#birling - class

[windlass-abbey]

That One Time I Wrote A Geric Titanic AU To Practise For GCSE English Language

https://archiveofourown.org/works/56133613

literally what it says on the tin.

An almost word-to-word transcription of my Eric Birling x Gerald Croft from J.B. Priestley’s An Inspector Calls (a text studied in GCSE English Literature) from my old notebook. But they’re dying/have died on the Titanic.

Apologies for no actual on-screen Geric, I was doing it in timed conditions and appeared to have run out of time before any good Geric could be added in beyond subtext ;-;

hope you enjoy! (especially any former/current GCSE students who are reading geric as a coping mechanism - it’s okay, we’ve all been there)

[aninspectorcalls]

"SHEILA is a pretty girl in her early twenties, very pleased with life and rather excited."

Sheila is immediately presented as quite childlike, being described as a "girl" despite being an adult. She is clearly very sheltered and ignorant to any life outside of her own comfortable middle-class one. She is described as "very pleased with life", showing her privilage and how easy her life is, ready to contrast with that of Eva/Daisy later on.

The specific description of her as "pretty" suggests that she values her looks, or at least that her looks are important as an upper-middle class woman in Edwardian England. This, of course, is in keeping with values of the time and fits with her attitude later on.

[ladystardust-72]

i’m in the middle of my exam season atm and i had a TWO HOUR FIFTEEN MINUTE english literature exam this morning (and i thought my two hour history exams were bad 😭😭). for the “An Inspector Calls” section one of the questions we get to choose from was on the character of Mrs Birling and her link to social class and i would just like to thank the AQA exam board gods for giving me a question that allowed me to slag that woman off because it was VERY cathartic and i very much enjoyed it, 10/10 experience would recommend

[candy8448]

What did you guys do in englit2? (AQA)

I didnt have time to look through the paper since i was writing till the last second but im super curious as to what questions came up for all the other texts.

I do an inspector calls and power and conflict so i wanna know the other texts

An Inspector Calls: 1. Mrs Birling and social class, 2. Inspector and social change

Animal Farm: 1. Squealer and power and control

Lord of the Flies: 1. Leadership, 2. The Littluns and trust and fear

Blood Brothers: 1. Mickey's relationship with his mother and Linda

Taste of Honey: 1. Difficult relationships between men and women

Power and Conflict: Kamikaze and effect of conflict on people

Love and Relationships: Neutral Tones and powerful feelings about love

[origami-butterfly]

(No Gerald/Daisy|Eva, or Eric/Eva because one of them is grooming and the other is rape.)

If you haven't read AIC, which I suspect is most of my followers, pick based off the description!

[poppletonink]

Resources For People Studying 'An Inspector Calls'

Videos:

Mr Bruff's Analysis Videos

An Inspector Calls in 5 Minutes

Articles:

Plot Summary

Characters

Themes

Form, Structure and Language

Dramatization

Sample Exam Question

Podcast Episodes:

Act 1

Act 1 Key Quotes

Act 2

Act 2 Key Quotes

Act 3

Act 3 Key Quotes

Structure and Chronology

Setting, Lighting and Dramatic Irony

Character Analysis: Sheila

Sheila Key Quotes

Character Analysis: The Inspector

Character Analysis: Mr Birling

Mr Birling Key Quotes

Character Analysis: Eva Smith

Character Analysis: Mrs Birling

Mrs Birling Key Quotes

Character Analysis: Gerald Croft

Gerald Key Quotes

Character Analysis: Eric

Eric Key Quotes

Mr Birling and Pride

Themes: Class

Themes: Responsibility

Themes: Gender

Attitudes To Women

Blame and Responsibility

Socialism VS Capitalism

Abuse of Power and Corruption

Social Class and Inequality

[bimboficationblues]

the tumblr leninist "clique" (which is looser and less consciously organized than people on her make out) does have its fair share of developmentalism and i understand if that makes you wary, but a lot of them are from the global south where developmentalism as problematic as it is for the class struggle as you alluded to, is a consideration that weighs more heavily on the psyche for reasons i wish you white global north leftists would empathize with more and a lot of them are some of the loudest advocates for more nuanced understandings of the global south on this site. it sucks because you're all genuinely smart people but the shading and vaguing is a very "tumblr" thing to do and not a very comradely thing to do. which i guess is fine. it's just tumblr after all but i can't help but feel like people can do better even if the material stakes are low

was it comradely for (a certain Leninist in this cluster) to organize protracted smear campaigns calling communists she disagreed with pedophiles

