Dramatic Tension in J.B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls An Inspector Calls was written in 1946, many decades after the end of World War One and just after World War Two. However the actual play is back in 1912; before World War one and just before the start of voyage of The Titanic. Furthermore at the time of spring 1912, most people did not fear of German resistance, as there seemed to be no possibility that Britain would intervene; and they had all justified that the Titanic was unsinkable. The fact that the story is set in this period is important because it is the basis for most of the irony that occurs in the story. This shows just how naïve and ironic Mr. Birlings speeches actually are. However Mr. Birling does demonstrate the philosophy of most people in the Victorian age; unfounded and based predominantly on ones own understanding of the situation. The play starts of with a very typical Victorian setting. Mr. and Mrs. Birling, their daughter Shelia, their son Eric and Gerald Croft; Shelia's groom to be are all seated around a large table celebrating the engagement of Shelia with Gerald. The Audience are able to distinguish that the Birling family is indeed very wealthy from descriptions that are present in the stage directions and objects that are mentioned in the text. The family live in a 'fairly large suburban house' which belongs to a 'prosperous manufacturer' This shows that the family is rich and the head of the household is 'prosperous'. 'good solid furniture' is said to be present. At the time of the setting, to have a fireplace and a telephone was considered very lucky and only the possession of wealthy ... ... middle of paper ... ...they know they have done something bad and they realise that their actions were wrong. However I think that the main message of the play is to actually make Victorian rich life out to be less than what it seems. I think it was written so it could give those who were poor because of the war a sense of happiness about their way of life. It shows that the wealthy got into trouble because of the advantage they took of their position. It shows that the rich are evil beings too, and it is not very good to be wealthy. It makes the people who were poor after WW2 have a sense of pride about who they are. The rich are put down in this play very much, and are shown as very big-headed, unfounded, simplistic, and money driven people who are not interested in love, but in economy and have no idea about the future of their country.
audience in his play. I will be analysing act one of the play to try
she needed more money. So she said to him give me 25/6 because of that
A Comparison of Characters of Mr. Birling and Inspector Goole in J.B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls
Examine Priestley's use of dramatic techniques to create tension in the play. Priestly was a socialist writer, and 'An Inspector Calls' is one of the plays in which he tried to display his socialist ideals in. The play was written in the 1940's, a little after the end of the Second World War, and it was first performed in 1946, in Russia, then later in England. Priestly had served in World War 1, and the terrible scenes he saw lead to him having socialist views. He was inspired by other writers whose views he shared, especially George Orwell and H.G.
Who the Inspector Is and How he Orchestrates the Drama in An Inspector Calls The inspector arrives at the Birling’s house at the significant time when Mr. Birling is making his purposeful speech, “ a man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own- and-,” as if he is answering to what Mr. Birling was saying. The Birling’s family is very wealthy as Mr. Birling is a “prosperous manufacturer”. In Stephen Daldrey’s performance, their house is perhaps an Edwardian house on stilts and slightly distorted, which shows us that their views are not very straightforward and they are not to be trusted.
they have done even know they do not lead her to her suicide. But a
An Inspector Calls - How a key scene (Act 1 from the start of Birling:
Birlings, as they find out that they have all played a part in a young
The next stage of the play is when the whole of the front of the house
and who he is. The last line of the play Birling reads ‘That was the
The Dramatic Importance of the Inspector in J.B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls In this play, Inspector Calls J.B. Priestley expresses his personal viewpoint on society in general throughout the play by using the character Inspector Goole. His viewpoint is evident in the main themes through out the play which are social responsibility, power and lies. These themes help to articulate his belief that all people share a common humanity and so all are part of a community whereby everyone should help each other, regardless class. Social responsibility is possibly the most prominent theme through the play and is explored a number of times. Priestley shows how lack of social responsibility can cause a ‘chain of events’ which will lead to something rather more severe.
The Effects of the Dramatic Devices used by JB Priestly in An Inspector Calls JB Priestley’s Play of ‘An Inspector Calls’ is about a family called the Birlings. They are spending a happy evening celebrating the engagement of Sheila Birling to Gerald Croft, a marriage that will result in the merging of two successful local businesses. In addition, just when everything seems to be going so well, they receive a surprise visit from an Inspector Goole who is investigating the suicide of a young girl. The questions he asks to each character are relating to the case, this reveals that they all have secrets that link them to the tragedy. The main core of the play is about the investigation of the Inspector into the death of Eva smith.
The Great Gatsby shows the wealthy as careless criminals. They have no sense of responsibility towards anyone, even those they kill, and they gladly leave everyone in the dust. This sort of extreme behavior undoubtedly exists today as well, but there is good in our richer class to balance it out as well. Morals may have become a little looser, but only because the world has changed as well. Materialism has both destroyed and helped people, leading some towards crime and others towards the American Dream.
An Inspector Calls as a Good Piece of Drama John Boynton Priestley wrote 'An Inspector Calls' in 1945. He was born on the 13th of September 1894 in Bradford. He was always politically minded to some extent, and that is the reason for the socialist message behind the play. 'An Inspector Calls' was a well-known play when it was first produced, and it is still highly popular today.
The upper class regards background and wealth as decisive and is keen to preserve class distinctions. In the play they are represented by the Eynsford Hills appearing dishonest towards themselves. They escape from reality and prefer an illusion. This can be explained by the fact that the Eynsford Hills are lacking money, but refuse to go earning their own living. At the end, Clara can be seen as an exception because she makes up her mind and takes an honest, realistic look at her own life.