Sybil birling essay GCSE (graded distinction ) grade 8 covers all the key quotes that could come up in the GSCE and explores Sybil birling fully throughout the acts.
Sybil birling is presented as an indifferent and condescending woman. Her feeling of social superiority and strength along
with the character of her husband are central to a complete understanding of the play and Priestley’s purpose for this play.
She and her husband are symbolic of the social elite in Edwardian society and the farcical nature of its ruling class and also
who holds traditional and capitalists’ values. Throughout the play her prejudice reveals her cruel and immoral behaviour,
and Priestley shows her to be completely void of compassion, even to her children. Ultimately, she refuses to take
responsibility for her action and she remains ignorant and utterly dislikeable. The audiences first impression of Mrs birling
is as a powerful but unsympathetic character. Priestley presents her as a “cold woman” as an unlikable character through
her speech, views and interactions with other characters. Also, the adjective “cold” could symbolise that older generation
are arguably narrow minded and are reluctant to change. Mrs birling power allows her to act in a patronising manner to
everyone around her. She is described to be her “husbands social superior” showing how she was of a higher class and had
married down and the noun “superior” could highlight the growing gap capitalism has created. She often scolded Mr
birling as if he is a child and when he behaves in a way that is not viewed as acceptable by the higher class, she tells him he
“mustn’t do that”. This is illustrating to an audience how she is controlling and the word “mustn’t” make her speech sound
like a command. However, she also acts in a similar way towards her children we can see that when Sheila begins to speak
out and take responsibility Mrs birling steps in and quickly shuts her down and also tells her that she is behaving in “like a
hysterical child”. The patronising tone of her voice insinuates her superiority. The words “hysterical child” shows her view
she has about her children., she thinks that Sheila is behaving in a “childish behaviour”. This is ironic because Sheila is the
one who is acting more maturely- more like an adult, but as she is speaking out, Mrs birling is quick to scold.
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