#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.

[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.

[rosetta-j-stone]

So, for anyone who's seen/read An Inspector Calls...I imagine the writing process went something like this?

(Disclaimer: I do actually quite like this play)

Priestley's long-suffering roommate: Ah, Priestley, still writing that play set in pre-war England I see.

Priestley: Yes, and since you said my title "HAHAHAHA, PAYBACK'S A BITCH YOU ISOLATIONIST IVORY-TOWER-DWELLING DELUSIONALS" wasn't subtle enough, I've decided to go with "An Inspector Calls".

Roommate: I see, and is the inspector still called Major Foreshadowing?

Priestley: No, I've settled on Inspector Goole. Get it? Goole?

Roommate: Ok...

Priestley: IT IS A PUN.

Roommate: <skimming through the manuscript> Hmm, don't you think it kind of gives the audience the impression that you have a chip on your shoulder about the nouveau riche?

Priestley: That is sooooo not true.

Roommate: Really? Because your portrayal of Arthur Birling is -

Priestley: I hate ALL RICH PEOPLE. Look at Gerald. He's old money so you'd think he'd have some class but PSYCH he also turns out to be a total wan-

Roommate: Look, is this about that time that posh eejit insulted you at a party?

Priestley: (pause) Noooooooo...

Roommate: It is isn't it.

Priestley: (scribbling furiously) CALL ME A SOCIALIST CRANK WILL YOU, YOU ELITIST BASTARD?!?!?!

[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!

[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

[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.

[nettchan02]

Modernity working class

Elite - the most privileged group in the UK, distinct from the other six classes through its wealth. This group has the highest levels of all three capitals

Established middle class - the second wealthiest, scoring highly on all three capitals. The largest and most gregarious group, scoring second highest for cultural capital

Technical middle class - a small, distinctive new class group which is prosperous but scores low for social and cultural capital. Distinguished by its social isolation and cultural apathy

New affluent workers - a young class group which is socially and culturally active, with middling levels of economic capital

Traditional working class - scores low on all forms of capital, but is not completely deprived. Its members have reasonably high house values, explained by this group having the oldest average age at 66

Emergent service workers - a new, young, urban group which is relatively poor but has high social and cultural capital

Precariat, or precarious proletariat - the poorest, most deprived class, scoring low for social and cultural capital

Well, the thing is about the lower and middle classes; it was pretty challenging for me to understand it in middle school. It was hard for me to understand it. That wasn’t how I understood it in my last years, in years 11 and 10, when I had a chance to learn the inspector calls. I had an opportunity to learn about what is up to in the lower class, and they explained to me the definitions of it. It’s a bit like refreshing my mind out of it about the whole Novels and the whole theatre I have been seen it’s all about Eva Smith about she was a hard worker woman and she was works for an upper class or more like a middle-class Birling family's the families has their own own business to do when Mr Berlin is has his own little business and he has a workers in the factory of Smith is part of them but ever had not satisfied with the payment scenes of the when she was working it was low payments and she told Mr Berlin about she needed to pay her rent and she needed to pay her food as well and the money amount they are giving as a pay is not enough and Mr Berlin was wanted the reason to fire her out like try to be accusing him like I steal your money he is local class by mocking about the amount of money I gave mrs Berlin and his daughter and also Mrs Berlin and Mr Berlin son is also happy to do with Emma Smith Smith was worked for a co-shop when Mrs Burnley and his daughter was trying to be looking for marriage clothes but told him, Mrs. Burling‘s daughter also got jealousy of the other girls beauty and Mrs Matt to fire out and at the time is also Mrs Berlin daughters has a husband is also has something to do with Eva Smith. They’re like lovers, actually, and they also have some guilt because they kicked the woman out when they needed her as a lover, so the family's son is made of Smith pregnant. Mrs Berlin is supposed to have a charity supporting ladies like her. Still, they don’t take her seriously. Still, when she says she got pregnant and defaulted and wants to take responsibility for his actions, this little story tells about how the upper class and the middle class look down on the local clause and how much difference is between the rich people and the poor people however when I say Mr Burling family and his self I say the middle class is because on even if they are had been riches they are in the middle. There were higher classes, so Mr Balham wanted his daughter to marry a higher-class man ; he wanted the upper classes to be like him and treat him much more like a higher position. It’s a very remarkable story, actually, for understanding the inspector calls. I don’t want to be told the whole story because these true stories are not just only about the upper middle classes. There are plenty of classes we could be in. There are also dark histories, and the inspector much more inspires the classes because that’s one thing I mainly liked when I was a middle-class student. Hence, I recommend we watch it in the theatre or a novel to watch it or check the BBC and the GCSE because many School children use this to study for GCSE. The inspector also calls it a great life lesson to learn about, like what the upper class is, what the medical class is, and what your understanding of the differences between the outside world then and now lives.

Hi there, I also shared one of the short films about them called The Mask. The mask is about showing the average life of the purposes as we are working on trying to be working in the middle and lower classes, how we get influenced, and how daily life is now going. It shows how black-and-white it was. How did we have the positivity we were born with, or how were we happy when we were getting into adulthood and were influenced with happiness to go outside? Still, when we’re on the way, we also could see how much people want to be. They tried to push you up, not nicely, to treat you just because they had a bad day. They say you’re happy. How dare you be happy? I am upset because I am sad and busy.

