English GCSE Revision Help

2009-11-06T15:21:00.001Z

Year 11 Mock Timetable

A View from the Bridge - past whole text questions - foundation

2009-05-13T15:34:00.003+01:00

Either,
(b) For which character in A View From The Bridge do you have the most sympathy?
Think about:
• what happens to your chosen character in the play;
• your chosen character’s relationships with other characters;
• the way your chosen character speaks and behaves at different points in the play;
• why you feel the most sympathy for your chosen character. [20]
Or,
(c) Give advice to an actor playing Marco on how he should speak and behave at two or three
important points in the play. [20]

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Either,
(b) Imagine you are Rodolfo. At the end of the play you think back over what has happened.
Write down your thoughts and feelings.
You may wish to think about:
• your life in Italy;
• your relationship with Marco;
• your relationship with Catherine;
• your relationships with Eddie and Beatrice;
• your feelings about what happened. [20]
Or,
(c) Who or what do you blame for Eddie’s death?
Think about:
• Eddie’s behaviour at different points in the play;
• Marco’s and Rodolfo’s behaviour at different points in the play;
• the behaviour of other characters;
• anything else you think important. [20]

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Either,
(b) Write about some of the ways in which Catherine’s character changes throughout the play.
Explain the reasons for these changes. [20]
Or,
(c) Imagine you are Mr. Alfieri. At the end of the play you think back over its events. Write
down your thoughts and feelings.
You may wish to think about:
• your position in the community of Red Hook;
• the visits Eddie made to you;
• your thoughts and feelings about what Eddie told you;
• Eddie’s death;
• anything else you think important. [20]

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Either,
(b) Give advice to an actor playing Eddie about how he should speak and behave at different
points in the play.
Think about:
• his relationship with Catherine;
• his relationship with Beatrice;
• his attitude to Marco and Rodolpho;
• his visits to Alfieri. [20]
Or,
(c) Write about a part of the play that you think would be particularly gripping for an audience.
Write about:
• what happens in your chosen part;
• how the characters involved speak and behave;
• why it would grip an audience. [20]

1 A View from the Bridge Past extract questions - Foundation

2009-05-13T15:29:00.013+01:00

10. A View From The Bridge
Answer both parts of (a) and either part (b) or part (c).
You are advised to spend about 20 minutes on part (a), and about 40 minutes on part (b) or part (c).
(a) Read the extract on the opposite page. Then answer the following questions:
(i) What do you think of the way Eddie speaks and behaves here? Give reasons for what
you say. [5]
(ii) How do you think an audience would respond to this part of the play? Give reasons
for what you say. [5]
CATHERINE Did you ever hear of jazz?
RODOLFO Oh, sure! I sing jazz.
CATHERINE (rises) You could sing jazz?
RODOLFO Oh, I sing Napolidan, jazz, bel canto – I sing ‘Paper Doll’, you like ‘Paper Doll’?
CATHERINE Oh, sure, I’m crazy for ‘Paper Doll’. Go ahead, sing it.
RODOLFO (takes his stance after getting a nod of permission from MARCO, and with a high tenor
voice begins singing:
‘I’ll tell you boys it’s tough to be alone,
And it’s tough to love a doll that’s not your own.
I’m through with all of them,
I’ll never fall again,
Hey, boy, what you gonna do?
I’m gonna buy a paper doll that I can call my own,
A doll that other fellows cannot steal.
EDDIE rises and moves upstage.
And then those flirty, flirty guys
With their flirty, flirty eyes
Will have to flirt with dollies that are real –
EDDIE Hey, kid – hey, wait a minute –
CATHERINE (enthralled) Leave him finish, it’s beautiful! (To BEATRICE)
He’s terrific! It’s terrific, Rodolfo.
EDDIE Look, kid; you don’t want to be picked up, do ya?
MARCO No – no! (He rises)
EDDIE (indicating the rest of the building) Because we never had no singers here ... and all
of a sudden there’s a singer in the house, y’know what I mean?
MARCO Yes, yes. You’ll be quiet, Rodolfo.
EDDIE (he is flushed) They got guys all over the place, Marco. I mean.
MARCO Yes. He’ll be quiet. (To RODOLFO) You’ll be quiet.
RODOLFO nods.
EDDIE has risen, with iron control, even a smile. He moves to CATHERINE.
EDDIE What’s the high heels for, Garbo?
CATHERINE I figured for tonight –
EDDIE Do me a favour, will you? Go ahead.
Embarrassed now, angered, CATHERINE goes out into the bedroom. BEATRICE watches
her go and gets up; in passing, she gives EDDIE a cold look, restrained only by the
strangers, and goes to the table to pour coffee.
EDDIE (striving to laugh, and to MARCO, but directed as much to BEATRICE) All actresses they
want to be around here.
RODOLFO (happy about it) In Italy too! All the girls.
CATHERINE emerges from the bedroom in low-heel shoes, comes to the table. RODOLFO
is lifting a cup.
EDDIE (he is sizing up RODOLFO, and there is a concealed suspicion) Yeah, heh?
RODOLFO Yes! (Laughs, indicating CATHERINE) Especially when they are so beautiful!
CATHERINE You like sugar?
RODOLFO Sugar? Yes! I like sugar very much!
EDDIE is downstage, watching as she pours a spoonful of sugar into his cup, his face
puffed with trouble, and the room dies.

