Unseen Poem – Some Interesting Bits to look out for.
Does the poem do any of these things? If so, write about them!
Language based points:-
Oxymoron – e.g., ‘The small giant of a man’. This is a type of image included to create a mental picture which stands out and is challenging for a reader. Usually used to emphasise how complex a character/issue is.
Juxtaposition – When two opposing ideas or themes are put next to each other to make the gap between them stand out. E.g.
The child played in his nursery,
Whilst his father lay dying in his trench.
Assonance – Where vowel sounds are repeated to create a ‘sound’ image in your head, or to add atmosphere. ‘The crowd howled loudly and frowned as the word was passed round.’
Alliteration – Similar to assonance, but repeating the consonant sounds instead.
E.g., ‘The gut-wrenching gale gripped her, gust by gust.’
Similes/Metaphors – Used to increase the effect of a mental image. Help us to visualise the ideas of the poet more easily.
Dehumanisation – When a person is described as being something other than a human ‘thing, wretch, creature’ – to show the lack of respect, perhaps, with which they are viewed.
Personification - Where something non-human is attributed human characteristics to add effect. E.g. The branches of the tress caressed them as they walked past.
Pathetic Fallacy – When the weather is used to reflect the mood or to help us predict what may come in the poem.
Structure based points:-
Enjambment – A structural device where the message of a line of a poem does not end when the line ends, but rather spills onto the next line. E.g.
I sat and watched as they operated on
My mother, willing them to stop.
This may be included to show that the issue is too complex to confine to the boundaries of regular poetry. In this case, the poet is trying to emphasise the sheer length of time that the surgery has gone on for, by spilling the description of it onto two lines.
Sonnet – 14 lines, ending with a rhyming couplet. Usually a structure reserved for love poetry. Sometimes used in tragic poetry to add an ironic effect.
Iambic pentameter – A common meter of poetry where a poem had 10 beats to every line. Another usual sign of love poetry.
Unusual or unpredictable structures often reflect what is happening within the poem. For example, an unstable political system, a volatile marriage etc.
Monday, 23 May 2011
Of Mice and Men - Characters Profiles and Quotes
Of Mice and Men character profiles
Try and include these points in your exam.
Lennie
*Mentally disabled – The mind of a child.
*Needs to be pacified in order to function. His main goal in life is to end up tending rabbits.
*Relies heavily on George for everything except his physical strength.
*As well as his evident stupidity, he also shows the ability to manipulate George.
*Not aggressive but incredibly strong. No social skills, often gets into trouble.
*Breaks Curley’s hand
*Kills Curley’s wife.
Key Quotes
Lennie looked sadly up at him. ‘they was so little,’ he said apologetically. ‘ I’d pet ‘em, and pretty soon they bit my fingers and I pinched their heads a little and they was dead.’ – page 27
‘If you don’t want me, you only jus’ got to say so, and I’ll go off in those hills right there…An’ I won’t get no mice stole from me.’ – page 31
‘Well, he said if I done any more bad things he ain’t gonna let me tend the rabbits.’ – page 123
George
*Smaller and smarter than George
*Often speaks of desire to own land but never seems to believe it until Candy provides the money.
*Very much ‘one of the boys’ when social interaction requires it, but is a lonely solitary character a lot of the time. He knows that ultimately he will end up with only Lennie for company – this is evidenced by him playing solitaire all the time.
* A hard worker.
*Looks after Lennie as a carer, but appears to have little or no motive for doing so.
*Kills Lennie
Key Quotes
‘God, you’re a lot of trouble,’ said George. ‘I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn’t have you on my tail.’ – page 24
George’s hand remained outstretched imperiously. Slowly, like a terrier who doesn’t want to bring a ball to its master, Lennie approached, drew back, approached again. – page 26
George got up and went over to Lennie’s bunk and sat down on it. ‘I hate that kinda bastard,’ he said. ‘I seen plenty of ‘em. Like the old guy says, Curley don’t take no chances, he always wins.’ – page 51
They all sat still, all bemused by the beauty of the thing, each mind was popped into the future when this lovely thing should come about.’ – page 88
The hand shook violently, but his face et and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger. The crash of the shot rolled up the hills and down again. – page 147
Candy
*The Old Man
*Loved his dog who was his best friend
*His word means little on the farm – no one listens to him, even over serious matters.
*He is only guaranteed a job unless he becomes unable to work, after which time he will be put out on the streets; his biggest fear.