I hear what you’re saying re the developmentalism piece, likewise for the value of offering more thoughtful perspectives on the global south (indeed, I’m friends or mutuals with some of the people you are referring to). but like, my issue with the clique is not even necessarily that they hold positions I don’t agree with or think are detrimental to class struggle - that’s part of it, but at the end of the day it’s all just posting, and I’m a big-tent birl. rather, I think a group of very specific people (like, 5-10 names) are smug incurious assholes who got their political education through memes/aesthetics/rhetoric, and make it a bunch of other people’s problem by being self-assured, loud, and wrong. it’s personality more than politics, though the former will manifest in the latter (hence my original complaints).

And well, I feel that being vague is generally more constructive than getting into an online squabble every time I see those specific people say something annoying. though you are probably right that it’s not more constructive than simply remaining silent and rolling my eyes. such is the tempting curse of the blogger. sorry.

[alectothinker]

the unwanted guest vs [redacted bc spoilers]

bc im insane about this story and its references

anyone getting jb priestly an inspector calls vibes from the unwanted guest ?? a couple things i noticed:

the stage play format + old timey rich family house setting (fireplace, butler/maid, calling card etc) is very similar to AIC 

from the play: "The dining room is of a fairly large suburban house, belonging to a prosperous manufacturer. It has a good solid furniture of the period. The general effect is a substantial and heavily comfortable but not cosy and homelike."

ianthe straight up calls pal "inspector" lol

pal questions ianthe indirectly to reveal her guilt about killing/exploiting babs (v like the inspector vs the birling family)

from sparknotes (lol): "Strangely, the Inspector does not ask questions about what they know about her death. His questions, instead, prompt each family member to struggle with and eventually face guilt for Eva/Daisy’s death." "The Inspector’s questioning unravels the mystery of how each family member has used social standing, influence, and power over others without personal consequence, devastating the young woman’s life." ^ vs pal calling out 3rd house heir and lyctor ianthe tridentarius for seeing+spending babs (who had been assigned cavalier status at birth) as a resource 

 Pal: "you never stop to check the price tag. You just pay whatever's asked, up front, and walk away."

vs AIC: "The play, as events unfold, suggests that an empowered class exploits the underclass without consideration of consequences for its exploitation."

consequence being that tern's whole life was fucked, and ianthe never considered that her own soul would be corrupted (in her pov) by babs'

Lastly, pal vs the moral of AIC: 

"The Birling family’s collective guilt conveys Priestley’s message that it is the social duty of every human being to examine the impact of any action on others and to care for and help them, without self-consideration."

vs everything that pal says in the story, +in ntn, paul still tries to help ianthe/babs: "There’s still time, Ianthe. Time for you, and for Naberius Tern.”

someone on tumblr has probably written this meta but to me TUG is pal (+tamsyn) laying out how systematically exploitative the necro/cav relationship can be (with ianthe helping out a lot lol). which imo aligns pretty closely with what priestly is trying to say with AIC, and also with dulcie's hamlet quote: ‘Use every man after his desert, and who should ‘scape whipping?’

also TUG feels like some sort of. idk awakening in pal? and therefore paul? cant wait to see them fuck shit up in new and interesting ways. ok thats all pls lmk if yall have thoughts!! i last read AIC in middle school for my GCSE's LOL

[hella1975]

ok hella I’m revising an inspector calls so please tell me your opinion of the characters

the CHOKEHOLD inspector calls has on me like it still inspires my writing TO THIS DAY i firmly believe it radicalised my gcse english class

inspector goole: THE HOT GIRL OF THE CENTURY! NO ONE IS DOING IT LIKE HIM! THERE ARE MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF EVA SMITHS AND JOHN SMITHS STILL LEFT WITH US WITH THEIR LIVES AND FEARS THEIR SUFFERING AND CHANCES OF HAPPINESS ALL INTERTWINED WITH OUR LIVES AND WHAT WE THINK AND SAY AND DO! AND IF MEN WILL NOT LEARN THAT LESSON THEN THEY WILL BE TAUGHT IT IN FIRE AND BLOOD AND ANGUISH!