2 A View from the Bridge past extract questions - Foundation

2009-05-13T15:29:00.012+01:00

10. A View From The Bridge
Answer both parts of (a) and either part (b) or part (c).
You are advised to spend about 20 minutes on part (a), and about 40 minutes on part (b) or part (c).
(a) Read the extract on the opposite page. Then answer the following questions:
(i) What do you think of the way Alfieri speaks and behaves here? Give reasons for what
you say. [5]
(ii) What do you think of the way Eddie speaks and behaves here? Give reasons for what
you say. [5]

ALFIERI On December twenty-seventh I saw him next. I normally go home well before six,
but that day I sat around looking out my window at the bay, and when I saw him
walking through my doorway, I knew why I had waited. And if I seem to tell this like
a dream, it was that way. Several moments arrived in the course of the two talks we
had when it occurred to me how – almost transfixed I had come to feel. I had lost my
strength somewhere. (EDDIE enters, removing his cap, sits in the chair, looks
thoughtfully out.) I looked in his eyes more than I listened – in fact, I can hardly
remember the conversation. But I will never forget how dark the room became when
he looked at me; his eyes were like tunnels. I kept wanting to call the police, but
nothing had happened. Nothing at all had really happened. (He breaks off and looks
down at the desk. Then he turns to EDDIE.) So in other words, he won’t leave?
EDDIE My wife is talkin’ about renting a room upstairs for them. An old lady on the top
floor is got an empty room.
ALFIERI What does Marco say?
EDDIE He just sits there. Marco don’t say much.
ALFIERI I guess they didn’t tell him, heh? What happened?
EDDIE I don’t know; Marco don’t say much.
ALFIERI What does your wife say?
EDDIE (unwilling to pursue this) Nobody’s talkin’ much in the house. So what about that?
ALFIERI But you didn’t prove anything about him. It sounds like he just wasn’t strong enough
to break your grip.
EDDIE I’m tellin’ you I know – he ain’t right. Somebody that don’t want it can break it. Even
a mouse, if you catch a teeny mouse and you hold it in your hand, that mouse can
give you the right kind of fight. He didn’t give me the right kind of fight, I know it,
Mr Alfieri, the guy ain’t right.
ALFIERI What did you do that for, Eddie?
EDDIE To show her what he is! So she would see, once and for all! Her mother’ll turn over
in the grave! (He gathers himself almost peremptorily.) So what do I gotta do now?
Tell me what to do.
ALFIERI She actually said she’s marrying him?
EDDIE She told me, yeah. So what do I do?
Slight pause.
ALFIERI This is my last word, Eddie, take it or not, that’s your business. Morally and legally
you have no rights, you cannot stop it; she is a free agent.
EDDIE (angering) Didn’t you hear what I told you?
ALFIERI (with a tougher tone) I heard what you told me, and I’m telling you what the answer
is. I’m not only telling you now, I’m warning you – the law is nature. The law is only
a word for what has a right to happen. When the law is wrong it’s because it’s
unnatural, but in this case it is natural and a river will drown you if you buck it now.
Let her go. And bless her. (A phone booth begins to glow on the opposite side of the
stage; a faint, lonely blue. EDDIE stands up, jaws clenched.) Somebody had to come
for her, Eddie, sooner or later. (EDDIE starts turning to go and ALFIERI rises with new
anxiety.) You won’t have a friend in the world, Eddie! Even those who understand
will turn against you, even the ones who feel the same will despise you! (EDDIE
moves off.) Put it out of your mind! Eddie! (He follows into the darkness, calling
desperately.)

