Mr Birling in TEN Quotations - 'An Inspector Calls' GCSE English Literature Revision

Summary

In 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

00:00

📜 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.

05:03

💬 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.

10:06

👨‍👦 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.

15:07

💵 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.

20:09

😏 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.

Keywords

💡Patriarchal

Patriarchal refers to a social system in which the father or eldest male is the head of the family and holds authority over other members. In the context of the video, Mr. Birling is depicted as the patriarch of the Birling family in 1912, a time when such structures were common. His role as the head of the family and business owner exemplifies the power dynamics of that era, where men like Mr. Birling were seen as the decision-makers and authority figures.

💡Capitalist Mindset

A capitalist mindset is characterized by an emphasis on private ownership, profit-making, and competition. The video highlights Mr. Birling's capitalist mindset through his focus on business growth, cost reduction, and price increase. His toast at the celebratory dinner, where he envisions a future of business collaboration for profit, exemplifies this mindset. It also reflects the societal values of the pre-World War I era, where capitalism was a dominant economic system.

💡Self-made Man

A self-made man is an individual who has achieved success in life through their own efforts, rather than by inheritance or outside assistance. The video suggests that Mr. Birling might be a self-made man, having possibly risen from a lower social class to become a business owner. This notion is supported by his lack of knowledge in certain areas of etiquette, indicating that he may not have been born into wealth or privilege.

💡Etiquette

Etiquette refers to the conventions and manners expected in polite society. In the video, Mr. Birling's occasional slip-ups regarding etiquette are mentioned as indicators of his humble origins. His provincial speech and lack of certain social graces contrast with the upper-class characters, suggesting a transition from a lower to a higher social status.

💡Lord Mayor

The Lord Mayor is the title given to the mayor of a city, often in the United Kingdom, and is typically an elected position. Mr. Birling's mention of being the Lord Mayor of Bromley signifies his social status and local influence. It also reflects his pride in his achievements and his desire for recognition, as he brings it up multiple times throughout the play.

💡Authority

Authority is the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience. The video discusses Mr. Birling's discomfort when his authority is challenged, as seen in his interactions with the inspector. His reaction to being questioned and his subsequent change in tone when the focus shifts to his family members illustrate his need to maintain control and his sensitivity to perceived threats to his authority.

💡Catalyst Views

Catalyst views refer to the perspective that one's actions or decisions can provoke change or reaction in others. Mr. Birling's role in Eva Smith's suicide is presented as a catalyst, where his decision to sack her for striking has far-reaching consequences. The video uses this term to analyze how Mr. Birling's actions, driven by his capitalist and authoritative stance, contribute to the tragic events of the play.

💡Social Class

Social class is a category of people within a society who share similar economic, cultural, and social status. The video discusses Mr. Birling's portrayal as a character who represents the upper-middle class of pre-World War I society. His business ownership, aspirations for a knighthood, and social interactions with other characters reflect the values and power dynamics associated with his social class.

💡Power Dynamics

Power dynamics refer to the relationships between individuals or groups characterized by the differential possession and exercise of power. The video explores the power dynamics between Mr. Birling and the inspector, highlighting how Mr. Birling's behavior changes when he is no longer in a position of power. His shift from being authoritative to submissive and polite underscores the impact of power dynamics on his character.

💡Anti-Socialist Views

Anti-socialist views are oppositional to socialism, a political and economic system where the means of production are owned and controlled collectively. The video suggests that Mr. Birling's character embodies anti-socialist views, as he mocks and rejects the idea of social responsibility and collective welfare. His behavior towards the inspector and his own family, especially at the end of the play, reflects a disdain for socialist principles.

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

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you

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