sheila: my redemption arc queen. she was a spoiled brat but she realised the error of her ways and corrected herself and was the only one to truly listen to the inspector imo (<- eric anti for the rest of my life idc)

eric: DIE DIE DIE i hate him man literally tried to make a sob story out of raping a poor vulnerable woman and getting her pregnant like what

mr and mrs birling: you guys are perfect for each other you heinous motherfuckers im GLAD you got exposed i hope you lose everything truly <3

gerald: i also dont like him but it's not as intense as eric bc at least he HELPED eva/daisy even if it was just to stroke his own ego and he then went on to basically exploit her (having an affair with a woman who owes you and thus causing a power dynamic? not hot)

i genuinely think this is such an incredible play and the fact we all learn it at gcse almost feels illegal like the government either dont know what the play is about or are unaware it's on the curriculum bc the entire play is PURE socialism. no one tell rishi

[cosmoticcousins]

i dont know how to explain this but elon musk is like the specific scene from inspector calls where mr birling talks about the titanic and boasting that it is "unsinkable" which reflected the hubris of the upper classes at that time and which inevitably led to the tianic sinking

[birlwrites]

Hi, if it's not a bother to ask, could you show me what the robes of the characters look like? In Harry Potter, I only remember Dumbledore wearing a long gray one. And the robes you describe seem to be very stylish, and every time I google 'robes' to get an idea of what they would look like, I usually get those familiar long, unstylish robes with no silhouettes or patterns that the monks wear, and I'm having a hard time imagining the characters without those robes...

I had to cut because I exceeded the number of characters, so I continue... I'd also love to get an idea of which tunics are considered formal and which are considered casual. It would be great if you included images as an example, but most likely it would be too much trouble, so you don't have to if you don't want to.

-

so unfortunately the robes come from my brain and i can't draw for shit afjskghskjdf, but i can try with words!

the basic details of what robes look like (in the Birl Cinematic Universe lol):

full length (the EXACT length depends on formality, but ankle length or longer)

long sleeves

relatively high-necked (showing more than a bit of collarbone would be rare)

no clear division or seam between 'top' and 'bottom'

it's the last that's most important to distinguish robes from dresses. dresses will often have a very clear Top and Skirt, even if they're joined into one garment, with a distinct waistline (regardless of whether that waistline is at the natural waist, or if it's an empire waist or dropped waist situation)

robes (again, BCU robes), on the other hand, don't have that so much. the top part and the bottom part kind of flow into each other. similar to a bathrobe or dressing gown/housecoat - it's all just kind of one continuous thing with no seam at the waist (although you can use a sash or tie to cinch it at the waist or hold it closed, in the case of the bathrobe etc)

there's a lot of variety in the specific cut of the sleeves and neck, fullness of the skirt(s), and things like sashes, where the closures are, and accessorizing - i can go into more detail on that if anyone wants me to, but i'm trying to just hit the summary level here afshkglsjkdf. there's ALSO a lot of variety in fabric color, type of fabric, and ornamentation. at the moment in ttdl, embroidery and layering a sheer fabric over an opaque one are in, as are ornamented cuffs and wide sleeves.

as for what determines formality:

number of layers - much like how a 3-piece suit is considered more formal than a shirt and trousers, the more pieces a set of robes has, the fancier it is lol. my version of a 'full set' of robes includes 3 pieces (kind of inspired by 3-piece suits), although tbh that's more of a thing in lachrimae than it is in ttdl. in ttdl it's slightly more ambiguous and 1-piece dress robes are much more common

hem length - floor length is formal, ankle length is casual

ornamentation - like wearing your best jewelry for special occasions, if a set of robes is decked out with ornamentation (embroidery, jewels, lace, etc), it's going to be considered formal

structure - stiffer fabrics tend to be considered more formal, and flowier, drapier fabrics tend to be considered more casual, so more structured robes are more formal

tailoring in torso area - looser tends to be more casual. this goes hand in hand with structure. formal clothing will be very carefully tailored to fit closely to the torso without being tight (at least, in regulus's socioeconomic class) - casual clothing can be looser

all of that applies to all robes regardless of the gender of the person wearing them. there are, as i said, far more specifics i could get into, but there is simply So Much that i want to keep this answer focused on the basics afjslghskfjs. hope that's helpful!

[aninspectorcalls]

"[MRS. B] is about fifty, a rather cold woman and her husband's social superior."

Mrs. Birling is the embodiment of the upper class - cold and unfeeling, believing herself to be better than those lower than her in the social heirarchy.

She is not what the audience might expect from a mother, most likely having done very little in terms of raising her children. This, also, presents her as the embodiment of the upper class.

