Using the clues, can you explain what dramatic irony is?

Dramatic Irony This is a technique where the writer makes sure that the audience knows something that is happening in the plot but the characters don’t know. Priestley uses it a lot because the 1945 audience know the future for all the characters in the play. 1912 1945 Rigid class structure where there is ‘old’ money at the top. Upper, middle and lower class with NO social mobility. People had social mobility. If you worked hard you could go into the middle and upper classes. Working people had no rights and no trade unions to support them work. People could strike and immediately seek help for any problems in work. Before WW1 and WW2. There was tensions between the allies but England had not experienced war. There has been two world wars. England was rebuilding after devastation from German bombing. There had also been the first atomic bombing in WW2

Monday 16th January 2017 C/L Act 1: Dramatic Irony LEARNING OBJECTIVE: To explore how Priestley uses dramatic irony for Mr Birling. LEARNING OUTCOME: To explain how dramatic irony makes Mr Birling appear idiotic and untrustworthy to the audience.

Page 6 and 7 Birling’s ‘magnificent speech Where are there examples of dramatic irony that make Birling look idiotic to the audience. Just let me finish, Eric. You’ve a lot to learn yet. And I’m talking as a hard-headed, practical man of business. And I say there isn’t a chance of war. The world’s developing so fast that it’ll make war impossible. Look at the progress we’re making. In a year or two we’ll have aeroplanes that will be able to go anywhere. And look at the way auto- mobiles are making headway- bigger and faster all the time. And then ships. Why, a friend of mine went over this new liner last week- the Titanic- she sails next week- forty six thousand eight hundred tons- forty six thousand eight hundred tons- New York in give days- and every luxury- and unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable. That’s why you’ve got to keep your eye on, facts like that, progress like that- and not a few Germans talking nonsense

Page 6 and 7 Birling’s ‘magnificent speech Highlight or underline the examples of dramatic irony that make Birling look idiotic to the audience. Just let me finish, Eric. You’ve a lot to learn yet. And I’m talking as a hard-headed, practical man of business. And I say there isn’t a chance of war. The world’s developing so fast that it’ll make war impossible. Look at the progress we’re making. In a year or two we’ll have aeroplanes that will be able to go anywhere. And look at the way auto-mobiles are making headway- bigger and faster all the time. And then ships. Why, a friend of mine went over this new liner last week- the Titanic- she sails next week- forty six thousand eight hundred tons- forty six thousand eight hundred tons- New York in give days- and every luxury- and unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable. That’s why you’ve got to keep your eye on, facts like that, progress like that- and not a few Germans talking nonsense

How does Priestley use dramatic irony to make Mr Birling seem idiotic and untrustworthy to the audience? Priestley uses dramatic irony to make Birling seem as he tells Eric that he has “a lot to learn yet.” This reveals how he is arrogant enough to think that he knows everything even though the 1945 audience knows that he does not. His belittling tone to Eric reflects how most middle class people like Birling in 1912 believed that they knew everything. Moreover Birling claims that “there isn’t…. Word Bank to describe Mr Birling Ignorant idiotic untrustworthy arrogant oblivious Narrow-minded overconfident

Give me 5 reasons why Priestley uses dramatic irony in Birling’s speech?