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you
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welcome back to our clique revision
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series on an inspector calls in this
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video we're going to be focusing on
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Gerald Croft we'll look at his
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background and how he fits into the
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Burling family before and after the
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inspectors visit and how he knew Eva
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Smith or Daisy Renton the she was called
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by then we'll also take a look at his
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relationship with Sheila in a little
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more detail
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so Gerald Croft is the outsider at the
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dinner table but he's sitting the Sheila
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so we know they're a couple
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Gerald gets the most complicated
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description at the start of the play but
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the image of him that JB Priestley is
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trying to build is really clear once you
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work out what he's trying to say
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straight away we can see that Gerald is
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about 30 so he's a good few years older
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than Sheila he's described as too manly
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to be a dandy but very much the
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well-bred man about town which we can
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break down a dandy is someone who cares
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too much about his appearance and is
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usually foppish and a bit feminine the
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sort of man who always looks impeccable
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and Gerald's too manly for that so he's
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well dressed but still masculine with it
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well-bred means he comes from an
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important family making him upper-class
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and a man about town basically means
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he's a bit of a playboy he's got a
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lively social life everybody knows him
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in all the most popular places so
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overall he's a successful good-looking
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man who dresses well and gets on with
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everyone and all the girls probably
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swoon when he walks into a room yet he's
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together with Sheila and we have to
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presume Gerald cares about her because
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we know his mother isn't pleased with
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the engagement mr. Birling tells Gerald
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I have an idea that your mother lady
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Croft while she doesn't object to my
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girl feels you might have done better
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for yourself socially which means that
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Gerald is marrying down the social
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ladder and his mother disapproves if we
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think back to mr. burling's excitement
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at Burling and company joining up with
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crops limited we know that crops limited
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is the much bigger company so it's fair
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to say that Gerald doesn't have as much
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to gain from it as mr. Birling so
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overall Sheila seems like a very lucky
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girl even if Gerald does have to spend a
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lot of his time working hard for the
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family business but back to the dinner
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table and Gerald is being the model
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guest he's polite he's smiling and he
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says I insist on being one of the family
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now
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I've been trying long enough haven't I
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which shows he's relaxed and comfortable
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Gerald is at this point quite contempt
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with himself and unlike mr. Burley who
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boasts about everything and tries to
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make himself appear more upper-class
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Gerald openly admits to not knowing
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anything about poor and doesn't take a
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cigar because he can't really enjoy them
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he's upper-class without pretension he
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doesn't have to make an effort to be
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posh
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this also means he hasn't had to work
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very hard in order to make a good
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impression on mr. and mrs. Birling
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because he's their social superior and
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they both really want the marriage to go
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ahead
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he's even comfortable enough to make a
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couple of jokes to mr. Birling you might
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notice that these lines especially
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calling the burling's and nice
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well-behaved family hint at the nasty
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secrets that the Burling family has
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buried but that doesn't mean Gerald's
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suspicious of them in fact he's laughing
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because the idea of the Burling family
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being hit by a public scandal is so
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unlikely people like the Burling simply
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don't have that happen to them Gerald is
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also teasing Erica because apparently
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everyone in the village of Bromley knows
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about Eric's drinking problem except mr.
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and mrs. Birling however Gerald still
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recognises the rules of social behavior
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and doesn't want to offend his new
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in-laws when the inspector arrives and
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begins his questions gerald at first
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tries to join in asking to see the
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inspectors photograph but once mr.
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birnley's interrogation begins he asked
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wouldn't you rather I was out of this
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suggesting that he feels uncomfortable
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witnessing mr. Birling being
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interrogated
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he's also surprised when the inspector
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asked him to stay so he can assume he
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was hoping just to say goodnight and
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sneak out the door at this point however
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as he's staying he offers support to mr.
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Birling and basically agrees with
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everything his new father-in-law says he
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criticizes working class factory girls
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saying they wouldn't be able to afford
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to go on strike he agrees with mr.