*Only time he is valued in the book is when he presents George and Lennie with money. After this, they treat him in a much more friendly manner.
*Also has dream of having a place he can retire to, but due to his disability he appears never to have been able to raise a large amount of money. For example, he never goes out, and has lived on the farm for many years, but still only has around 6 months wages saved up. The reason for this is never explained.
Key Quotes
Candy looked for help from face to face – page 72
‘They’ll can me purty soon. Jus’ as soon as I can’t swamp out no bunk houses they’ll put me on the county.’ – page 88
‘I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn’t ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog.’ – page 89
Slim
*Revered and almost worshipped by the longer-standing men on the farm – possibly due to the fact that there is simply nothing ‘wrong’ with him in their eyes. He is white, no one knows his age, he is reasonably powerful but not too big, works reasonably hard, and is generally a nice guy. It is the extremes in the group who are weeded out or picked on. Slim is no an outsider. A testament to the idea that those who ‘keep their heads down’ do best in this new modern America.
*Makes the final decision to kill Candy’s dog.
*Has more respect than anyone on the farm, and even bosses Curley around when he injures his hands.
Key Quotes
When he had finished combing his hair he moved into the room, and he moved with a majesty only achieved by royalty and master craftsmen – page 55
‘He ain’t mean,’ said Slim. ‘I can tell a mean guy a mile off.’ – page 68
Candy looked helplessly at him, for Slim’s opinions were law. – page 72
The Boss
*Never named – implies that he represents all of the wealthy and powerful people in USA/The world at the time.
*Oppresses the black character Crooks in a physical form. Implies that power is corrupt, or immoral.
Key Quote
He sure burned when you wasn’t here this morning. Come right in when we was eatin’ breakfast and says, “Where the hell’s them new men?” An’ he give the stable buck hell, too.’ – page 40
Curley
*The boss’ son.
*Small in stature, he feels he must assert his physical authority in order to gain respect.
*Automatically dislikes Lennie due to his sheer size and strength and sees it as his duty to attack him.
*Has a beautiful wife whom he views as a trophy/ possession. There appears to be no love in their relationship and his desire for her is purely sexual. This represents attitudes towards women at the time.
*Attacks a helpless Lennie without provocation, emphasising the horrible ‘dog eat dog’/’survival of the fittest’ attitude which was sweeping the world at the time. The negative side of the ‘American Dream’.
Key Quotes
‘Well Curley’s pretty handy,’ the swamper said sceptically. – page 48
‘Come on, ya big bastard. Get up on your feet. No big son-of-a-bitch is gonna laugh at me.’ – page 90
‘I’ll kill the big son-of-a-bitch myself’ - 133
Curley’s Wife
*Aside from ‘Aunt Clara’ who appears in a vision near the end of the book, Curley’s wife is the only woman in the play. This shows how little women mattered in 20s/30s USA, and how much they were oppressed. Interestingly, the only other woman mentioned in the book is the woman who runs the local ‘cat house’ who is also called Clara. Possibly this is a subtle way of the author saying that ‘all women are the same, none of them matter etc’
*All of the men, aside from Lennie, see her as a whore although no one has any proof that she has ever been unfaithful on her horrible husband. It appears their own sexual desires for her manifest themselves in their attitude towards her. They would rather accuse and affront her than be accused of flirting and lose their jobs.
*She was once told she could have achieved her dream of appearing in movies, but this didn’t happen. It appears, however, that this was nothing more than a line used to get her into bed!
*She is desperate for companionship and conversation but is only ever seen as ‘trouble’. She ultimately ends up ‘paying the price’ for her desire for company when she succumbs to Lennie’s overpowering strength and he accidentally kills her.
*Unlike Crooks, nobody ever willingly converses with her or shows her any respect.
Key Quotes
‘If I catch any one man, and he’s alone, I get along fine with him. But just let two of the guys get together an’ you won’t talk. Jus’ nothing but mad.’ – page 110
‘Listen Nigger,’ she said, ‘You know what I can do to you if you open your trap?’ – page 113
‘I’m glad you bust up Curley a little bit.’ – page 114
Crooks
*The only black character in the book.
*Beaten and insulted by almost everybody
*Has the same dreams as everyone else but only dares to speak them at one point in the book when Lennie and Candy win his trust.
*As soon as his dream is met with any sort of challenge, he reverts back to his usual introverted self.
