commenting on it and of course
subscribing to my channel I've recently
hit 400 subs and so I guess the race is
on to hit 500
so here is my quick summary of mr.
Birling his first name is arthur and so
you might hear me call him
arthur Burling or mr. Birling throughout
this video those are all interchangeable
terms he is the head of the Burling
family in 1912 which is when this play
is set families were very patriarchal
and so the dads they are in charge mr.
Birling owns a business
although curiously we never find out
what it is that his business makes or
does this vagueness helps him to
represent all pre World War one business
owners he is also a character who
displays catalyst views throughout the
play Arthur might be a self-made man as
I mentioned in my context video which if
you haven't seen that other link for is
appearing on screen about now
he hasn't necessarily always belonged in
the top end of the middle class which we
can see by a number of things including
his slip-ups
when it comes to etiquette mr. Birling
enjoys power status and authority he
mentions being the Lord Mayor of Bromley
which is an elected role a few times in
the play he gets excited about the idea
of receiving a knighthood and he drinks
the same port that Gerald's upper-class
father drinks and so on on the flipside
Arthur does not like it when his power
status or authority are challenged and
we'll see this in just a little bit and
importantly his role in Eva Smith's
suicide is that he sacked her from her
job at his factory because she went on a
strike you could I guess argue that he
raised Sheila and Eric in certain ways
as well and that meant that their poor
behavior also could reflect on him so of
all that out of the way let's look at
some quotations
so here we have the first quotation it
says Arthur Burling is a heavy looking
rather portentous man in his middle 50s
with fairly easy manners but rather
provincial in speech
now this quotation comes from a place
opening stage directions remember that
you can analyze stage directions when
talking about a play and that's the
phrase stage directions also counts as
subject terminology this sentence
suggests many things about mr. Birling
heavy-looking
probably refers to his weight and
general bulk suggesting that he lives a
life of relative luxury and excess
whilst also suggesting that he is
relatively inactive he is dead sits and
bosses people around rather than doing
much labor-intensive work himself rather
portentous suggests that he is a bit
pompous meaning that everything he does
is overly grand and showy indicating to
us as readers from the very start that
he may be a bit arrogant easy in manners
shows that he is somewhat relaxed in
this company by which I mean the family
that he is in charge of which is
important to note given how he behaves
once the inspector is around finally
rather provincial in speech suggests
that Arthur Burling is not naturally
middle-class and that he has come from a
more humble background given that that's
provincial can mean small town or rural
here is our second quotation mr. Birling
says perhaps we may look forward to the
time when Crofts and burling's are known
at competing but are working together
for lower costs and higher prices this
is part of the speech he delivers when
he gives a toast that's the end of the
celebratory dinner this presents Arthur
as business minded as well of the key
reasons for him being happy about his
daughter's engagement is not her
happiness but because of what her
engagement means for his business
it seems that the Crofts this business
is a rival to mr. Berlin's business and
I imagine that it is much bigger too
given the highest status of Gerald's
parents this exemplifies his capitalist
mindset as he is more concerned about
money than people
and for our third quotation we have and
I'm talking as a hard-headed practical
man of business this also comes from his
end of dinner speech I've included this
quotation for a few different reasons
firstly I feel that hard-headed
practical man of business is a nice
short quotation to remember secondly it
shows us what's mr. Birling really
thinks about himself in his own eyes
his identity is rooted in his career he
is a man of business added to list
though we have hard headed which can
mean not sentimental suggesting that he
doesn't care about who he has to step on
in order to get what he wants
practical also makes him seem more of a
doer thinker maybe he sees himself as
somebody who makes quick decisions which
he apparently views as a good thing
rather than somebody who might sit there
and think deeply now by describing
himself in terms that he sees as
positive we could call mr. Birling
arrogant or egotistical unless exam
friendly speech he's full of himself
however we could also say that through
describing himself as this he is
inadvertently embracing his negatives by
being a hard-headed practical man of
business he is an uncaring faultless
money-grubbing full to be honest review
this quotation comes from a much larger
speech which is so useful
Burling says an awful lot between pages
six and seven including his famous
Titanic quotation I intend on covering
that speech in a separate video
quotation number four comes from when
the inspector first starts to question
mr. Birling mr. Birling says somewhat
impatiently look there's nothing
mysterious or scandalous about this
business at least not so far as I'm
concerned now rather than thinking about
the language here although you could say
something about the adjective of
scandalous for sure
I wanted to instead look at the stage
directions and the punctuation which is
also a useful thing to analyze in
certain situations firstly the stage
directions mr. Birling says these lines
somewhat impatiently this suggests that
he is losing his patience with the
inspector because he's not used to you
and does not like being the less
powerful person in a relationship
secondly the punctuation there are four
dashes in this quotation that is can
show when somebody's thoughts are not
totally clear in their own mind and so
they pause frequently and possibly
change their line of argument somewhat
these dashes show mr. Birling to be
under pressure on the back first and not
totally confident of himself
and our fifth quotation comes a little
bit later once the inspector has made it
clear that he wants to question other
members of the Burling family and not
just Arthur upon realizing this mr.