3 A View from the Bridge past extract questions - Foundation

2009-05-13T15:28:00.005+01:00

10. A View From The Bridge
Answer both parts of (a) and either part (b) or part (c).
You are advised to spend about 20 minutes on part (a), and about 40 minutes on part (b) or part (c).
(a) Read the extract on the opposite page. Then answer the following questions:
(i) What do you think of the way Eddie speaks and behaves here? Give reasons for what
you say. [5]
(ii) What do you think of the way Catherine speaks and behaves here? Give reasons for
what you say. [5]

CATHERINE: What happens, Eddie, when that ship pulls out and they ain’t on it, though? Don’t the
captain say nothin’?
EDDIE: (slicing an apple with his pocket knife) Captain’s pieced off, what do you mean?
CATHERINE: Even the captain?
EDDIE: What’s the matter, the captain don’t have to live? Captain gets a piece, maybe one of
the mates, piece for the guy in Italy who fixed the papers for them, Tony here’ll get a
little bite ....
BEATRICE: I just hope they get work here, that’s all I hope.
EDDIE: Oh, the syndicate’ll fix jobs for them; till they pay ’em off they’ll get them work
every day. It’s after the pay-off, then they’ll have to scramble like the rest of us.
BEATRICE: Well, it be better than they got there.
EDDIE: Oh sure, well, listen. So you gonna start Monday, heh, Madonna?
CATHERINE: (embarrassed) I’m supposed to, yeah.
EDDIE is standing facing the two seated women. First BEATRICE smiles, then
CATHERINE, for a powerful emotion is on him, a childish one and a knowing fear, and
the tears show in his eyes – and they are shy before the avowal.
EDDIE: (sadly smiling, yet somehow proud of her) Well ... I hope you have good luck. I wish
you the best. You know that, kid.
CATHERINE: (rising, trying to laugh) You sound like I’m goin’ a million miles!
EDDIE: I know. I guess I just never figured on one thing.
CATHERINE: (smiling) What?
EDDIE: That you would ever grow up. (He utters a soundless laugh at himself, feeling the
breast pocket of his shirt.) I left a cigar in my other coat, I think. (He starts for the
bedroom.)
CATHERINE: Stay there! I’ll get it for you.
She hurries out. There is a slight pause, and EDDIE turns to BEATRICE, who has been
avoiding his gaze.
EDDIE: What are you mad at me lately?
BEATRICE: Who’s mad? (She gets up, clearing the dishes.) I’m not mad. (She picks up the dishes
and turns to him.) You’re the one is mad. (She turns and goes into the kitchen as
CATHERINE enters from the bedroom with a cigar and a pack of matches.)
CATHERINE: Here! I’ll light it for you! (She strikes a match and holds it to his cigar. He puffs.
Quietly) Don’t worry about me, Eddie, heh?
EDDIE: Don’t burn yourself. (Just in time she blows out the match.) You better go in help her
with the dishes.
CATHERINE: (turns quickly to the table, and, seeing the table cleared, she says, almost guiltily)
Oh! (She hurries into the kitchen, and as she exits there) I’ll do the dishes, B.!
Alone, EDDIE stands looking toward the kitchen for a moment. Then he takes out his
watch, glances at it, replaces it in his pocket, sits in the armchair, and stares at the
smoke flowing out of his mouth.

4 A View from the Bridge past extract questions - Foundation

2009-05-13T15:27:00.004+01:00

10. A View From The Bridge
Answer both parts of (a) and either part (b) or part (c).
You are advised to spend about 20 minutes on part (a), and about 40 minutes on part (b) or part (c).
(a) Read the extract on the opposite page. Then answer the following questions:
(i) What do you think of the way Eddie speaks and behaves here? [5]
(ii) What do you think of the way Beatrice speaks and behaves here? [5]