*Appears only to have an affinity with the horses and mules who ‘rattle their chains’ whenever anyone comes to visit Crooks, almost as a warning. Perhaps they have seen him become the victim of physical violence too often.
Key Quotes
‘You got no right to come in my room. This here’s my room. Nobody got any right in here but me.’ – page 100
‘George can tell you screwy things, and it don’t matter. It’s just the talking. It’s just bein’ with another guy. That’s all.’ - page 103
Crooks had reduced himself to nothing. There was no personality, no ego – nothing to arouse either like or dislike. – page 114
Carlson
*A typical, self-centred American.
*Wants to kill Candy’s dog because it smells.
*Kills the dog eventually
*Looks up to the more powerful, more eloquent, more popular Slim.
Other things to consider
Why does the novel start and end in the same place? Ie, the valley, surrounded by incredible scenery.
It is to show that their dilemma is inescapable and they always end back up in the same place etc. Also. they are surrounded by land, and have no chance of owning any of it.
Why do the horses stamp their feet and rattle their chains at various points in the novel?
Why does George always play solitaire?
Why does the narrator always tell us how much light is coming in through the windows?
Try and include these points in your exam.
Lennie
*Mentally disabled – The mind of a child.
*Needs to be pacified in order to function. His main goal in life is to end up tending rabbits.
*Relies heavily on George for everything except his physical strength.
*As well as his evident stupidity, he also shows the ability to manipulate George.
*Not aggressive but incredibly strong. No social skills, often gets into trouble.
*Breaks Curley’s hand
*Kills Curley’s wife.
Key Quotes
Lennie looked sadly up at him. ‘they was so little,’ he said apologetically. ‘ I’d pet ‘em, and pretty soon they bit my fingers and I pinched their heads a little and they was dead.’ – page 27
‘If you don’t want me, you only jus’ got to say so, and I’ll go off in those hills right there…An’ I won’t get no mice stole from me.’ – page 31
‘Well, he said if I done any more bad things he ain’t gonna let me tend the rabbits.’ – page 123
George
*Smaller and smarter than George
*Often speaks of desire to own land but never seems to believe it until Candy provides the money.
*Very much ‘one of the boys’ when social interaction requires it, but is a lonely solitary character a lot of the time. He knows that ultimately he will end up with only Lennie for company – this is evidenced by him playing solitaire all the time.
* A hard worker.
*Looks after Lennie as a carer, but appears to have little or no motive for doing so.
*Kills Lennie
Key Quotes
‘God, you’re a lot of trouble,’ said George. ‘I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn’t have you on my tail.’ – page 24
George’s hand remained outstretched imperiously. Slowly, like a terrier who doesn’t want to bring a ball to its master, Lennie approached, drew back, approached again. – page 26
George got up and went over to Lennie’s bunk and sat down on it. ‘I hate that kinda bastard,’ he said. ‘I seen plenty of ‘em. Like the old guy says, Curley don’t take no chances, he always wins.’ – page 51
They all sat still, all bemused by the beauty of the thing, each mind was popped into the future when this lovely thing should come about.’ – page 88
The hand shook violently, but his face et and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger. The crash of the shot rolled up the hills and down again. – page 147
Candy
*The Old Man
*Loved his dog who was his best friend
*His word means little on the farm – no one listens to him, even over serious matters.
*He is only guaranteed a job unless he becomes unable to work, after which time he will be put out on the streets; his biggest fear.
*Only time he is valued in the book is when he presents George and Lennie with money. After this, they treat him in a much more friendly manner.
*Also has dream of having a place he can retire to, but due to his disability he appears never to have been able to raise a large amount of money. For example, he never goes out, and has lived on the farm for many years, but still only has around 6 months wages saved up. The reason for this is never explained.
Key Quotes
Candy looked for help from face to face – page 72
‘They’ll can me purty soon. Jus’ as soon as I can’t swamp out no bunk houses they’ll put me on the county.’ – page 88
‘I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn’t ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog.’ – page 89
Slim
*Revered and almost worshipped by the longer-standing men on the farm – possibly due to the fact that there is simply nothing ‘wrong’ with him in their eyes. He is white, no one knows his age, he is reasonably powerful but not too big, works reasonably hard, and is generally a nice guy. It is the extremes in the group who are weeded out or picked on. Slim is no an outsider. A testament to the idea that those who ‘keep their heads down’ do best in this new modern America.
*Makes the final decision to kill Candy’s dog.
*Has more respect than anyone on the farm, and even bosses Curley around when he injures his hands.
