An Inspector Calls - Social Class

Characters
1. Auther Birling
  1. Worked his way up in class
    1. Pround of his achievents
      1. Boasts about having been the mayor
      2. Has agood local standing
        Rich & in first class. He owns his own business
        He is likely to be knighted
    2. He was originally 2nd class
  2. He is aware of his social superiors
    1. He shows off about his achievements etc
      1. He shows of his ort to Gerald
        "It's exactly the same port yourfather gets
2. Sheila Birling
  1. Born into a high class family
  2. She is snobby and shallow about working class people at the start
    1. Jealousy of Eva
  3. She begins to realise that social class isn't important
    1. She considers the conditions of her father's workers
      1. she show compassion when she hears of Birling's treatment of them
        "But these girls aren't cheap labour - they're people"
    2. She feels guilty about how she acted to Eva
      1. she feels "fully Responsible"
    3. She's embarrassed about the way her parents treated Eva because of her class
      1. "How can you Pretend that nothing much has happened?"
      2. "It frightens me the way you talk"
3. Sybil Birling
  1. Mr Birling social superior
  2. She is a snob
    1. She's very aware of the difference in social class
      1. She is irritated when Birling wishes to praise the cook in front of Gerald
      2. She is very dismissive of Eva
        "Girls of hat class"
        Shes refuses to believe tht a working class girl would refuse (stolen) money
        "She was giving herself ridiculous airs"
        She claimed it was her "duty" to refuse help to a working class girl
  3. She was born into a Higher class family
4. Gerald Croft
  1. High class (Aristocrat)
    1. Wealthy
      1. Works with his father for "Croft's Limited"
    2. Son of Lord and Lady Croft
      1. they are not overly impressed by his engagement to Sheila
        Perhaps because they are rvals of Birling's business
        Perhaps because the Birling's are lower in social circles
  2. Did not care about Daisy's social class
    1. He pitied her when he first met her
      1. He helped when she was being harassed by Alderman Meggarty
    2. He seems to have genuinely cared about Daisy in spite of who she was
      1. He arranged for her to live in a friends flat & he gave her some money
5. Eric Birling
  1. He was born into the higher class
  2. He is not as concerned about social class
    1. He was happy to have a relationship with a working class girl
    2. He supported Eva by giving her money
    3. He supports the workers cause when he hears about his fathers treatment of them
      1. "Why shoudnt they try for higher wages?"
    4. he doesn't care about Eva's class
      1. He feels guilty regardless of who she is
    5. He is embarrassed about the way his parent treat those of a lower class
      1. "I'm ashamed of you"
6. Eva Smith/Daisy Renton
  1. From just outside of Brumley
    1. Described as "country-bred" by Birling
  2. Of Working class
    1. She is poor & her parents are dead
  3. Described as "pretty" despite of what class she is
J.B. Priestly
1. Beliefs
  1. During 1930s he became concerned about consequences of social class inequality in Britain
    1. 1942 he set up a new political party
      1. The Common Wealth Party
        It argued for: public ownership of land, greater democracy, new 'Morality' in politics
        He developed the Welfare State at the end of WWII
  2. He thought that furure WWs could be avoided by mutual respect between countries
    1. He became active in the UN
2. Background information
  1. Born in 1894 - died in 1984
  2. He was part of the military in WWI
  3. His early plays included parallel universes and political messages
    1. They were controversial
  4. In WWII he broadcast a radio programme
    1. it was attacked by the Conservatives for being too left-wing

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An Inspector Calls - Social Class

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	Created by Abi Doyle about 8 years ago

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