EDDIE: Where is everybody? (BEATRICE does not answer.) I says where is everybody?
BEATRICE: (looking up at him, wearied with it, and concealing a fear of him) I decided to move
them upstairs with Mrs Dondero.
EDDIE: Oh, they’re all moved up there already?
BEATRICE: Yeah.
EDDIE: Where’s Catherine? She up there?
BEATRICE: Only to bring pillow cases.
EDDIE: She ain’t movin’ in with them.
BEATRICE: Look, I’m sick and tired of it. I’m sick and tired of it!
EDDIE: All right, all right, take it easy.
BEATRICE: I don’t wanna hear no more about it, you understand? Nothin’!
EDDIE: What’re you blowin’ off about? Who brought them in here?
BEATRICE: All right, I’m sorry; I wish I’d a drop dead before I told them to come. In the ground I
wish I was.
EDDIE: Don’t drop dead, just keep in mind who brought them in here, that’s all. (He moves
about restlessly.) I mean I got a couple of rights here. (He moves, wanting to beat
down her evident disapproval of him.) This is my house here not their house.
BEATRICE: What do you want from me? They’re moved out; what do you want now?
EDDIE: I want my respect!
BEATRICE: So I moved them out, what more do you want? You got your house now, you got your
respect.
EDDIE: (he moves about biting his lip) I don’t like the way you talk to me, Beatrice.
BEATRICE: I’m just tellin’ you I done what you want!
EDDIE: I don’t like it! The way you talk to me and the way you look at me. This is my house.
And she is my niece and I’m responsible for her.
BEATRICE: So that’s why you done that to him?
EDDIE: I done what to him?
BEATRICE: What you done to him in front of her, you know what I’m talkin’ about. She goes
around shakin’ all the time, she can’t go to sleep! That’s what you call responsible for
her?
EDDIE: (quietly) The guy ain’t right, Beatrice. (She is silent.) Did you hear what I said?
BEATRICE: Look, I’m finished with it. That’s all. (She resumes her work.)
EDDIE: (helping her to pack the tinsel) I’m gonna have it out with you one of these days,
Beatrice.
BEATRICE: Nothin’ to have out with me, it’s all settled. Now we gonna be like it never happened,
that’s all.
EDDIE: I want my respect, Beatrice, and you know what I’m talkin’ about.
BEATRICE: What?
Pause
EDDIE: (finally his resolution hardens) What I feel like doin’ in the bed and what I don’t feel
like doin’. I don’t want no –
BEATRICE: When’d I say anything about that?
EDDIE: You said, you said, I ain’t deaf. I don’t want no more conversations about that,
Beatrice. I do what I feel like doin’ or what I don’t feel like doin’.
BEATRICE: Okay.
Pause
EDDIE: You used to be different, Beatrice. You had a whole different way.
BEATRICE: I’m no different.
EDDIE: You didn’t used to jump me all the time about everything. The last year or two I come in the house I don’t know what’s gonna hit me. It’s a shootin’ gallery in here
and I’m the pigeon.

Literature - play - A View from the Bridge

2009-05-13T12:04:00.004+01:00

Section B of the English Literature GCSE is on a play. You should do the one you have studied - either a View from the Bridge or An Inspector Calls. This post will look at A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE.

BBC Bitesize revision have a really useful site on this play with lots of resources and revision tips. Click here to go to it.

You will have to answer TWO questions on A View from the Bridge. The first is an EXTRACT question. An extract from the play will be reprinted, and you will be asked a question on it. In your answer, you should quote a lot from the extract and track how the play and characters change throughout it. You must answer on the WHOLE extract, not just the beginning or end.
The other question will be based on the WHOLE PLAY. This is the question where it would be handy to have memorised some quotes. If you look through this website, I have put together some of the key quotes for each character. Don't try and rewrite long quotations in the exam, or get too bothered about memorising. Short, one or two word quotations are best, as they prove you have a deep understanding of the play. For example, saying something like 'Rodolfo looks at Catherine like a "lost boy"', or 'Eddie and Rodolfo fight brutally, "like animals."'

As ever, try and focus on EXPLAINING, not describing. Don't fall in to the trap of just retelling the play. Instead of saying "Eddie is married to Beatrice, Beatrice's niece is Catherine", you could say "Eddie is jealous of Catherine and doesn't like it when she dances with Rodolfo."

English Literature - novel - Stone Cold

2009-05-10T11:34:00.003+01:00

Section A of the English Literature GCSE is on a novel. You should do the one you have studied - either Of Mice and Men or Stone Cold. This post will look at STONE COLD. There are not a lot of internet resources on Stone Cold, so take a look at what I’ve added to this blog and your own notes.

You will have to answer TWO questions on Stone Cold. The first is an EXTRACT question. An extract from the play will be reprinted, and you will be asked a question on it. In your answer, you should quote a lot from the extract and track how the play and characters change throughout it. You must answer on the WHOLE extract, not just the beginning or end.

The other question will be based on the WHOLE PLAY. This is the question where it would be handy to have memorised some quotes. If you look through this website, I have put together some of the key quotes for each character. Don't try and rewrite long quotations in the exam, or get too bothered about memorising. Short, one or two word quotations are best, as they prove you have a deep understanding of the play. For example, saying something like 'Shelter calls the people he has killed “recruits”, which shows how crazy he is', or 'Link talks about how homeless people become “invisible people.”'

As ever, try and focus on EXPLAINING, not describing. Don't fall in to the trap of just retelling the play. Instead of saying "Link leaves home and goes to London where he meets another homeless man called Ginger", say "Link is naïve and gullible when he first arrives on the streets, but he meets Ginger who gives him valuable tips on how to survive being homeless."

Stone Cold - Gail

2009-05-10T11:31:00.004+01:00

Gail turns up after Ginger is killed. Link falls in love with her, but it turns out she isn't homeless after all - she is an undercover journalist trying to get a story for her paper.