Key Quotes
When he had finished combing his hair he moved into the room, and he moved with a majesty only achieved by royalty and master craftsmen – page 55
‘He ain’t mean,’ said Slim. ‘I can tell a mean guy a mile off.’ – page 68
Candy looked helplessly at him, for Slim’s opinions were law. – page 72
The Boss
*Never named – implies that he represents all of the wealthy and powerful people in USA/The world at the time.
*Oppresses the black character Crooks in a physical form. Implies that power is corrupt, or immoral.
Key Quote
He sure burned when you wasn’t here this morning. Come right in when we was eatin’ breakfast and says, “Where the hell’s them new men?” An’ he give the stable buck hell, too.’ – page 40
Curley
*The boss’ son.
*Small in stature, he feels he must assert his physical authority in order to gain respect.
*Automatically dislikes Lennie due to his sheer size and strength and sees it as his duty to attack him.
*Has a beautiful wife whom he views as a trophy/ possession. There appears to be no love in their relationship and his desire for her is purely sexual. This represents attitudes towards women at the time.
*Attacks a helpless Lennie without provocation, emphasising the horrible ‘dog eat dog’/’survival of the fittest’ attitude which was sweeping the world at the time. The negative side of the ‘American Dream’.
Key Quotes
‘Well Curley’s pretty handy,’ the swamper said sceptically. – page 48
‘Come on, ya big bastard. Get up on your feet. No big son-of-a-bitch is gonna laugh at me.’ – page 90
‘I’ll kill the big son-of-a-bitch myself’ - 133
Curley’s Wife
*Aside from ‘Aunt Clara’ who appears in a vision near the end of the book, Curley’s wife is the only woman in the play. This shows how little women mattered in 20s/30s USA, and how much they were oppressed. Interestingly, the only other woman mentioned in the book is the woman who runs the local ‘cat house’ who is also called Clara. Possibly this is a subtle way of the author saying that ‘all women are the same, none of them matter etc’
*All of the men, aside from Lennie, see her as a whore although no one has any proof that she has ever been unfaithful on her horrible husband. It appears their own sexual desires for her manifest themselves in their attitude towards her. They would rather accuse and affront her than be accused of flirting and lose their jobs.
*She was once told she could have achieved her dream of appearing in movies, but this didn’t happen. It appears, however, that this was nothing more than a line used to get her into bed!
*She is desperate for companionship and conversation but is only ever seen as ‘trouble’. She ultimately ends up ‘paying the price’ for her desire for company when she succumbs to Lennie’s overpowering strength and he accidentally kills her.
*Unlike Crooks, nobody ever willingly converses with her or shows her any respect.
Key Quotes
‘If I catch any one man, and he’s alone, I get along fine with him. But just let two of the guys get together an’ you won’t talk. Jus’ nothing but mad.’ – page 110
‘Listen Nigger,’ she said, ‘You know what I can do to you if you open your trap?’ – page 113
‘I’m glad you bust up Curley a little bit.’ – page 114
Crooks
*The only black character in the book.
*Beaten and insulted by almost everybody
*Has the same dreams as everyone else but only dares to speak them at one point in the book when Lennie and Candy win his trust.
*As soon as his dream is met with any sort of challenge, he reverts back to his usual introverted self.
*Appears only to have an affinity with the horses and mules who ‘rattle their chains’ whenever anyone comes to visit Crooks, almost as a warning. Perhaps they have seen him become the victim of physical violence too often.
Key Quotes
‘You got no right to come in my room. This here’s my room. Nobody got any right in here but me.’ – page 100
‘George can tell you screwy things, and it don’t matter. It’s just the talking. It’s just bein’ with another guy. That’s all.’ - page 103
Crooks had reduced himself to nothing. There was no personality, no ego – nothing to arouse either like or dislike. – page 114
Carlson
*A typical, self-centred American.
*Wants to kill Candy’s dog because it smells.
*Kills the dog eventually
*Looks up to the more powerful, more eloquent, more popular Slim.
Other things to consider
Why does the novel start and end in the same place? Ie, the valley, surrounded by incredible scenery.
It is to show that their dilemma is inescapable and they always end back up in the same place etc. Also. they are surrounded by land, and have no chance of owning any of it.
Why do the horses stamp their feet and rattle their chains at various points in the novel?
Why does George always play solitaire?
Why does the narrator always tell us how much light is coming in through the windows?