Birling says will a market change of
tone well of course if I'd known earlier
I wouldn't have called you officious and
talks about reporting you you understand
that don't you
inspector the stage directions make it
explicit that mr. Birling must speak
these lines of a market change of tone
which just means noticeably different to
how he spoke before before he was
speaking angrily and abruptly and those
two words are the RET quotations so we
can assume that he is now speaking in a
way that is more calm polite and
measured what's caused this change
though well it seems that mr. Birling is
no longer being scrutinized he is no
longer being put under pressure which
makes him feel better
this positive feeling has come despite
the fact that it is his family his
children or potentially his wife who
will be interrogated instead this chosen
to be selfish self preserving and a bit
careless the incredible politeness of
this quotation which we can see may be
in the final question is also
interesting it is almost as if mr.
Birling is now flattering the inspector
or is being obedient showing that
consciously or not he knows who has more
power in their relationship
our sixth-grade Asian comes much later
on in a play and is actually not from
mr. Birling himself remember that the
things characters say about each other
or to each other can also be very
revealing here we have Eric talking to
his father once it has come out as Erica
stole money in order to support Eva /
Daisy and their unborn child when mr.
Birling asks Eric why he didn't go to
him for supports Eric replies with
because you're not the kind of father a
chap can go to when he's in trouble
that's why immediately this presents mr.
Birling as a poor parent as his son does
not see him as the kind of father our
chapter go to when he's in trouble this
suggests that mr. Birling has always
been a relatively unsupportive father he
may have supported Eric financially and
enabled him to live a good lifestyle but
his parenting has not been supportive in
an emotional sense furthermore because
mr. Birling has to ask Eric why he
didn't go to him for help essentially
showing that mr. Boehm does not know or
believe himself to not be the kind of
father trucker go to when he's in
trouble mr. Berlin could also be seen as
a little deluded he thinks that he is a
good parent and assumes his parental
authority must be respected
our seventh quotation comes a little
later just before the inspectors final
speech as the inspector reminds each
character of the past they played an EVA
slash Daisy's death mr. Birling says
unhappily look inspector I'd give
thousands yes thousands just like our
fourth quotation we could pick up on the
stage directions and the use of dashes
in Arthur's lines the dashes show him to
be on the back foot whereas the stage
directions make his emotions clear he is
unhappy this unhappiness combined with
his dialogue where he expresses that he
would give thousands suggests something
positive about mr. Birling he may be
starting to see the errors of his ways
when reminded that Eva / Daisy is dead
he is sad and says that he would have
given her a pay rise now instead maybe
his catalyst views are starting to
mellow and this is perhaps the most
caring we ever see him be towards a
member of the working class of course
this has come all too late showing that
mr. Birling is a bit thick skull he does
not learn quickly and in orders he
trains his mind all that easily
however the mellowing of mr. burling's
capitalist views does not last that long
the inspector leaves and mr. Birling
immediately turns on his son saying
sternly it doesn't matter to you
apparently nothing matters to you but it
may interest you to know that until
every penny of that money you stole has
repaid you will work for nothing
Priestley's choice of stage directions
and language here present mr. berg as
harsh and money obsessed his main
concerns regarding his son are not to do
with his emotional state his apparent
alcoholism the fact that his unborn
child has been lost or even the fact
that he was just intensely interrogated
by the inspector instead mr. Burnes
concerns are financially based instead
of consoling his son about any of those
things I just mentioned he instead
focuses on the facts as parrot stole
money Burling prioritizes finances over
people time and time again in this play
and although our previous quotation
suggested that he was starting to change
we can see that almost as quickly as the
inspector leaves mr. Burley forgets any
lessons that he may have learned
and here is our penultimate quotation
for mr. Birling which comes once they
have found out that inspector calls a
fraud and that eva / Daisy were multiple
people and that she may not even died he
says imitating the inspector in his