She ‘was the best looking dosser’ Link had ever seen. Her hair is ‘chestnut, spilling from under her green knitted cap like fire’
Link and Gail ‘hit it off from the word go’ (93) and Link is ‘well in love’, which means he doesn’t question some of the odder things she does.
She is ‘terminally curious…about life on the streets’ (96) and very often rushes off to the phone box to ring her sister.
At the end, it turns out she is an undercover reporter and was only pretending to be in love with Link. Her real name is Louise and her real boyfriend is a photographer called Gavin. However, when she has to leave Link, she is ‘in tears’ (131) and she gives him some money before she leaves.

Stone Cold - Ginger

2009-05-10T11:16:00.004+01:00

GINGER - Ginger is a good friend Link makes after he becomes homeless. He helps Link survive on the streets, but he is killed by Shelter.

He is friendly, humorous and good natured. ‘He sounded laid-back, amiable.’ (41).
He shows Link how to survive – he helps him beg, he introduces him to places where you can get ‘an outstanding cheese roll’ (49), starts him smoking ‘you’ll not see sixty anyway, dossing in doorways’ (54) and takes him to ‘Captain Hook’s foetid hulk’ (77).
He makes jokes to keep their spirits up – he turns up wearing a bin bag and says it cost ‘Four hundred quid. Burlington Arcade.’ (60)
He is a loyal friend, and it is his loyalty and kindness that gets him killed. When Shelter tells him Link has been injured, he lets his guard down and says ‘have you killed my mate, you bastard…you better take me to him then’ (83).

Stone Cold - Shelter

2009-05-10T11:07:00.004+01:00

Shelter is the other NARRATOR of the story. He starts all his chapters with 'Daily Routine Orders Number...'. He is an ex-soldier who has been discharged from the army on medical grounds and becomes a serial killer

He calls himself Shelter to trick homeless people, because shelter from the stormy blast is ‘what they’re all looking for’ (2).
He uses lots and lots of military terms to describe his actions – he goes on a ‘tour of inspection’ (11) to find ‘recruits’ (62), and after he kills them he describes it as a ‘brilliant operation’ (83). When he can’t kill Link, he says he’ll have to ‘devise fresh tactics’ (92).
He calls homeless people ‘scruffy blighters’ (11), ‘dossers, junkies, and drunks’ and ‘garbage’ (12).
He gets a cat to try and fool people that he’s kind and gentle, because a cat makes you think of ‘warmth, comfort, placid domesticity’ (16). And it works – later on Link says ‘what’s scary about a guy who can’t find his pussycat?’ (122).
He calls Link ‘Link the Stink’ and Ginger ‘Laughing Boy number one’ (81).

Stone Cold - Link

2009-05-10T10:53:00.003+01:00

Link is one of the NARRATORS of the story. He tells the story of his life - how he fell out with his step dad, how he ended up sleeping rough in London and his relationships with his friend Ginger and girlfriend Gail.

He says that being homeless is like being ‘invisible’. (1)
Leaving home is ‘sad and scary…heading into the unknown with nothing to protect you’ (3).
When he first gets to London, he makes ‘loads of mistakes’ (18). He makes friends with Ginger, who helps him, but even so, ‘the last days of January were a swine’ (76).
We can tell he is insecure and lonely because he worries that Ginger might leave him. When Ginger does disappear, he thinks it’s because he’s gone back to his ‘real mates’ (84).
He decides then –‘don’t let anyone close’ (88) but he breaks this when Gail arrives. The time he spends with her is ‘so fantastic’ (99) but he starts getting ‘possessive’ (102) and not wanting to let her out of his sight.
When he finds out the truth about Gail, he is furious, and says to her real boyfriend ‘I’ll ram that fozzing camera where the sun don’t shine.’ (130).
At the end of the novel, he is bitter – Shelter has ‘a roof, a bed and three square meals’ (131) but he is still homeless.
The last words of the novel are ironic – ‘it’s a free country, right?’ (132). The suggestion is it’s only a free country if you have money and a place to live.

An Inspector Calls - sample whole text question

2009-05-09T22:03:00.006+01:00

Here is a sample question for the whole text question, followed by a model answer. You would be expected to write for about 40 minutes for this question.

Write about the character of Mr Birling and his importance to the play.

You may want to consider:

His views and beliefs at the start of the play
The way he reacts to the Inspector
His attitude at the end of the play.

Mr Birling’s views and beliefs at the start of the play show us that he is an arrogant and conceited man. He is very concerned with his place in society and within his family. We know this at the start of the play when he tells Gerald, with great pride, that he may soon receive a knighthood from the Queen.

