Mr Birling Quotes Act 1
English Lit: AQA GCSE An Inspector Calls, topic 5.1.1
Mr Birling - Key Quotes
Mr Birling says the following key quotes in Act 1:
‘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’
- 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)
‘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
- 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.
Test yourself on Mr Birling Quotes Act 1
Which of these quotes are said by Mr Birling in Act 1?
What views is Mr Birling promoting with this quote?
‘A man has to make his own way - has to look after himself – and his family too’‘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’.
What does this quote show about Mr Birling?‘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'
According to this quote, what's Mr Birling's excuse for not giving Eva and the other workers a pay rise?‘Well, it’s my duty to keep ??? costs down, and if I’d agreed to this demand for a new rate we’d have added about twelve per cent to our ??? costs'.
Which word should replace the question marks in this quote?