Socialist Beliefs in An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley

1116 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Priestley's use of the inspector in an inspector calls

Socialist Beliefs in An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley

"No man is an island, entire of itself.

Everyman is a piece of the continent a part of the main

* * *

Any mans death diminishes me for I am involved in man kind.

Therefore do not send to know for whom the bell tolls.

It tolls for thee."

JohnDonne(1627)

This piece of writing means that we are all linked. No man can stand

alone. Everybody needs everybody else for help, and if one person dies

over the other side of the world it is still very important.

This piece of writing is very humanistic. The Inspector had a very

socialist views, he was the complete opposite to MrBirlingwho was

conservative. The Inspector made his views clear in the play, when MrBirlingtells

the Inspector that he refused to pay the workers 25 shillings a week.

The Inspector asks "why?" this gives us good reason to believe he

wanted fairer pay for people and better basic lives.

I think Priestleychose this message to be the theme of the play

because he wanted to teach his audience about socialism and the

dangers of cutting yourself of from the world just because of your

class.

Priestley joined the army in 1914, in which he met the young

inexperienced officers who were given the job because of their social

standing. Priestleyfelt that these officers often made foolish

decisions that cost hundreds of people their lives. Priestley's

experiences with the young officers opened Priestley's eyes to the

class ruled society that he lived in. I believe this was one of the

main reasons Priestleybecame a socialist. I think there was another

reason for why Priestleychose this theme for th...

... middle of paper ...

....

I have already mentioned the elder Birlings, Mr Birling, Mrs Birling

and also Gerald all revert back to their old beliefs where as Sheila

and Eric both change their beliefs quite radically. I think Priestley

changes the younger generation because he believed that things would

be better in the future and as the younger generation symbolises the

future so if they change so will the future.

I think Priestley conveys his socialist views to the audience through

the character of the Inspector very cleverly he does not tell them how

to think, but he show them a new way of thinking. I thing John Donne's

words are very inspiring and may have inspired Priestley quite a lot

and probably helped him become a better person and a socialist " no

man is an island" is a good message, and more people should try and

remember it.

Show More
Related

  • The Role of Social Class in Priestly's, An Inspector Calls

    945 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...are lower class or upper class (‘[W]e don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other.’). Priestley believed in socialism, he uses the Inspector to express his thoughts about this. This is the main message that he wanted the audience to take away.

    Read More

  • The Marxist Journey in The Wars by Timothy Findley

    1907 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Wars written by Timothy Findley shares a great relation to many of the ideas surrounding postmodern society, thus implementing many of the prominent ideas of the time around politics and societal norms into the plot of the story itself. Findley successfully depicts the plot of the novel taking place in the early 1900's; a time in which the western world was emerging from an industrial revolution, bringing radically foreign ideas on politics in the world, including the materialization of the Marxist political theory. The seemingly negative reception of the Marxist theory has denied it the right as a valid political view. One thing that cannot be denied is that a majority of the foundational ideas of the theory, describe basic human society and nature very accurately, which is something Findley explores in depth. The ideologies of power, class, and struggle are key factors in Marxism. These are the ideas that usually dictate; many of the actions that we make as people and in the journey's that we encounter in our lives. "Marxism attempts to reveal the ways in which our socioeconomic system is the ultimate source of our experience" (Tyson 277). The protagonist in The Wars ,Robert Ross, is an example of this experience. He is a young man from an elitist family that encounters these ideologies throughout his journey. The archetypal journey of Robert Ross in The Wars contains many elements of political theory from Marxism, showcased through the class system, the distinction between the oppressors and the oppressed, and the revolutionary actions that occur.

    Read More

  • How Priestly Uses the Characters to Represent His Own Views on Society

    2022 Words  | 5 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Inspector Goole and the Theme of Socialism in An Inspector Calls

    2333 Words  | 5 Pages

    JB Priestley’s intent in ‘An Inspector Calls’ was to convey the attitudes of socialism to the minds of the society in the Edwardian Era as he was a passionate believer of the concept. Priestley has attempted this through the employment of ‘Inspector Goole’ in the play. In the play drama is displayed through a variety of methods for the interest of the audience and the communication of personal views from JB Priestley.

    Read More

  • Sociologist Views on the Means and Ends of Socialism

    2348 Words  | 5 Pages

    Sociologist Views on the Means and Ends of Socialism Socialism is a very broad ideology, encompassing many different ideas and viewpoints. Different socialists have disagreed on both the ways in which they believe socialism should be achieved and implemented, and on what exactly it is that they want to achieve. The two main viewpoints I am going to look at in terms of the means of achieving socialism are revolutionary socialism and evolutionary socialism, and in terms of the aims of different socialists I am going to discuss Marxism, including orthodox communism, and also social democracy and the 'third way'. Because socialism tends to have an oppositional character, and be seen as a force for change, the means in which socialism is achieved are quite significant, and tend to determine the form of socialism which results from this change. Early socialists believed that socialism could only be brought about through a revolutionary movement - the overthrow of the existing regime.