He enjoys talking a lot, making other people listen to him and telling the younger people in the play how to live their lives. For example, just before the Inspector arrives he speaks at length, in a very didactic manner, to Eric and Gerald, explaining how a man should put himself first and not worry about the community and society, as if we ‘were bees in a hive’ This shows us that he does not worry about the position of those less fortunate, or less wealthy than him, and he dismisses people who do think like this as ‘cranks’. Priestley ridicules these beliefs by including within this speech the statement ‘Look at the Titanic! Absolutely unsinkable!’ – when in fact the Titanic sank shortly after the period the play was written in. Mr Birling can be seen as the main representative of a set of beliefs that Priestley sees as responsible for some of the catastrophes of the early 20th century.

Mr Birling’s reaction to the Inspector shows us his concern for status, as he is constantly trying to influence the Inspector by dropping the names of important local policeman and politicians. This shows us how self-important he is and how he thinks that his power and influence can overcome the law. However, the Inspector is not concerned at all by these names, which seriously affects the attitude and behaviour of Mr Birling. He gets angrier and angrier at the Inspector, calling him ‘officious’ and threatening to report him. There is a definite clash of authority and beliefs between the two men, which again can be seen as the clash between the two main ideas of Socialism and Capitalism.

Finally, Mr Birling’s behaviour at the end of the play shows us that he has not learnt anything at all from the night’s events. At the end of the play, he is less concerned with whether or not he might have been responsible for Eva Smith’s death than whether or not he will be found guilty. He is more concerned that there might be ‘a public scandal’ and that his ‘special reason’ for not wanting a scandal – ie, his knighthood – will be put in danger. He still believes that he can carry on the way he did before, not worrying about other people, sacking the workers in his factory and using his power and influence to ensure nothing is investigated. Therefore, the importance of Mr Birling to the play is to show how strong and unshakeable his beliefs are, but also to show how such beliefs will always end in catastrophe and disaster.

An Inspector Calls - sample extract question

2009-05-09T22:01:00.006+01:00

Here is a sample extract question with a model answer. You would be expected to write for about 20 minutes for this question.

How does Priestley build the drama and tension in this extract?
From page 47: ‘MRS B: I’m sorry she should have come to such a horrible end. But I accept no blame for this at all’ to the end of Act Two.

Think about:
• What Mrs Birling says and how she behaves
• What Sheila says
• The effect on the audience.

In this extract, JB Priestley builds drama and tension through the use of dramatic irony. Mrs Birling does not realise until the very end of the scene that her own son is responsible for Eva Smith’s pregnancy. However, Sheila and the audience begin to realise this before her. So, when she says things like ‘I blame the young man of the child she was going to have’, we realise that she is unknowingly incriminating herself and her son. This makes it tense and exciting, because we want to see what will happen when she eventually does realise that the person she is being so harsh on is her own son.

In this extract, JB Priestley builds drama and tension through having Sheila realise the truth of the situation long before her mother. Sheila is constantly interrupting trying to explain to her mother that by blaming the father of the child she is only blaming her own son. For example, she says ‘Mother – stop – stop!’ and ‘But don’t you see -’ As well as her words, the stage directions show that she is getting increasingly ‘agitated’ and ‘hysterical’ in attempting to warn her mother about what is happening. This is very tense and dramatic because Mr and Mrs Birling misinterpret her words and just assume she is overexcited. They assume she is being silly, when in fact she is the closest of all of the Croft family to true insight at this point.

In this extract, the effect on the audience is that we are eagerly, nervously, awaiting the moment of recognition when Mrs Birling will see that her own son is the person she has criticized so thoroughly. Mrs Birling has been so arrogant and smug before this that there may even be an element of excited anticipation, as we long for her to get her comeuppance and realise the hypocrisy of her callous and unsympathetic views on life. We desperately want to see how she will react when the Inspector reveals that the ‘chief culprit’ is her son. Her eventual understanding of the truth comes slowly and dramatically – first she is still ‘triumphant’, then she is ‘frightened’ as the truth begins to dawn, and then finally she retreats to ‘agitated’ denial as Eric appears at the door and his guilt emerges. The scene ends at this dramatic, climactic moment, which has overturned the certainties and smugness of Mrs Birling.

An Inspector Calls - historical context and allegory

2009-05-09T21:41:00.006+01:00

Understanding the historical context is key to understanding An Inspector Calls. If you are sitting the Higher Tier, it will be especially important to show your understanding in the exam.

