Eva Smith's Diary.

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        English Coursework        netRanger

                10T

GCSE English Course Work

An Inspector Calls

Eva Smith’s Diary

In the play, the inspector refers to Eva Smith’s diary.

Write Eva’s diary in which she records her experiences, thoughts and feelings, in connection with the five members of the Birling family.

= Show Knowledge of the text

= Show understanding and empathy for Eva

= Possibly include one or two historical details

1,000 – 1,500 words

About 3 pages

Due 3rd March

August 28th 1910

Only a few days left to go, and my holidays will be over.  It’s wonderful having all this time to myself, to do as I please.  But I have so little money left.  No work, and no pay.  God, how I hate those machines.  The noise keeps ringing in my head, and when they break down, I can’t earn any money, because I’m not working!  I wish with all my heart I could afford to stay home forever.  But things are so expensive, prices go up all the time.  It’s all right if you own the grubby factory, but if you’re like me, you can end up working yourself to death just to make ends meet.  It’s not fair.  Those greedy fat men in their luxurious offices with their ugly wives and spoilt brats!   The girls on the machines are the ones who are making all the money for them, while they just sit on their big backsides.  We should have a pay rise, by rights.  Now that would make history!

September 2nd 1910

Back to work today. My stomach kept rumbling because I couldn’t afford much breakfast. Money’s tight. The other girls were saying how it’s the same for most of them.  Most of us hadn’t eaten since the day before so we were all slow to begin with.  We were glad to be back for the money.

I asked Mr Birling if I could have my money early. He let me, and wasn’t that surprised, probably because most of the girls asked for the same thing.

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When I got home, I bought some food, paid my bills, and all the usual things.  I only had eight bob left out of twenty-two and six.

September 25th 1910

This has been one of the worst days of my life. Things have been getting worse.  Everyone at work thinks so.  We work long hours, and get so little for it.  None of us can manage on such low wages.  Birlings make a good profit, they can afford to pay us more. We all got together and agreed to ask for a pay rise - nothing less than twenty ...

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