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Birling that he was right to sack eva
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smith and he agrees with mr. Birling
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that factory workers shouldn't be
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allowed to fight for better pay and
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working conditions but interestingly he
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also sides with mr. Birling against both
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Sheila and the inspector if we look at
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these lines we can see that gerald
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believes Burling did the right thing by
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firing either Smith and is trying to
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protect mr. Birling either from the
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inspectors questions or Sheila looking
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at him a bit funny but we can also see
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that Gerald isn't just a sheep and there
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he actually has strong opinions he's
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also not afraid to use his hi class to
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get what he wants as we can see when he
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tries to stand up to the inspector
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at this point in the play Gerald does
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not show sympathy for the dead girl
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we're respectable citizens not criminals
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he says as if someone who is respectable
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could never commit a crime so clearly he
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is more concerned with the reputation of
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the Burling family and hiding beneath
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his wealth and family name than he is
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with Eva Smith the last line here
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fortunately it isn't left to you as it
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is particularly pointed Gerald is
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telling in spectacle but it isn't left
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to him to draw the line between good
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people and criminals because that sort
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of moral decision is made by the people
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in society with all the power the upper
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class people Gerald is basically telling
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the inspector to recognize his place in
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the social hierarchy and not get ideas
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above his station so this is the point
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when Gerald is at his most confident his
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most puffed up and he's standing up to
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the inspector the most here it's the
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moment where he is most like mr. and
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mrs. Birling and it's also the moment
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when everything falls apart for him
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because it's right about now that in
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spectacle first mentions the name Daisy
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Renton Gerald Croft first met Daisy
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Renton in March 1911 just over a year
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before the play is set and two months
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after she was sacked by mill woods and
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changed her name from Eva Smith
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he had an affair with her until
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September 1911 so they were seeing each
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other for about six months
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time Daisie moved into a vacant
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apartment belonging to one of Gerald's
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friends and he gave her money regularly
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to support herself he also told Sheila
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he was too busy at work to see her when
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he was actually spending the majority of
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his free time with his new mistress in
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September Gerald had to go away on
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business and he ended the relationship
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it's April 1912 now so Gerald has been
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holding on to this secret for a year and
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presumably proposed to Sheila and began
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arranging a wedding with that knowledge
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weighing on his conscience
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however like mrs. Birling he is able to
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avoid judging himself because he is
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upper-class and is used to getting away
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with it we can actually see a change in
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Gerald's character at the moment he
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first hears the name Daisy Renton his
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facade his wall of respectability just
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collapses in front of him and he's
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unable to hide his shock it is clear
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that Gerald knew the girl not just to
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the audience but to everyone in the room
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the stage direction show that he does a
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rubbish job of hiding his surprise and
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from his instant request for a glass of
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whiskey and Sheila's wordless reaction
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to that it's clear that she can see
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straight through him as well nonetheless
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Gerald still tries to deny it and even
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when he's been rumbled he acts in a
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cowardly way and begged Sheila to help
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him hide the truth from the inspector
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let's have a look at this exchange
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between the two of them
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what's evident is that despite his shock
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Gerald doesn't feel like his actions
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could have caused Eva Smith's death he
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says I don't come into this suicide
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business even after he's seen Sheila
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blaming herself as something that
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happened earlier at this point he has
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the choice between coming clean to
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Sheila and everyone else or trying to
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worm his way out of the situation this
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is what he says inspector I think miss
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Burling ought to be excused any more of
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this questioning she's nothing more to
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tell you she's had a long exciting and
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tiring day we were celebrating our
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engagement you know and now she's
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obviously had about as much as she can
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stand you've heard her basically Gerald
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is trying to push the focus of the room
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on to Sheila here and to get her out of
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the room to protect himself at the same
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time not only is this condescending and
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rather sexist but it results in him
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actually being mean to Sheila as he
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tries to defend himself this passage is
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a great example of how the inspector
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turns the burling's against one another
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without actually doing very much but it
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also shows how immature Gerald is under
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the surface he'll do anything at this
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point to deflect attention away from his
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affair once he buckles and opens up to
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the inspector Gerald is fairly honest
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about the situation but because he's a
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cheated on Sheila and be just been mean
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to her Gerald has to undergo his