An Inspector Calls was written in 1946 but set in 1912. This means that there is a lot of opportunity for DRAMATIC IRONY - this is when the audience know more than the characters. There is lots of this in the first scene, when Mr Birling explains to the dinner party his beliefs on the world - that the Titanic won't sink, that there'll never be war, and that workers won't go on strike. For an audience watching this in 1946, all these predictions proved catastrophically wrong.

An Inspector Calls isn't just about the Birling family and an odd inspector. It's an ALLEGORY. An allegory is a story in which people and things represent bigger ideas and themes about life. The Inspector's speech near the end gives us the clue to this. 'One Eva Smith is gone, but there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us' (56)
So, Eva Smith represents all poor and working class people who are being exploited. The Birlings represent all the privileged and wealthy upper classes who exploit them.

Priestley also tries to link the attitude and actions of the Birlings with the catastrophes of the First World War, the Second World War, and the plight of poor people in Britain. When the Inspector, in his crucial final speech, refers to the 'fire and blood and anguish' that will follow if he is not listened to, the tragic thing is that this 'fire and blood and anguish' did happen, in the form of two world wars, revolutions and social unrest.

All allegories have a moral, or a message. The message Priestley is putting across is that the system for running society that the Birlings represent is unfair and will lead to horrible conflict. The system the Inspector represents is much fairer. Broadly speaking, the Birlings represent Capitalism, and the Inspector represents Socialism. This is a controversial argument, and one that is still hotly debated today. But you don't have to agree with Priestley to understand his motives in writing the play.

An Inspector Calls - Mr Birling

2009-05-09T21:30:00.005+01:00

Mr Birling is the father of the family and owner of a factory. He sacked Eva when she went on strike after demanding more money.

'She suddenly decided to ask for more money…I refused of course…so they went on strike.'(14)
He is very concerned with his social standing and is a bit of a snob. He is convinced he is going to get a knighthood and doesn't want any scandal to get in the way of it - 'there's a fair chance I might find my way into the next Honours List.' (8)
He is quite pompous and arrogant - 'we hard-headed practical men of business' (6)
At the start of the play, before the Inspector arrives, he makes a lot of predictions about the future that we know are catastrophically wrong. This means from the start we know his judgment is not to be trusted. 'The Titanic - unsinkable - absolutely unsinkable (7)'
He starts out representing the viewpoint that is the complete opposite of Priestley's and the Inspector's - 'you'd think everybody has to look after everybody else, as if we were all mixed up together...community and all that nonsense' (10)
At the end he, along with Mrs Birling, is more concerned about whether the police know if he's guilty. Unlike Sheila and Eric, he doesn't actually care about what he has done to Eva Smith. 'The whole story's just a lot of moonshine'. (70)

An Inspector Calls - Mrs Birling

2009-05-09T21:28:00.003+01:00

Mrs Birling is married to Mr Birling and the head of a charity. She refused to help Eva Smith when Eva came to her and told her she was pregnant.

'She needed not only money but advice, sympathy, friendliness. You’ve had children. You must have known what she was feeling. And you slammed the door in her face.'(45)
Sheila criticises her actions. 'Mother, I think it was cruel and vile.'(45)
She is complacent and arrogant and thinks that her treatment of Eva was 'no more than my duty' (60)
Like Mr Birling, at the end she has learnt nothing, and criticises Sheila and Eric for being upset about Eva. 'They're just over tired. In the morning they'll be as amused as we are.'(71)

An Inspector Calls - Sheila Birling

2009-05-09T21:22:00.004+01:00

Sheila is the Birlings' eldest child, and engaged to Gerald. She got Eva sacked from a shop job because Eva laughed at how she looked in a hat.

'And so you used the power you had, as a daughter of a good customer and also of a man well-known in the town, to punish the girl just because she made you feel like that?' (24)
Her views change as the play progresses. When she hears what her father has done to Eva, she says 'but these girls aren't cheap labour - they're people' (19)
As the play progresses and the Inspector reveals their complicity with Eva's death, Sheila gets more and more agitated, and her parents call her 'hysterical.' (48)
At the end she repeats the words of the Inspector's last speech - 'fire and blood and anguish' (71), and unlike the elder Birlings is genuinely changed by the night's events.

An Inspector Calls - Eric Birling

2009-05-09T21:20:00.003+01:00

Eric is the Birlings' youngest son, an alcoholic. He had a short affair with Eva, got her pregnant, and then stole money from his father's firm to give her.