An Inspector Calls - Profiles/Quotes/Essay Plans
Arthur Birling
A proud, pig-headed and stubborn man.
He is not truly upper-class, but he does aspire to be. He hopes to become a ‘Sir’
He runs a successful business, but not as successful or long-running as the Croft business (Gerald’s family)
He probably approves of Gerald, no matter what he does, because he wants to be associated with that family
What he is guilty of
He fired Eva Smith because she led a strike to try and get better pay. Birling saw this as being preposterous (cheeky), and got rid of her. Nowadays, unions and strike action are common. They are what gives the working classes power.
Quotes:
[About Eva Smith] – “She’d had a lot to say – far too much – so she had to go” p.173
Shows his lack of tolerance to working classes
[To Eric] “It’s about time you learned a few responsibilities. That’s something this public-school-and-varsity life you’ve had doesn’t seem to teach you.” P.175
Shows how out of touch he is about his own role in society. He has no right to criticise anyone!
“There’s every reason for what your mother and I did – it turned out unfortunately, that’s all” – near the end of the play, p.208
Sybil Birling
Like her husband she is arrogant and stubborn.
She feels ‘put-out’ that the inspector would even dare to question someone of her class.
She is short-tempered and bad-mannered. She does not think that her family can do any wrong.
What she is guilty of
She refused to help Eva Smith when she came to her charity in desperate need. At the time Eva Smith was pregnant with Eric’s baby, although Sybil did not know this. Eva had called herself ‘Eva Birling’, and Sybil was angered by the idea that a poor person would try to use their family name. Not only did Sybil refuse to help, but she vindictively made sure that nobody else in the organisation helped her either.
Quotes:
[To Sheila] “You’re looking tired, dear. I think you ought to go to bed and forget about this absurd business.”
Shows her lack of responsibility for the situation.
[To the inspector] “You know of course that my husband was Lord Mayor only two years ago, and that he is still a magistrate?”
Shows how she believes that status absolves you from responsibility
[About Eva Smith] “I’ll tell you what I told her. Go and look for the father of the child. It’s his responsibility.”
Shows her lack of care and her refusal to accept responsibility for her actions.
Gerald Croft
Member of the Croft family who are richer and more successful than the Birlings.
He has just got engaged to Sheila.
His father is a ‘Sir’.
He tries to explain his way out of things rather than facing up to his responsibilities.
His family probably see it as a ‘step-down’ that he is marrying one of the Birlings. He could do better.
What he is guilty of
He got chatting to Eva Smith, who at the time was calling herself ‘Daisy Renton’, after calling into a bar which is well-known for being full of prostitutes.
Although he did not ask her for sex, he did leave the bar with her and got chatting to her. He kept her a secret and paid for her to be fed and have a roof over her head. Eventually they had a sexual relationship, but he abandoned her without much warning.
Quotes:
“Inspector, I think Miss Birling should be excused any more of this questioning.”
Shows his desire to cover up the truth
[About Birling sacking Eva Smith] “You couldn’t have done anything else” p.184
Shows his lack of feeling for lower classes.
[When Sheila accuses Gerald of ‘adoring the attention’ from Eva Smith] “I did for a time. Nearly any man would have.” P.192
Sheila Birling
Daughter of Arthur and Sybil.
She is spoilt and selfish at first.
She is very image conscious. She even asks if Eva Smith was ‘pretty’ when she finds out that she is dead, as if that would make her death more upsetting.
She had Eva Smith fired from a clothes shop because she thought that she had seen Eva smirking behind her back when she was trying on a dress.
When she finds out that she is partly responsible, she is very upset and full of remorse.
It appears to change her view on things, and she encourages the others to take responsibility also.
Quotes
“She was a very pretty girl too – with big bark eyes – and that didn’t make it any better.” P.180
Shows her shallow side.
“And probably between us killed her!” p.188
Shows her willingness to accept responsibility
“[Bitterly] I suppose we’re all nice people now” – when discovering that the inspector is a fake. P.189
Eric Birling
Son of Arthur and Sybil
Early on in the play he appears to take the ‘moral high ground’ appearing to be educated and tolerant compared to his parents.
Later on, we find out that he has a few secrets which no one knew anything about.
Firstly he has a drinking problem which nobody had any knowledge of.
However, most importantly, he got Eva Smith pregnant when he picked her up in the same bar that Gerald had met her in. Eric was not so gentlemanly about things, and he had sex with her on the first night that they met. Eric tried to keep the whole thing secret.
