How Does Priestley Present Mr Birling?

How does Priestley use language to present the character of Arthur Birling? (AQA question)

Write about:

Your opinions of Mr Birling.

How Priestley presents Mr Birling by the way that he writes.

[30 marks.]

Success Criteria

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EBI

Make comments about Mr Birling and how he is presented

Give relevant quotes or references to the text to support my answers

Explain how the writer makes choices to create meaning

Evaluate the effect of the writer s choices on an audience

Make links to why the writer might do this / what this might teach me about Priestley s values or society in 1912.

Model paragraphPriestley presents Mr Birling as a pompous and stereotypical capitalist when he describes himself as a hard-headed practical man of business. The adjective hard means to be tough or solid which could suggest that Mr Birling is unkind and has no sympathy for others he is emotionally tough. As an audience, we may be annoyed by Mr Birling because he only cares about his business and has no compassion for other people. We may also question if his hard-headed nature also means he s unintelligent, because he doesn t realise that his staff would work harder if he was nicer to them. Priestley may be using Mr Birling to critique specific values and political views.

Write your own version using a different quotation.

Can you make 3 separate points about HOW Priestley presents Mr Birling each refering to a different technique or aspect of his character?