You should be upset as well. How were his days? However, when this guy was seen on the bus, that smiley, cheerful woman he smiled with came back, but when he went to work, his colleagues and the bosses took his smile away, so how was the day? Totally like the show? The average day shows how upper class it is, takes all the spirits down from you, and influences you when you want to influence yourself. Yes, I wanted to do this job because that’s my dream job. Even the dream job will take you down one day and make you less like it, even if it starts to close where you wanted to be.

[studying-space-of-annie]

English literature SUCKED holy shit. For J&H it was about how violence was portrayed (the extract was about Sir Danvers Carew's murder) and AIC was either about fucking Eric Birling or power of class differences (I chose the class difference theme question cuz honestly who cares about Eric). None of the quotes I revised for was useful bro I had to pull out random quotes outta my ass n just waffle. I did manage to finish it tho (even wrote conclusions) which is surprising cuz I've never managed to actually finish writing an English exam (literature OR language) in the given time . So that's a w I guess?

Business was really easy honestly. Last year I expected it to be easy but it was super hard, this time it was the opposite 😭 all my friends said it was really hard tho?? Maybe it's just false confidence idkk lol.

There's only one exam left, the geography exam on Thursday. Honestly I don't really care about it, as long as I pass it doesn't matter. Tomorrow after school I have rehearsals for Shakespeare festival thingy, idk if I should go since it takes one hour n I have an exam the next day. But I already missed it last week cuz of the same reason (the teacher let all year 11s miss rehearsals last week cuz of it) and I don't wanna miss it again. I'll probably go tho, I'm really not that bothered with geography.

[jacquerussell]

The Titanic Symbol in An Inspector Calls, revisited

In An Inspector Calls Priestley quickly establishes Arthur Birlings character by his setting, in a comfortable middle class house during a dinner party, by what he says and how he says it. Remember that nothing in a play or in a film happens by accident. Everything on stage or on the screen is designed to be there to achieve a particular purpose. He starts by calling out Shiela who is admiring…

[bideo-gaming]

Inspiration for character designs

1 - 8-Ball [Marvel Comics]

8-Ball is one of the many obscure Marvel characters, being notable for fighting with a pool cue, wearing a huge 8-ball and having powers of precognition imbued within his helmet. Somehow. I really like the minimalistic approach to 8-Ball's design and I hadn't really considered pool or other casino games not strictly based on luck. I also think the pool cue is a nice touch [and being hit by one does hurt - I should know.]

2 - whatever the DCU is doing

Absolutely no clue who these are but I really like their personification of the Spades cards. Cards tend to have certain ideas attributed to them interestingly, such as the Ace being the strongest or best [hence ace pilots]. The Ace of Spades [cue guitar solo] in particular is thought to represent/foreshadow death, typically being the strongest being as it is the highest card. The King, second only to the Ace, is typically personified as the leader or figurehead for obvious reasons. The Queen, however, is typically described as regal and imperious. The King and Queen are similar to Arthur and Sybil Birling from An Inspector Calls [if i ever have to describe JB Priestly's personification fo class struggle again, it'll be too damn soon]. The Jack [or Jester as I incorrectly refer to him] is the lowest-ranking fancy card, often being the right-hand man to the King or Queen.

3 - Two-Face [DC Comics]

Two-Face, or Harvey Dent, is one of the most ubiquitous characters that can be linked to gabling. Although his whole thing is about the idea of opposites [honourable politician vs ruthless killer, heads vs tails], he relies on a coin to decide his actions. I really like this idea and figure I could use this to create a glass cannon enemy whose design uses similar elements or Two-Face, their attacks typically being very hit-or-miss, doing a lot of damage or absolutely none.

4 - King Dice [Cuphead] and a stock image I stole from Shutterstock

I've mentioned him before and I'll likely mention him again - King Dice and his arena have provided quite a bit of inspiration for my game's aesthetics. With a very simple colour scheme and design, King Dice is similar to 8-Ball with their head symbolising their gimmick or idea. Although I don't intend to use them in the same way, I'd like for dice to feature heavily in my game with their outcome dictating the effectiveness of an attack.

5 - Death Dealer [Marvel Comics]

Death Dealers are a minor trope within comics [the above image being one from Marvel] but they typically have a whole deck of throwing cards that just kill people, whether through magic, 'applied phlebotinum' [bless you] or just being cool. Although this may be difficult to execute well in my game, I really like the idea of a Death-Dealing character and the ability to use cards themselves as weapons.

6 - High Roller skins [TF2]

I really like these skins. So much so that I may just take the palette and use it in my designs at it fits perfectly with the casino aesthetic. I can't explain why I love this so much, but I certainly do.

7 - Gray Fullbody [Game of Dice]

Although this really doesn't fit with the casino theme, I'd like one of my enemies to be cowboy- or western-themed [albeit with a colour swap to the TF2 skins]. I could do a lot of High Steaks kinda wordplay or use a Russian Roulette revolver attack. I also just think the character design goes hard as hell.