Circle words that apply to Mr Birling Mr Birling – Character Analysis Character Development

Capitalist Charitable Selfish

Using the quotations, how does the character act/change?

Argumentative
Rich Socialist

Naïve/innocent Loving Key Quotations Act One

Kind Mr. Birling comes across as a confident businessman with
Feels Responsible Fatherly Act One strong beliefs about the world. He's a big supporter of
capitalism and doesn't worry about things that could disrupt
Arrogant 'I'm talking as a hard-headed, practical man of business. And I say there his comfortable life, like war or the Titanic sinking. He places
Pessimistic Optimistic Proud isn't a chance of war.' a high value on his social status and is excited about the
prospect of receiving a knighthood. However, he doesn't
‘The titanic- she sails next week’-‘Unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable’ recognize how everyone in society is connected, which is
evident in his failure to take responsibility for what happened
'She was one of my employees and then I discharged her.' to his fired employee, Eva.
Questions to answer on character
‘I can't accept any responsibility. If we were all responsible for
For each one: full sentences, try to prove with a quotation everything that happened to everybody we’d had anything to do with, it
and analysis would be very awkward'

Easy
 What is your personal opinion of Mr Birling?
 How did Mr Birling react when he found out the Inspector was
not real? Why did he react in this way?
 Why does he care so much about what Gerald think about him?
 Describe Mr Birling’s view on money and status.
Medium
 How far do you agree that Mr Birling is to blame for Eva’s
death?
 How does Mr Birling treat Sheila? Why does he in this way?
 What is the most important moment in the play for Arthur
Birling? Justify this.
 How would an audience of the time (1940s) react to him? Why?
 How does Mr Birling represent a rigid class system?
Hard/challenge
 Judge Mr Birling’s value of Capitalism in the play.
 What are the problems of Mr Birling refusing to take
responsibility at the end?
 Compare the audience reactions to the character of a modern
and 1940s audience.
 Mr Birling states, ‘That was the police. A girl has just died – on
her way to the infirmary.’ Why does the writer use short
sentences in this quotation and why does this end the play?
“If you don’t come down hard on these people they’d soon be asking for
the earth.”
Act Two
'(to Mrs Birling) What's the matter with that child?'
‘A young unmarried girl is being dragged into this-'
'(angrily, to Inspector) Look here, I’m not going to have this, Inspector.
You’ll apologise at once.'
Act Three
‘I’ve got to cover this up as soon as I can’
'(unhappily) Look, Inspector - I'd give thousands - yes, thousands -'
'You! You don’t seem to care about anything. But I care. I was almost
certain for a knighthood in the next Honours List'
'Nonsense! You’ll have a good laugh over it yet! Look, you’d better ask
Gerald for that ring you gave back to him, hadn’t you? Then you’ll feel
better'
'We’ve been had, that’s all.'
‘The famous younger generation who know it all. And they can’t even
take a joke.’
‘That was the police. A girl has just died – on her way to the infirmary.’
Act Two
In Act Two, Mr. Birling contains his authoritative and
dismissive demeanor, particularly when interacting with the
Inspector. He attempts to intimidate the Inspector and
prioritizes his family's reputation over the health of the girl
impacted by their actions. His treatment of Sheila and his
focus on appearances mirror the values of the older
generation, emphasizing status and image over moral
responsibility.
Act Three
In Act Three, Mr. Birling's initial assurance starts to crumble
as the Inspector uncovers the consequences of his actions.
Despite this, he tries to uphold his dignity and control over
the situation. He struggles to understand the Inspector's
message about social responsibility, and once the threat of
a public scandal goes away, he goes back to treating the
situation as not being a problem. This shows his reluctance
to change and an inability to contemplate his actions.