Bayonet charge (imagery)
“Bullets smacking the belly out of the air”
Analysis (i): Hughes uses personification.
Analysis (ii): The verb “smacking” connotes a sudden, sharp physical assault.
Analysis (iii): This suggests the conflict is so intense it “wakes” the soldier up by violating the very air he breathes.
Bayonet charge (structure)
“In bewilderment he almost stopped”
Analysis (i): This functions as a volta or structural pause.
Analysis (ii): The noun “bewilderment” captures a moment of total mental paralysis.
Analysis (iii): Hughes uses this to show the internal conflict of a man whose body is charging while his mind is questioning.
Bayonet charge (language)
“King, honour, human dignity, etcetera dropped like luxuries”
Analysis (i): An asyndetic list and simile.
Analysis (ii): The word “etcetera” dismisses high-minded ideals as trivial and repetitive.
Analysis (iii): This highlights the soldier’s rejection of patriarchal “rules” of war in favor of survival.
Inspector calls (weak power)
“Clothes mean something quite different to a woman.”
Power is something fragile and based on appearance
This is the weakest form of power because it relies on external things—money, status, and “looking the part.” Mr. Birling thinks his wealth makes him “unsinkable,” but Priestley uses dramatic irony to show the audience that this power is an illusion.
5-Stage Insight: By focusing on “clothes” and “tokens” of status, Priestley shows that the Birlings’ power is performative. It only works if people agree to respect the uniform.
Inspector calls (evil and sexual exploitation power)
“Young and fresh” (Gerald)
Zoomporphism
A sinister and stronger but more sinister power. Wealth control the bodies and lives of the poor
This represents the power Gerald and Eric have over Eva. It is stronger than Birling’s “clothes” because it has real-world, damaging consequences. Gerald uses his “power” as a wealthy man to “rescue” Eva, but in doing so, he turns her into a mistress he can discard.
The word “fresh” implies a commodity to be consumed. Priestley presents this as a predatory power that is strong enough to destroy a life but too weak to take responsibility for it.
Inspector calls (strong power)
“The sharp ring of a doorbell”
The power dynamic shifts when the Inspector enters. This is where the Birlings’ “weak” power meets a force that cannot be bullied.
This is the power of interruption. The “sharp” ring physically cuts through Birling’s capitalist speech. It represents the power of the law and the power of the truth.
This is “stronger” because it is unavoidable. You can take off “clothes” or ignore a “fresh” face, but you cannot ignore the “sharp” intrusion of the Inspector. He dominates the stage through silence and “massiveness.”
Inspector calls (strongest power)
“The sharp ring of a doorbell”
The power dynamic shifts when the Inspector enters. This is where the Birlings’ “weak” power meets a force that cannot be bullied.
This is the power of interruption. The “sharp” ring physically cuts through Birling’s capitalist speech. It represents the power of the law and the power of the truth.