[ao3feed-superbat]

Clark Kent yells at a capitalistic Bat Furry ( and the furry yells back )

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/IAsERrG by Only_The_Queerest_Gods_Hypnos_and_Apollo (Yes! This is catharsis from my English lit 1 Gcse exam - 25/5/22, how have you guessed?) Bruce Wayne gets a message on socialism, class structure, and good hair-dos, from some pauper, farmer's son, and does not appreciate it And Clark Kent has to deal with the pretentious upper- class, being particularly tory-like and routing for the continuation of the strict class system and capitalistic agenda . and he's a BAT   They fight over an 80 year old play lol they're such kids JB Priestly, Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, Paradiso, and, ah, HS Senior memories. Thrilling Words: 823, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Superman - All Media Types, Batman - All Media Types, An Inspector Calls - Priestley, La Divina Commedia | The Divine Comedy - Dante Alighieri Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Characters: Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, Sheila Birling, Gerald Croft, Eva Smith, Goole (An Inspector Calls), Edna (An Inspector Calls), Durante degli Alighieri | Dante Alighieri Relationships: Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne, Sheila Birling/Gerald Croft, Gerald Croft/Eva Smith Additional Tags: They fight over an eighty year old book your honour, Like help, they're idiots, I wrote this at 2am after my first englsh lit gcse, ah I remember it well, anyways that was like two years ago so ha enjoy my update schedule batnerds :), I'm just kidding come back read it, they're gay i swear it, Dante aligihieri makes an appearance for like 0.5 seconds, books are thrown at walls, just one, clark kent is not impressed, clark kent's superhearing and speed gone astray, like an old married couple gone WILD, over a book that was written in the 1940s get recked batsupes, i was like... really tired when i wrote this, and i'm posting it with a headcold and hindsight, so enjoy :), priestly you SOCIALIST KING, socialism., duh - Freeform, capitalism BOO, not for bruce tho, you billionaire (derogatory), they punch it out, like verbally, but it stings hard THO, I swear :), clark kent is a socialist, bruce wayne is a rampant capitalist, fight, fight me read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/IAsERrG

[aayeroace]

loving the inspector calls posting omg i’m not studying it but some of the classes in my year are (gcses wooo) so it’s weird seeing shitposts about it on my dash afsgfhgj

thank you i just had to write an essay on mrs birling so i need to get it all out

[steelcityreviews]

REVIEW: An Inspector Calls for Us All...

Dundas Little Theatre’s production selection committee is, undoubtedly, one of the best in the local history of performing arts. It is no small task to ensure a season has some sort of flow or message which binds the season together. This season, one of the standout themes is family. Thus far, we have viewed the world from two different family perspectives in The Humans and Myth of the Ostrich, exploring their dynamics as they navigate and come to terms with situations unfolding around them. For their final production this season, we meet another family situated in pre-war, early 1900’s Britain and explore their classist hypocrisies once a tragedy is announced by an unexpected inspector. It is a morality piece that demands our attention and reflection on how society functions, which is, tragically, still relevant over one-hundred years later.

Director George Thomas has made many impressive choices in bringing this period piece to the stage. The details in the set, costuming, casting and other elements shine throughout. I am always in awe over how the stage at Dundas Little Theatre transforms itself and this is no exception. Set designers do not get enough credit and the efforts of Michelle Chin and crew deserve high praise. The foreboding mounted boar's head, the exaggeratingly large family portraits, and the precise marbled detailing on the floors and pillars show beautiful artistry and allow the audience to experience the uncomfortable and showy extravagance of wealth of the Birling family. 

The casting of this production features some of the best stage actors the Hamilton area has to offer and since this production is written with enormous emphasis on dialogue over action, it is necessary to have strong and capable actors handling the material. The cast has both in strides. It is difficult, at times, to work through how unlikeable the characters are and how little pity you feel for them as their involvement in the tragedy of a young, working-class girl has both implemented and affected them. This further showcases how talented this cast is, ensuring you are conflicted in your feelings toward them until the very end. 

It is fascinating how playwright J.B. Priestley's sentiments toward the class system is embodied through the powerful presence of Inspector Goole (performed with unrelenting command by Timothy Hevesi). Through this particular character you see how Priestley denounces the hypocrisy and callousness of capitalism, class divides and argues that a truly just society can only be achieved if all individuals, no matter their status, feel a sense of social responsibility. Pay attention to this character. His actions, words and presence will leave you unsettled and even questioning what he truly represents.

