Priestly's Use of Dramatic Devices to Express His Political Views in An Inspector Calls
An Inspector Calls is a play written by J.B Priestly. The play was first performed in 1945 however it is set in 1912. An Inspector calls is a murder mystery set in Edwardian England, just before the First World War. This was a very difficult time for several reasons. There were frequent strikes, food shortages and political instability. Similarly the period after the First World War was equally difficult. There was a shortage of money and rations and the labour force was diminished by casualties of war. Priestly uses the play to suggest that the country can be rebuilt through socialism where people work together as a society. The play reinforces a strong political message which is the idea of socialism. 1945 was the beginning of a political era dominated by socialism. After the war the Labour party was beginning to dominate the political climate. This is reflected in Priestly work which promotes the idea of a society in which community and responsibility are central. This contrasts with Capitalism as portrayed by Arthur Birling where every man has to look after his family and himself without thinking of other people.
Priestly uses many dramatic devices such as dramatic irony and tension to convey his message throughout the play. This is very important in the play as Birling makes a lot of false predictions which everybody knows were wrong at the time the play was performed in 1945. For example the Titanic sank shortly after the time the play was set. In the play the Inspector is trying to teach that we live in a society and we need to look out for each other not just ourselves.
At the beginning of the play, Priestly explains the whole set in great detail and shows how rich the Birling family is by describing the objects the family use. For example "Champagne glasses" and "dessert plates" and some other expensive items. Priestly also explains that the house is not "cosy or homelike." Characters are dressed formally giving the impression that they behave correctly. Mr Birling and Mrs Birling sicdt at opposites ends of the table showing their not close. The play uses many dramatic devices. One of which is the lighting used at the start to symbolise warm and relaxation. However this quickly changes to a bright spotlight when the inspector arrives.
family, but it must not be 'cosy’ or homely. The lighting is to be a
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.
she needed more money. So she said to him give me 25/6 because of that
In order to encourage the audience to apply their critical faculties, Priestley makes them feel superior to Birling.He thoroughly discredits and degrades Birling, and through him, the right wing philosophy. This tells us very early on that Priestley uses Birling as a diametric mouthpiece to voice his left-wing opinions and that the play is completely biased to the socialist perspective. The theatricality of the dramatic irony Priestley uses makes the audience think outside the proscenium arch, about the world and their relationships to it. This is all part of the non-illusory experience.
audience in his play. I will be analysing act one of the play to try
"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.
Victorian rich life out to be less than what it seems. I think it was
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.
The whole family’s actions are the cause of Eva’s death however the message about responsibility the Inspector presents is only take on board by Eric and Sheila. In conclusion, Priestley clearly gets across his message of responsibility towards others in the play. A clever script cunningly executed points out Priestley’s views to the audience. ‘Responsibility’ is the focal point of the play and is consistently addressed at the end of each interrogation, but the Birlings fail to recognise this.
was genuine and this allows the audience to almost predict their own ending; how will the family react to the arrival of the real Inspector? Will they acknowledge this as a chance to admit to their mistakes or will they try and conceal their guilt? I thoroughly enjoyed studying An Inspector Calls and have learned a great deal about how society has changed and how moral ideals have evolved over time. I found the play effective although because of the way in which society has developed Priestley's morals may not be applicable to life today. As wealth and power have become increasingly more important socialist feelings of responsibility for one another have been progressively weakened.
An Inspector calls is set in 1912, in a time before the war, and when
The Inspector, straight form his introduction, is commanding and authoritative. Upon his entrance he creates, “…at once an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness.”(PG.11) The Inspector continues to create this impression as he progresses through his speeches and through his interrogation of the family. The Inspector remains confident, sturdy and composed, while people around him crumble and fall to pieces. His ‘solidity’ is proven by the fact he remains on task despite numerous attempts from Birling to digress from the points he is making. The Inspector is told to appear ‘purposeful’; this is shown where he explains to Birling that Birlings way of thinking “Every man must only look out for himself,” is not the case, and all warps of society are interlinked. The view is best illustrated in the Inspectors final speech, where he says, “We don't live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other.”(p.56). This idea is one that Priestley, himself believed in deeply, and many of Priestleys writing shared this very theme.
In this section at the end of Act Two we find out that Mrs Birling
... checks himself). As well the whole of act one is ironic as Eva Smith's