5.1.1
Mr Birling Quotes Act 1
Mr Birling - Key Quotes
Mr Birling - Key Quotes
Mr Birling says the following key quotes in Act 1:
‘His own way...'
‘His own way...'
- ‘A man has to make his own way - has to look after himself – and his family too’
- Priestley uses Birling to highlight selfish capitalist views.
- Right before Inspector Goole arrives, Birling is seen trying to educate Gerald and Eric on how he feels the world should work – he encourages them to only think about themselves and not to help anyone else in society.
- He feels that people can only be responsible for themselves – he feels that everyone is responsible for their own fate.
- He thinks if people fail, it is their own fault.
‘I can’t accept any responsibility’
‘I can’t accept any responsibility’
- Throughout the play, Mr Birling refuses to accept that he played any part in Eva Smith’s death.
- He argues that his involvement with Eva was so small and unimportant that it could not have led to her death.
- He implies that Eva’s misfortune was her own fault.
- Birling shows upper-class pre-war attitudes of denial (not accepting blame) and refusing to acknowledge the consequences that their actions had on lower-class people.
Mr Birling - Key Quote (Act 1)
Mr Birling - Key Quote (Act 1)
‘Well, it’s my duty to keep labour costs down, and if I’d agreed to this demand for a new rate we’d have added about twelve per cent to our labour costs.’ Here's an analysis of this key quote from Act 1:
Negativity of capitalism
Negativity of capitalism
- Mr Birling is used to show the capitalist viewpoint throughout the play.
- His primary aim is to succeed in business, and so he cares about money more so than people.
- He argues with Inspector Goole that he could not have raised Eva Smith and the others’ wages, as he needs to run his business effectively – he needs to make as much money as possible, which he cannot do if he pays the workers more.
- This highlights the selfishness of capitalism. Capitalism was designed to reward the business owners, not those actually doing the work.
1Plot Summary
2Context & Key Themes
2.1Context & Key Themes
2.1.1Social Class & Equality
2.1.2Class Tension
2.1.3Abuse of Power & Corruption
2.1.4Socialism vs Capitalism
2.1.5Blame & Responsibility
2.1.6Attitudes to Women
2.1.7Characterisation of Women
2.1.8Dramatic Function of Characters
2.1.9End of Topic Test - Context & Key Themes
2.1.10End of Topic Test - Context & Key Themes 2
2.1.11Grade 9 - Key Themes
2.1.12Diagnostic Misconceptions - Socialism vs Communism
2.1.13Diagnostic Misconceptions - Edna
2.1.14Diagnostic Misconceptions - Women in the Play
2.1.15Diagnostic Misconceptions - Eva Smith
3Key Characters
3.1Mr Birling
3.2Mrs Birling
3.6Inspector Goole
3.7Grade 9 - Key Characters
4Authorial Method
5Recap: Main Quotes
5.1Mr Birling Quotes
5.2Mrs Birling Quotes
5.6Inspector Goole Quotes
Jump to other topics
1Plot Summary
2Context & Key Themes
2.1Context & Key Themes
2.1.1Social Class & Equality
2.1.2Class Tension
2.1.3Abuse of Power & Corruption
2.1.4Socialism vs Capitalism
2.1.5Blame & Responsibility
2.1.6Attitudes to Women
2.1.7Characterisation of Women
2.1.8Dramatic Function of Characters
2.1.9End of Topic Test - Context & Key Themes
2.1.10End of Topic Test - Context & Key Themes 2
2.1.11Grade 9 - Key Themes
2.1.12Diagnostic Misconceptions - Socialism vs Communism
2.1.13Diagnostic Misconceptions - Edna
2.1.14Diagnostic Misconceptions - Women in the Play
2.1.15Diagnostic Misconceptions - Eva Smith
3Key Characters
3.1Mr Birling
3.2Mrs Birling
3.6Inspector Goole
3.7Grade 9 - Key Characters
4Authorial Method
5Recap: Main Quotes
5.1Mr Birling Quotes
5.2Mrs Birling Quotes
5.6Inspector Goole Quotes
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