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interrogation with Sheila making snide
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sarcastic remarks at every available
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opportunity
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he's also forced to give the sordid
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details of his affair in front of his
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mother and father-in-law so he's well
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out of his comfort zone at this point
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and clearly uncomfortable
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Jerald described Daisy Renton as a girl
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who looked quite different she was very
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pretty soft brown hair and big dark eyes
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and looked young and fresh and charming
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and all together out of place
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furthermore when he met her she was
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being sexually assaulted by Oldman mega
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tea a respected upper-class member of
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society so it gave Gerald a chance to
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rescue her and look like a hero which he
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admits he enjoyed but there is also a
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genuine sense of pity in the way he
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describes Daisy Renton Gerald tells the
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inspector that he insisted Daisy move
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into his friend's empty lodgings and
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take some money which as we've
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established is how JB Priestley feels
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that all upper-class people deal with
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all their problems but he does say that
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he felt sorry for her and clearly felt
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at the time like he was doing a good
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thing as though perhaps he were acting
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with some sort of misguided social
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conscience however is also clear that
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Gerald ended the relationship and that
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Daisy Renton took it better than I'd
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hoped she was very gallant about it
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nonetheless Sheela appears to respect
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Gerald for his honesty
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despite her continued sarcastic remarks
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and the fact she is clearly hurt by
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Gerald's betrayal saying and now at
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least you've been honest furthermore
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Gerald is not surprised when Sheela
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gives him back his engagement ring and
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says I was expecting this which at least
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tells us on some level that you never
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thought he would get away with it now
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this doesn't help Sheela obviously
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especially since after their initial
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shock her parents are quick to gloss
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over the affair mr. Birling even says
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now Sheela I'm not defending him but you
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must understand that a lot of young men
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which would look to a lot of people like
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he's trying to defend Gerald even if he
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says he isn't so at this point Gerald is
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in a horrible position he goes out to
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get some air
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knowing his fiancee doesn't trust him
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and has returned his engagement ring his
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mother-in-law thinks he's disgusting and
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that the girl he had an affair with just
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killed herself at this point he has the
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choice whether to apologize to Sheila
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and try to make amends for his behavior
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or try to wriggle out of the situation
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unfortunately for him and the burling's
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he chooses to try and wriggle out of it
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when he returns he's ready to rebuild
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that wall of respectability by
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discrediting the inspectors version of
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events Gerald is the person who reveals
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that in spectacle wasn't too
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officer which causes mr. Birling to
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concoct his elaborate theory that the
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whole evening has been some sort of
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practical joke
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this immediately signs him back with the
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older burling's and away from Sheila and
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Eric who at this point are still
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extremely remorseful here are just some
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of the questions Gerald throws into the
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air to confuse the burling's memory of
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events but is it the fact did we who
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says so because I say there's no more
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real evidence we did than there was that
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chap was a police inspector but how do
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you know it's the same girl how do you
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know it's the same photograph did you
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see the one your father looked at and
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did your father see the one he showed
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you now what happened after I left did
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anybody else see it and how do we know
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she was really either Smith or Daisy
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Renton did he ask you to identify a
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photograph Eric how do we know any girl
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killed herself today he asks a lot of
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questions and as Sheila takes on the
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role of inspector and tries to force her
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family to see the wrong they have done
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gerald almost takes on the opposite role
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and tries to show to the burling's how
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nothing that has happened throughout the
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evening could actually matter
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because by this point Gerald has the
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most to lose by believing the inspectors
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story at the end of the play we don't
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know what will happen between Gerald and
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Sheila but it's clear that Gerald is
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prepared to slide back with mr. and mrs.
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Birling and brush the whole affair under
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the carpet
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thanks for watching that's everything on
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Jerrold for now our next video will
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focus on Erik Burley but we'd recommend
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attempting to write a few sentences in
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answer to each of these questions before
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you move on
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question 1 what took place between
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Gerald and Daisy Renton try to answer
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clearly an in chronological order
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question two does Gerald show any signs
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of change or development throughout the
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play
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question three do you think JB Priestley
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wants the audience to feel sorry for
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Gerald try to refer to specific moments
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or lines from the play to support your
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opinions
00:14:07
you
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