Quotes:
“He could have kept her on instead of throwing her out. I call it tough luck!” p.173
“I was in that state where a chap easily turns nasty” p.203
[To Sybil] “You don’t understand anything. You never did. You never even tried to.” P.207
Themes and points you can make about them!
Political views
*Priestly is a left-wing writer, meaning that he believes all classes should be treated equally and have equal rights.
*When this play was set, the working classes had little or not rights and set conditions in the work place.
*The play was written at a time when the world had recently witnessed revolutions in the likes of Russia, where the working classes took over and established communism.
*When this play was written, the people of Britain were in a time of change, where people had been forced to work together to overcome a common enemy. The message from Priestly is clear. Learn from past mistakes, and start to take responsibility for the way we treat each other.
Class and social divide
*The classes in this play are hugely divided in the way they live and the way they are treated.
*Tellingly, the true ‘upper class’ – the Crofts – are not in the play. They are missing, earning their money and reputation from afar. Even Gerald goes missing for a large part of the play.
*The Birlings aspire to be upper class. Mrs Birling is ‘offended’ when someone of working class uses her family name. Mr Birling is desperate to be a Knight. The Birling parents seem not to be bothered by the fact that their future son-in-law has cheated on their daughter with a prostitute…simply because he is of a higher social class.
*Those of lower class are hardly featured in the play. Though she is arguably the main character, Eva Smith is not present to ‘speak for herself’ – representing the way working class people were treated. The maid is also working class, but an extremely minor character with little or no importance to the play.
*All of the characters, through their ruthless actions, prove their attitude to the lower classes by walking all over them and not hearing their side of the story. Gerald appears to be the only one who treats Eva with any dignity at all, but even he lets her down.
*Eva Smith’s baby is never considered to be a ‘lost Birling’, because it belongs to a lower social class.
Responsibility
*The inspector seems to want all characters to take responsibility for what they have done. He never threatens them with criminal charges. The punishment, for those who accept their blame, is the guilt which they feel.
*Each character is partly responsible for Eva’s death. As a group, they have brought about her demise. You must comment on all of these individually if it comes up.
*The idea is that they all were responsible as a group, but that if any one of them had shown her the concern she desired, she would probably have been ok.
*Not only are they responsible for Eva Smith’s death, but they also do not take responsibility for each other. Eric has a drinking problem which no one has noticed. Sheila’s parents don’t care for her well-being on discovering Gerald’s affair.
*They have a skewed sense of responsibility. Mr and Mrs Birling almost see it as their duty to send Eva Smith away, as if she is a ‘trouble-maker’ for wanting fair treatment.
Gender
*Women were not listened to in the work place. Perhaps if Eva Smith was a man, she may have had more success starting the strike. At the time the play was set, women didn’t even have the vote!
*Arthur Birling is referred to as ‘Birling’, as if he doesn’t even need a forename – being a man and all…
*The way Eric and Gerald treat Eva is appalling, and is representative of the ‘old-fashioned’ male character which post-war Britain would have been trying to stamp out.
*The only working class people in the play are women (Eva and the Maid)
*Many characters refer to Eva’s looks as if it makes a difference to how she should be treated. Gerald only helps Eva because she is pretty. Sheila feels more guilty that Eva is dead when she knows that she was pretty.
The Inspector
*Is he a ghost? InSPECTOR Goole (Ghoul)
*Is he a representation of Priestly in the play? He certainly shares the same political standpoint.
*Who is he challenging? The characters or the audience?
A proud, pig-headed and stubborn man.
He is not truly upper-class, but he does aspire to be. He hopes to become a ‘Sir’
He runs a successful business, but not as successful or long-running as the Croft business (Gerald’s family)
He probably approves of Gerald, no matter what he does, because he wants to be associated with that family
What he is guilty of
He fired Eva Smith because she led a strike to try and get better pay. Birling saw this as being preposterous (cheeky), and got rid of her. Nowadays, unions and strike action are common. They are what gives the working classes power.
Quotes:
[About Eva Smith] – “She’d had a lot to say – far too much – so she had to go” p.173
Shows his lack of tolerance to working classes
[To Eric] “It’s about time you learned a few responsibilities. That’s something this public-school-and-varsity life you’ve had doesn’t seem to teach you.” P.175
Shows how out of touch he is about his own role in society. He has no right to criticise anyone!
“There’s every reason for what your mother and I did – it turned out unfortunately, that’s all” – near the end of the play, p.208
Sybil Birling
Like her husband she is arrogant and stubborn.