    Read More

  • The Individual and Society in the Communist Manifesto

    1781 Words  | 4 Pages

    The end of 19th century, Western Society was changing physically, philosophically, economically, and politically. It was an influential and critical time in that the Industrial Revolution created a new class. Many contemporary observers realized the dramatic changes in society. Among these were Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels who observed the conditions of the working man, or the proletariat, and saw a change in how goods and wealth were distributed. In their Communist Manifesto, they described their observations of the inequalities between the emerging wealthy middle class and the proletariat as well as the condition of the proletariat. They argued that the proletariat was at the mercy of the new emerging middle class, or bourgeoisie, and could only be rescued by Communism: a new economic form.

    Read More

  • Socialism in the Labour Party

    1395 Words  | 3 Pages

    roots and is by no means as socialist as it was. But is it still

    Read More

  • An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley

    1892 Words  | 4 Pages

    in jeopardy than how he may have driven a young girl down a spiral to

    Read More

  • An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley

    1473 Words  | 3 Pages

    I have decided to stage a section of the play from where Eric says "He

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Communist Manifesto

    804 Words  | 2 Pages

    Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels from “Communist League”, a radical workers group, was authorized to produce The Communist Manifesto on behalf of the group. Marx was the author of The Communist Manifesto with Engels as the assistant and editor. The Communist Manifesto was published on February 21, 1848. In the document Marx and Engels argue that struggles between classes and the exploitation between one classes of another, is the force behind historic development, “all history has been a history of class struggles, of struggles between exploited and exploiting, between dominated and dominating classes at various stages of social development,” (Karl Marx). In addition, Marx and Engel’s The Communist Manifesto was greatly influential in the labor movement of the late nineteenth century.

    Read More

  • Life Under Socialism Essay

    1372 Words  | 3 Pages

    Equal work, equal wages, equal food, equal opportunities, equal power. On the outside, a society where every one of its citizens was completely equal sounds and appears like a good thing, even a great thing. No one had too much power, everyone seemed to be happy, and most importantly everyone worked to better the community instead of themselves. This is what Socialism was portrayed as: a system in which everyone worked together to benefit the state. Contradicting this fabricated image, life under Socialism did not succeed in equality for men and women, and it caused people to do whatever necessary in order to gain some sense of individualism. While equality for all people in all aspects of life sounds appealing, it was an unachievable goal

    Read More

  • Priestly's Political Message in "An Inspector Calls"

    1384 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Socialists' Ways to Promote Collectivism

    678 Words  | 2 Pages

    Socialists' Ways to Promote Collectivism Plans Definition: socialists and collectivism Briefly explain the socialist’s ideas of collectivism Link with other socialist’s ideas e.g. common ownership, equality social class, cooperation.. Recent examples of how collectivism has helped changed the world; how they have sought to promote collectivism. Conclusion Key words to remember…. The term socialists derive from the Latin sociare, meaning to combine or to share. Collectivism is, broadly, the belief that collective human endeavour is of greater practical and moral values than individual self-striving.

    Read More

  • Capitalism And Socialism Research Paper

    1570 Words  | 4 Pages

    The societies of the modern day are shaped largely around the economic model or infrastructure that has been implement into the lives of citizens. These varying “economic models” alter the ways of domestic culture, and thus serve to be warranted much more attention and examination. Capitalism and Socialism are the two dominant ideologies that seem to invoke the opposite ends of the spectrum in the societal effect aspect. The far right capitalist, evoking a connotation of free business and anti-regulatory economic growth, comprised of a great deal of the Western world and provided a high risk-reward system that created a great number of wealthy elite and even more low-class blue collar workers. Conventional wisdom leads one to obviously find the opposing mindset with Socialism and its many degrees. The left wing socialist was characterized by a controlled economy and a strict government market. This system was heralded as system with no losers and social equality; thus, a gap-less population with a high standard of life. The course of this work will provide and explain the differences between Capitalism and Socialism; therefore, in the conclusion, the two societal roles will be defined. This will lead to a much more conclusive conclusion when examining, promoting, or denying either system.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Engel's Socialism

    1594 Words  | 4 Pages

    Engels points out in his ‘Socialism: Utopian and Scientific’ that, “man [will], more and more consciously, make his own history.” The significance of this remark is that it explains how socialism will change the way of human beings creating history. Based on Utopian Socialism, materialistic conception of history and Marx’s surplus value, Engels asserts that history develops because of class struggles through observing all the history, and develops scientific socialism. The remark points out that human beings are always try to make his own history but still develop according to a ‘hidden plan’. But only under socialism, man will make his own history consciously and freely.

    Read More

More about Socialist Beliefs in An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley

Open Document