Continuing my praise of the cast, the ongoing struggle for dominance between the patriarch of the Birling family (an equally commanding performance by Nicholas Ruddick) and the aforementioned Inspector Goole is particularly excellent but all cast members, save for the dutiful housekeeper, have their moment to confront and assert themselves to varying degrees of success against a man who is so hard set in his sense of morality and justice, you can see the divide between the elders and their young adult children clearly. Both Sheila (a well-crafted performance full of nuance by Rebecca Durance Hine) and Eric (an impressive display of young foolishness and modern sensibility by Gareth Finnigan) have a deep impact on the events unfolding before them and to hold themselves with veteran actors shows the care and dedication to character and their craft. Mrs. Birling (played with delicious haughtiness by Tamara Kamermans) also showcases this sense of divided morality between herself and her children. All the characters struggle with the concept of responsibility and their snobbish sense of how to exist in society without consequence. It is truly impressive to watch their characters break down and realize that no one is without fault, no matter their status. 

To say more would delve too closely into spoiler territory, but know this: when you reach the seemingly natural denouement, you are not through yet. That surprised me, thinking the show had an impactful and suitable ending only to keep the tension going until the true ending which had several audience members audibly gasping with realization and whispered questions as the lights dimmed on the stage. 

This has been a stellar season for Dundas Little Theatre and An Inspector Calls is a compelling mystery/thriller leaving audiences with questions and debates to be had long after leaving the theatre. The Inspector truly calls on us all to reflect on the messages within this production. The combination of a profoundly relevant script, a director and crew who understood the context and the talents of the cast make the final show in the 2022-2023 season a must-see. 

Cast of An Inspector Calls (L to R): Rebecca Durance Hine as Sheila and Nicholas Ruddick as Arthur Birling 

Remaining Performances: 

Friday April 28 Saturday April 29 Sunday April 30 (matinee) Thursday May 4 Friday May 5 Saturday May 6 Sunday May 7 (matinee) Evening performances at 8:00 p.m.; matinees at 2:00 p.m.

Tickets: Tickets – Dundas Little Theatre (wordpress.com)

Performances at: Dundas Little Theatre @ Garstin Centre for the Arts, 37 Market Street South, Dundas, Ontario

[totallyhussein-blog]

Will you be visited by three Christmas ghosts or will an inspector call?

“We don't live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other. And I tell you that the time will soon come when if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish.” - An Inspector Calls

Angela Moohan is the chief executive of The Larder, a charity fighting poverty and hunger with dignity. Angela has also issued a stark warning to the United Kingdom in the Morning Star newspaper.

THIS winter more and more of our fellow citizens will go hungry. In Scotland and across the UK people who have never suffered from food insecurity before will, for the first time, not have enough food to feed themselves and their families.

Last Friday, The Larder hosted a National Emergency Food Summit. We issued an open invitation to statutory and non-statutory organisations, voluntary and community groups, politicians, trade unions, academics and individuals, from across Scotland, to come together in an effort to find a collective way forward to put food into people’s bellies this winter.

While the recent focus has understandably been on soaring energy bills, hunger and food insecurity has fallen off the political and media agenda. There is a moral imperative to act, we cannot allow our fellow citizens to go without the most basic necessity for life: food.

An Inspector Calls is a play written by English dramatist J. B. Priestley, first performed in the Soviet Union in 1945 and at the New Theatre in London the following year. It is one of Priestley's best-known works for the stage and is considered to be one of the classics of mid-20th century English theatre.

One of J B Priestley’s best-known works, An Inspector Calls was written in the 1940s, though the action takes place in a single night in 1912. It features the Birlings, an upper-middle-class family living a comfortable life in the north of England, where Arthur Birling is a successful factory owner and local politician and his wife Sybil oversees the running of the home and sits on charity committees.

As Helena Gomm wrote in the Winchester Today; On the night in question, the Birlings have every reason to feel smug. Their daughter Sheila has just become engaged to Gerald, son of Sir Gerald Croft, and Arthur believes that his own name will appear in the next honours list. They are having dinner to celebrate.

Into this scene of domestic complacency comes Inspector Goole, who wishes to question the family about the suicide of a local working-class girl, Eva Smith. At first, they all deny knowledge of her, but it gradually emerges that each one has, in some way, had an impact on her life and has contributed to her exclusion from society, her despair and, ultimately, her death.