She feels ‘put-out’ that the inspector would even dare to question someone of her class.
She is short-tempered and bad-mannered. She does not think that her family can do any wrong.
What she is guilty of
She refused to help Eva Smith when she came to her charity in desperate need. At the time Eva Smith was pregnant with Eric’s baby, although Sybil did not know this. Eva had called herself ‘Eva Birling’, and Sybil was angered by the idea that a poor person would try to use their family name. Not only did Sybil refuse to help, but she vindictively made sure that nobody else in the organisation helped her either.
Quotes:
[To Sheila] “You’re looking tired, dear. I think you ought to go to bed and forget about this absurd business.”
Shows her lack of responsibility for the situation.
[To the inspector] “You know of course that my husband was Lord Mayor only two years ago, and that he is still a magistrate?”
Shows how she believes that status absolves you from responsibility
[About Eva Smith] “I’ll tell you what I told her. Go and look for the father of the child. It’s his responsibility.”
Shows her lack of care and her refusal to accept responsibility for her actions.
Gerald Croft
Member of the Croft family who are richer and more successful than the Birlings.
He has just got engaged to Sheila.
His father is a ‘Sir’.
He tries to explain his way out of things rather than facing up to his responsibilities.
His family probably see it as a ‘step-down’ that he is marrying one of the Birlings. He could do better.
What he is guilty of
He got chatting to Eva Smith, who at the time was calling herself ‘Daisy Renton’, after calling into a bar which is well-known for being full of prostitutes.
Although he did not ask her for sex, he did leave the bar with her and got chatting to her. He kept her a secret and paid for her to be fed and have a roof over her head. Eventually they had a sexual relationship, but he abandoned her without much warning.
Quotes:
“Inspector, I think Miss Birling should be excused any more of this questioning.”
Shows his desire to cover up the truth
[About Birling sacking Eva Smith] “You couldn’t have done anything else” p.184
Shows his lack of feeling for lower classes.
[When Sheila accuses Gerald of ‘adoring the attention’ from Eva Smith] “I did for a time. Nearly any man would have.” P.192
Sheila Birling
Daughter of Arthur and Sybil.
She is spoilt and selfish at first.
She is very image conscious. She even asks if Eva Smith was ‘pretty’ when she finds out that she is dead, as if that would make her death more upsetting.
She had Eva Smith fired from a clothes shop because she thought that she had seen Eva smirking behind her back when she was trying on a dress.
When she finds out that she is partly responsible, she is very upset and full of remorse.
It appears to change her view on things, and she encourages the others to take responsibility also.
Quotes
“She was a very pretty girl too – with big bark eyes – and that didn’t make it any better.” P.180
Shows her shallow side.
“And probably between us killed her!” p.188
Shows her willingness to accept responsibility
“[Bitterly] I suppose we’re all nice people now” – when discovering that the inspector is a fake. P.189
Eric Birling
Son of Arthur and Sybil
Early on in the play he appears to take the ‘moral high ground’ appearing to be educated and tolerant compared to his parents.
Later on, we find out that he has a few secrets which no one knew anything about.
Firstly he has a drinking problem which nobody had any knowledge of.
However, most importantly, he got Eva Smith pregnant when he picked her up in the same bar that Gerald had met her in. Eric was not so gentlemanly about things, and he had sex with her on the first night that they met. Eric tried to keep the whole thing secret.
Quotes:
“He could have kept her on instead of throwing her out. I call it tough luck!” p.173
“I was in that state where a chap easily turns nasty” p.203
[To Sybil] “You don’t understand anything. You never did. You never even tried to.” P.207
Themes and points you can make about them!
Political views
*Priestly is a left-wing writer, meaning that he believes all classes should be treated equally and have equal rights.
*When this play was set, the working classes had little or not rights and set conditions in the work place.
*The play was written at a time when the world had recently witnessed revolutions in the likes of Russia, where the working classes took over and established communism.
*When this play was written, the people of Britain were in a time of change, where people had been forced to work together to overcome a common enemy. The message from Priestly is clear. Learn from past mistakes, and start to take responsibility for the way we treat each other.
Class and social divide
*The classes in this play are hugely divided in the way they live and the way they are treated.
*Tellingly, the true ‘upper class’ – the Crofts – are not in the play. They are missing, earning their money and reputation from afar. Even Gerald goes missing for a large part of the play.
