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Flashcards by Mariam patel, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by Mariam patel
about 6 years ago
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| Question | Answer |
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Sheila Birling - key quotes and analysis |
| “Feel engaged” | Suggests she needs the expensive symbol of wedding ring to feel engaged which shows she is superficial, materialistic and very concerned with her appearance. |
| “ last summer, when you never came near me and I wondered what had happened to you” | Builds tension and foreshadows the conflict which comes later on in the play. She somewhat takes the role of the inspector. |
| “I told him that if they didn’t get rid of that girl, I’d never go near the place again.” | She used her influence and power as a valued customer to get Eva sacked. |
| Stage direction “as if she’s been crying” | Shows she is not like her mother and is much more sensitive as she feels remorse for Eva. |
| “Then I’m staying” | Authoritative and assertive. Especially in the context of the 1910’s as women were not expected be assertive. |
| “So that’s what you think I’m really like! I’m glad I realised it in time, Gerald” | Realistic about Gerald. She doesn’t have a fantasy dream about a perfect relationship with Gerald and is also not afraid of losing him. This is her realisation that she is seen as a stereotypical exploitative character and that is not what she wants to be seen as. |
| “I know I’m to blame - and I’m desperately sorry” | First character to accept responsibility. She is distinguished from the rest of the family as she quickly identifies her mistake and she doesn’t try to cover it up at all, instead she stands her ground and accepts her mistakes. Repetition of first person emphasises her guilt and the lack of remorse by the rest of the characters. Seems sincere and not superficial like at the beginning of act 1. |
| “No mother - please” | Mature. The use of the word mother shows she has matured from the beginning of the play when she referred to her mother as mummy. She is not being passive and child like. |
| “ he’s giving us the rope - so we can hang ourselves” | Perceptive. Clear understanding of what’s going on and tries to get the rest of her family to accept their faults and be sorry about it. |
| “ I tell you - whoever that inspector was, it was anything but a joke” | Learns from the inspector and while the rest of her family are laughing at the end she believes the matter is not something to laugh a bit and still regrets her mistake. |
| “ you’re forgetting I’m supposed to be engaged to the hero” | At this point Sheila is very angry and this is portrayed through her sarcastic comments when she refers to Gerald as a hero.it was not a characteristic of women of her class especially at the dinner table. |
| “I rather respect you more than I’ve ever done before” | Sheila regains some respect for Gerald when he’s (eventually) honest about his past events. Shows her forgiving side. Not the stereotypical reaction of a 1912 women after hearing about the affair. Audience would expect her to be angry. “More” hints she didn’t fully trust him before. |
| (Excited)...“Is it the one you wanted me to have” | Emphasising the dominance that men held over women at the time that the play was written even to the extent that a future husband is able to tell the women what is it that they want and refusing to let the, have any say in the events. She seems more excited to have a ring than to be getting married perhaps suggesting that she isn’t ready yet. she reflects expectations of a middle class women. Priestly presents the marriage as a transactional match of status and wealth rather than true love. |
| “These girls aren’t cheap labour- they’re people” | Shows she has seen the value that the working class have and how the actions of families such as her own can have a disastrous effect on those of a lower social status. It seems as though she is disgusted by her father’s reaction and her maturity is portrayed as she stands up to her father. |
| “Don’t you see” | The repetition of this phrase suggests Sheila desperately tries to convince the other members of her family to see the light and convert to socialism. |
| “ it’s you two who are being childish - trying not to face the facts” | By act 3 Priestly shares Sheila’s frustration at her parents for not changing. It is symbolic of the ignorance that the older generation feel towards the youngers. As an audience we have seen Sheila mature and develop her own views so her description of them as childish shows her disappointment. Priestly presents Sheila as a member of society who seeks to support the poor and address social inequality. |
| "I was absolutely furious" | This shows she is insecure and that she gets angry really quickly. She felt threatened by Eva due to her good looks and the fact that the dress she picked out for herself was well suited Eva. |
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