final speech you all helped kill her he
points at Sheila and Eric and laughs and
I wish you could have seen the look on
your faces when he said that simply put
this quotation shows mr. Birling to be
rude and cruel through imitating the
inspector the character who we should
remember clearly demonstrated power over
mr. Birling for at the plate mr. Birling
is mocking him clearly highlighting
anti-socialist views mr. Birling has not
learned a thing from the inspector and
has quickly forgotten how much power he
exerted over him secondly this quotation
presents mr. Birling as cruel his
children are still emotionally stunned
by the inspectors words and rather than
look after his children and make sure
that they are okay he makes them relive
this possibly traumatic experience and
he laughs at them their emotional
discomfort pleases mr. Birling his
calves this views don't just make him
somebody who doesn't care about the poor
but apparently also about his own family
and here we have our final quotation for
mr. Birling which comes on the final
page of the play he says pointing to
Eric and Sheila now look at the pair of
them the famous younger generation who
know it all and they can't even take a
joke this quotation reinforces what I
said about the last quotation mr.
Birling is cruel as he is openly mocking
his children again who are still
emotionally stunned
these last two quotations have come in
quick succession and will give the
audience a lasting impression of mr.
Birling since they come as the very end
of the play as a representative of the
older politically capitalist generation
Priestley may have been trying to
emphasize the negative qualities that he
saw in them it was their inability to
care for their fellow man that may have
inevitably led to fire and blood and
anguish
so it's all well and good being able to
remember lots of quotations above the
character and of course it is even
better if you are also able to analyze
them however in all does it get into the
top grades you need to start to bring in
the office possible intentions when
analyzing a character are thorough mr.
Birling is just a textual construct and
in the first instance he only existed as
a collection of words on a bunch of
pages he's not a real person
so need to think about Priestley's
intentions
why did Priestley make mr. Birling the
way he is well first of all mr. Birling
can be seen as a representation of power
in 1912 he is a wealthy male homeowner
which means that out of all of the
characters in the play is that only one
we know for sure who would have been
able to vote since we don't know enough
about Gerald or the inspector I think
it's also safe for me to say that mr.
boiling is not exactly presented very
positively in this play and so if we
bring those two ideas together we get
the impression that Priestley wanted to
present the people who had power in 1912
in a negative way as it was then who led
the world to its first and later second
world wars
mr. burning can also be seen as the
personification of capitalist views he
is a business owner who seemingly cares
more about money than people as that
extends even to his own family as I just
mentioned mr. Birling has been presented
in a pretty negative light throughout
this play and so it can be said that JB
Priestley may have been rejecting
capitalist views by writing this play
and finally in a similar light once
again Priestley may have written mr.
Birling in the way that he has done in
order to do ride anti-socialist views
throughout the play mr. Birling
openly rejects and mocks socialist views
the idea of being responsible for each
other looking out for one another and so
on and yet he is also presented
negatively in this play he is certainly
not a character audience are supposed to
side with or support this negative
presentation of anti-socialist views is
priestly sway after riding them or if
you prefer it is Priestley's way of
championing socialist views so there we
go those are the ten quotations that
I've selected for mr. Birling if you
found this video useful or interesting
please do let me know by dropping it a
like and a comment as well why don't for
a comment to let me know either you know
how much it helped you with your
revision or maybe ask me any questions
you might have like mr. Birling or even
throwing in a different quotation that
you think is most useful to know when
thinking about mr. Birling of course
subscribing to my channel is also
something that I would really appreciate
because that is going to help me reach
even more young people and help them
with their religion too as ever I hope
you have an awesome rest of the day and
if you are revising please remember to
take frequent short breaks Cheers
[Music]
you
[Music]
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