*The Birlings aspire to be upper class. Mrs Birling is ‘offended’ when someone of working class uses her family name. Mr Birling is desperate to be a Knight. The Birling parents seem not to be bothered by the fact that their future son-in-law has cheated on their daughter with a prostitute…simply because he is of a higher social class.
*Those of lower class are hardly featured in the play. Though she is arguably the main character, Eva Smith is not present to ‘speak for herself’ – representing the way working class people were treated. The maid is also working class, but an extremely minor character with little or no importance to the play.
*All of the characters, through their ruthless actions, prove their attitude to the lower classes by walking all over them and not hearing their side of the story. Gerald appears to be the only one who treats Eva with any dignity at all, but even he lets her down.
*Eva Smith’s baby is never considered to be a ‘lost Birling’, because it belongs to a lower social class.
Responsibility
*The inspector seems to want all characters to take responsibility for what they have done. He never threatens them with criminal charges. The punishment, for those who accept their blame, is the guilt which they feel.
*Each character is partly responsible for Eva’s death. As a group, they have brought about her demise. You must comment on all of these individually if it comes up.
*The idea is that they all were responsible as a group, but that if any one of them had shown her the concern she desired, she would probably have been ok.
*Not only are they responsible for Eva Smith’s death, but they also do not take responsibility for each other. Eric has a drinking problem which no one has noticed. Sheila’s parents don’t care for her well-being on discovering Gerald’s affair.
*They have a skewed sense of responsibility. Mr and Mrs Birling almost see it as their duty to send Eva Smith away, as if she is a ‘trouble-maker’ for wanting fair treatment.
Gender
*Women were not listened to in the work place. Perhaps if Eva Smith was a man, she may have had more success starting the strike. At the time the play was set, women didn’t even have the vote!
*Arthur Birling is referred to as ‘Birling’, as if he doesn’t even need a forename – being a man and all…
*The way Eric and Gerald treat Eva is appalling, and is representative of the ‘old-fashioned’ male character which post-war Britain would have been trying to stamp out.
*The only working class people in the play are women (Eva and the Maid)
*Many characters refer to Eva’s looks as if it makes a difference to how she should be treated. Gerald only helps Eva because she is pretty. Sheila feels more guilty that Eva is dead when she knows that she was pretty.
The Inspector
*Is he a ghost? InSPECTOR Goole (Ghoul)
*Is he a representation of Priestly in the play? He certainly shares the same political standpoint.
*Who is he challenging? The characters or the audience?
Sunday, 22 May 2011
Structure for the 20 mark questions
I'd suggest the following structure for the 20 mark question:
- A 3 line introduction ending in a question (See later)
- About 5 paragraphs exploring the question. Use examples from the text and, if possible, quotations to support your ideas/prove your points
- A conclusion that sums up your ideas and ANSWERS THE QUESTION
A model introduction:
Give advice to the actor playing Edward in Blood Brothers.
Edward is a complex character: he is a successful man and a good friend to Mickey, yet his relationship with his 'blood brother's' wife ultimately leads to tragedy. So how can an actor convey these different sides of Edward to an audience?
Monday, 2 May 2011
The 10 mark poetry question
The 10 mark poetry question is always on the back page. The question is the same each year:
"Write about this poem and its effect on you", followed by the same five bullet points. Here's my guide to getting 10 out of 10!
First of all, read the poem twice, then read it a third time, highlighting the quotations you will comment upon. Then follow the five bullet points:
"Write about this poem and its effect on you", followed by the same five bullet points. Here's my guide to getting 10 out of 10!
First of all, read the poem twice, then read it a third time, highlighting the quotations you will comment upon. Then follow the five bullet points:
- Content: score a mark simply for saying what the poem is about!
- What the poet wants us to think about - 1 PEE. Look for themes e.g. friendship, nature and man, whether prison works etc.
- Mood and atmosphere- 1 or 2 PEEs to show how atmosphere is created/how the mood changes.
- How the poem is written- 3 PEES about the use of similes, metaphors, personification, the impact of individual words, rhyme, rhythm, verses, structure etc. If you spot a simile, metaphor etc. EXPLAIN WHY IT HAS BEEN USED/WHAT IMPACT IT HAS UPON THE READER
- Your sensible opinion of the poem, supported by a reason.
Follow this structure and you won't go wrong!
English Lit past papers
Click on the link below to view past papers (see the RIGHT HAND SIDE of the page)http://www.wjec.co.uk/index.php?subject=53&level=7
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