How Priestely Uses the Characters in An Inspector Calls to Show Us the Social and Political Situation in England in 1912
'An Inspector Calls' is set in 1912 England. The British Empire was
very wealthy, successful and powerful however things were beginning to
change. J.B.Priestley wrote the play in 1940, reflecting the changes
that took place to both the social and political aspects of life in
1912. The Birling household is the set for the entire play, and
Priestley uses Eva Smith and Inspector Goole as tools to portray his
views on what happened during 1912. These views were of the rising
power of socialism and the sinking of capitalism, which had been the
way of life throughout the recently ended Victorian era. Arthur
Birling, a rich upper-middle class factory owner symbolises the many
capitalists in Britain. He is very narrow-minded and never open to
suggestions due to his 'hard headed' and pompous nature. The Inspector
represents the massive socialist force, which formed in Russia and
spread to England in order to gain social justice for the working
classes.
During the play, the death of Eva Smith is used to portray how
miserable and laborious the lives of working class girls were in
England around 1912. This sets the scene for the Inspector to enter
the play and bring about a message of necessary changes to the lives
of upper class citizens. It is this change, which begun to take place
on a much greater scale throughout England in 1912, as the need for
greater social justice was highlighted to the capitalists in Britain.
Priestley uses Arthur Birling to symbolise capitalism. Birling is an
upper-middle class citizen and is ver...
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...buse young working class
girls, because they simply have the power to do so.
The arrival of the inspector at the Birling residence is a very
significant event, both literally and metaphorically. He knocks at the
door, which signifies a change in the life of the Birling family and a
change for capitalists everywhere in England. The timing of the
Inspectors call also holds significance as it is during the middle of
another pompous speech by Birling. This is a metaphor for the
immediate interruption by socialism against capitalism. It also
highlights one of the inspector's key messages - that the Birlings and
all capitalists must change, and fast. The inspector's abrupt arrival
to the Birling household is used by Priestley to highlight the rapid
change which took place as socialism came knocking at capitalisms
door.
Priestley mainly uses the characters in the play to present his views, especially Mr and Mrs Birling, to present his ideas about class and society. In the Birling family, Mrs Birling is the most upper class, and is always referring to the lower class female factory workers such as Eva Smith as ‘girls of that class’. She seems to think that working class people are not humans at all.
J B Priestley clearly had a strong moral conscience which led him to hold socialist beliefs wanting to bring about change against the capitalists who were exploiting the poor working class. In 'An Inspector Calls' Priestley cleverly uses dramatic techniques, lighting and stage directions to produce an emotionally charged setting to bring home a very important message to the correct society of his day and remains a challenge to the society in which we live in now.
How Priestly Uses the Characters to Represent His Own Views on Society The play "An Inspector Calls" is set in 1912 but was written in 1945. Edwardian society at that time (1912) was strictly divided into social classes and over two-thirds of the nation's wealth was in the hands of less than 1% of the population. Below the very rich were the middle classes (doctors and merchants, shop workers and clerks), after that came the craftsmen and skilled workers. At the very bottom of the social ladder was the largest class of all - the ordinary workers and the poor, many of whom lived below the poverty level. The men of industry treated the workers very badly and they were paid pittance.
A Comparison of Characters of Mr. Birling and Inspector Goole in J.B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls
How Priestley Presents His Ideas To An Audience In Act One Of An Inspector Calls
"And be quiet for a moment and listen to me. I don't need to know any
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.
Priestley's Social Message in An Inspector Calls The play an Inspector Call’s was written at the time of 1945 but is set in 1912. Priestley conveys a lot of social and important messages in this play. He conveys the messages through the character of Inspector Goole. One most important message that Priestley conveys is about Socialism.
Priestley’s Main Aim in An Inspector Calls JB Priestly wrote ‘An Inspector Calls’ to enhance the message that ‘we don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other’. This is something Priestly felt strongly about and he succeeded in representing his views through the character of the Inspector in the play itself. He wanted to communicate the message that our actions, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, always affect others.
An Inspector Calls is a play with lots of political messages as well as social messages. J. B. Priestley believed in socialism and he used large amounts of his plays to try and convince people to his way of thinking. It was written in a time when Britain was ruled by a Labour government and socialist policies were seen to be a good way to go. It was a common way of thinking at that time so Priestley's aim for the play was to influence the unconvinced in society.
it "… is one of the happiest nights of my life.", and goes on to
family, but it must not be 'cosy’ or homely. The lighting is to be a
The play "An Inspector Calls" was written by J.B Priestley in 1945, when the British people were recovering from over six years of constant warfare and danger. As a result of two world wars, class distinctions were greatly reduced and women had achieved a much higher place in society. It was due to this and a great desire for social change that Labour's Clement Attlee won a landslide victory over the conservative Winston Churchill. He nationalized the gas steel and electrical industries, established the NHS and introduced the Welfare State. The play was set in Brumley, a fictional industrial city, in 1912.The playwright believed passionately in the left wing perspective and his message is overtly political. He uses techniques such as "dramatic irony" and "direct mouthpieces", which define the genre of the play as non-illusory, to impart his left-wing message.
The setting is London in 1854, which is very different to anything we know today. Johnson’s description of this time and place makes it seem like a whole other world from the here and now....
‘An Inspector Calls’ is a play set in one evening in 1912 however it was written in 1945 by J.B Priestley. In it is a family who are in their house celebrating a special family occasion all together, a minute too soon an inspector invades and interviews them about their involvement with the death of a young girl, Eva Smith. We scrape off the truth behind this ‘happy’ family and who they truly are. In 1912 there was a rigid class system for both men and women. Women could not vote and had no voice. Conservatives ruled the country; “Individual Responsibility” was their code of living. You are to care for no one but yourself. The relationships cluster of poems gives us a variety of different types of families, some happy some not. ‘Sister Maude’; filled with jealousy and betrayal and a man. ‘Brothers’ shows us how siblings grow apart as they move closer to their friends and away from their brothers or sisters. This essay will explore the differences and the similarities between the Birling family in An Inspector Calls and families in the Cluster of Relationship Poems; Nettles, Brothers, Praise for My Mother, Sister Maude, Harmonium, Born Yesterday and more.