There is a suspicion that he treats Eva violently. 'I’m not very clear about it, but afterwards she told me she didn’t want to go in but that – well I was in that state when a chap easily turns nasty – and I threatened to make a row' (52).
He blames his father for his predicament. ‘you’re not the kind of father a chap could go to when he’s in trouble’ (55)
He gets more and more agitated as the truth is revealed and also blames his mother. ‘your own grandchild – you killed them both – damn you, damn you’ (55).
At the end, like Sheila, he has been genuinely changed by the night’s
events and is upset that his parents don’t feel the same way. ‘I agree with Sheila. It frightens me too.’ (71)

An Inspector Calls - Gerald Croft

2009-05-09T21:10:00.005+01:00

Gerald is engaged to Sheila. He had an affair with Eva after she was sacked from the shop.

At the start, Gerald seems to agree with Mr Birling that there is no possible link between them and Eva. ‘After all, we’re respectable citizens, not criminals.’ (22)
When his story comes out, he does seem to have treated Eva better than the others, certainly better than Eric. Eva falls in love with him. ‘She told me that she’d been happier than she’d ever been before – but that she knew it couldn’t last.’ (39)
'She became my mistress. She was young and pretty and warm hearted – and intensely grateful.’ (37)
Even then, he rejects any responsibility for Eva. ‘I hadn’t set eyes on the girl for at least six months. I don’t come into this suicide business.’ (26)
Later, he is the character who discovers the truth about the Inspector, but it is left unclear if he has been changed or not by the night’s events.

Section B - writing skills - The Apostrophe

2009-05-08T14:16:00.006+01:00

The apostrophe has two jobs.

1. It shows when a letter has been missed out.
FOR EXAMPLE: It's a red book. = It is a red book.
That's a joke = That is a joke

The common mistake here is mixing up words that use the apostrophe like this - it's, you're, they're, who's, he's - with other words that sound very similar but don't need an apostrophe - its, your, their/there, whose, his.
Put the correct word in each of these sentences.
___________ very hot outside.(it's/its)
___________ book is on the table.(you're/you're)
___________ not really that good.(they're/their/there)
___________that at the door? (who's/whose)
Is that ______ book? (he's/his)

2. The second job is to show belonging. If someone owns something, you add an apostrophe and an 's' to the word.
FOR EXAMPLE: Jack owns the book - Jack's book.
The dog has a bone - the dog's bone.
The table has a leg - the table's leg.

Section B - Writing Skills

2009-05-08T14:08:00.004+01:00

Section B on both papers is marked for spelling, punctuation and grammar. To get top marks on these sections you will have to:

Use paragraphs.
Construct sentences correctly - with capitals and full stops.
Make sure sentences don't 'run-on' too long.
Check your spelling.
Use apostrophes correctly.
Use all other punctuation correctly.

English Literature - play - An Inspector Calls

2009-05-07T12:02:00.007+01:00

Section B of the English Literature GCSE is on a play. You should do the one you have studied - either a View from the Bridge or An Inspector Calls. This post will look at AN INSPECTOR CALLS.
BBC Bitesize revision have a really useful site on this play with lots of resources and revision tips. Click here to go to it.

You will have to answer TWO questions on An Inspector Calls. The first is an EXTRACT question. An extract from the play will be reprinted, and you will be asked a question on it. In your answer, you should quote a lot from the extract and track how the play and characters change throughout it. You must answer on the WHOLE extract, not just the beginning or end.

The other question will be based on the WHOLE PLAY. This is the question where it would be handy to have memorised some quotes. If you look through this website, I have put together some of the key quotes for each character. Don't try and rewrite long quotations in the exam, or get too bothered about memorising. Short, one or two word quotations are best, as they prove you have a deep understanding of the play. For example, saying something like 'Mr Birling thinks that community is a lot of "nonsense"', or 'Sheila grows increasingly "hysterical" as the play continues.'

As ever, try and focus on EXPLAINING, not describing. Don't fall in to the trap of just retelling the play. Instead of saying "Mr Birling sacks Eva from her job at the factory and Sheila gets her sacked from her job at the shop", say "Mr Birling and Sheila are both responsible for Eva losing a job, but their motives are very different and they react differently when the Inspector explains the results of their actions."

English Language Paper Two

2009-05-07T11:22:00.001+01:00

PAPER ONE - Tuesday June 2nd 2009, AM.

Paper One focusses on fiction.

Section A tests your READING skills.
You will be asked to read TWO articles, and then answer four questions.
A1 - this will normally be a simple search and find question on the first article.
A2 - this will normally be a PEE style question on the first article.
A3 - this will normally be a PEE style question on the second article.
A4 - this will normally be a PEE style question asking you to COMPARE the two articles.

Section B tests your WRITING skills.
There will be two questions. You should spend an equal amount of time on each - 30 minutes. They will normally have something to do with the two articles you have read.
The two tasks will each ask you to write in a different FORMAT for a different AUDIENCE.