The play “An Inspector Calls” makes us realize that the philosophy “no man is an island” (John Donne) is a lesson that we should learn. It means that no-one should isolate themselves and that if a person dies etc. then the lives of others are seriously altered. “An Inspector Calls” by J.B. Priestly gets this view across. The main plot involves the Birling family and the girl’s fiancé celebrating when a mysterious inspector turns up and asks some questions about a girl’s suicide. It turns out they are all, in some way, involved in her death. J.B. Priestly proves this famous quote through the basic storyline. Each of the characters possesses a mixture of the seven deadly sins. Sir Arthur Birling starts a chain of events when he sacks the girl, Eva Smith, from his factory, Birling & Co when she goes on strike for a pay rise. Mr Birling shows greed when he does not want to part with his money. He is a very vindictive man. Birling says she was a good worker and was about to be promoted but because he could not control his greed and anger, another deadly sin, he sacked her instead. His daughter, Sheila Birling, insists she has never heard of Eva Smith until the inspector shows her a photograph. Eva had got a job at Milwards (a posh clothing store) and was doing well when Sheila turned up. Sheila wanted to try something on but thought it didn’t suit her. Eva, who had brought the dress from the storeroom, held it up against herself and it suited her. Sheila was furious when she thought she saw Eva smirk at her and ordered the manager to sack Eva or she would no longer shop there and would make her mother close their account with them. Sheila possesses Anger and Envy. Sheila’s fiancé, Gerald, is also mixed up in things. The insp... ... middle of paper ... ... realising the inspector was not a policeman and that the whole thing was hoax. Sheila and Eric try to convince them to change one last time but they insist that nothing has changed. Then the phone rings. Mr Birling answers it and appears shocked. He puts the phone down and turns around. He then informs the others that the police had just phoned. A girl had died after drinking some disinfectant. A police inspector was going to ask them some questions. I think the inspector was a ghost come to warn the Birlings of their selfishness and untruthfulness before the actual policeman came round. To add to this, his last name was Goole with the same pronunciation as ghoul as in ghostly spirit. This twist and the rest of the features in the play help us to understand the saying “no man is an island” is a very important lesson that should apply to us all.
Sheila and Eric are convinced that this doesn’t change a thing. Just when Mr. Birling teases the family, he receives a telephone to find that there’s is a girl that has died in the infirmary and a police inspector is on his way to question
This is the concept of collective responsibility. Priestley says, 'things could really improve if only people were to become more socially responsible for the welfare of others'. We have to confront our mistakes and learn from them. The play starts off with the Birling family celebrating their daughter's engagement to Gerald Croft. The family included Mr Birling, Mrs Birling, Eric Birling, Sheila Birling and Gerald Croft.
Complete with lessons of courage and honor this play demonstrates with humor the lengths one man will go to in order to fulfill his dutiful and unusually contracted obligation.
However the island is a vicious place. It is there that he gets trained for the survival of his own hell. When he finally returns home after several years, he is determined to save his city and make up for his father’s mistakes. In the show his friends and family do not know that he is the vigilante saving their city, but his audience does. Fundamental attribution error is one... ...
On overall, Priestley has presented the two characters, Arthur and Sheila Birling as completely differently. He wanted to match the story to the historical context of the 1910’s, but he has done this differently with Sheila. This is because the play was written in 1946 and the world had two wars and has started to comprehend the strength of community. She is the young generation of the 1910’s this means in a few years down the line, a war is going to break out and if they keep making the same mistake over and over again, it’s not going to turn out any better, by this, we see what happens in the second world war. This is why Sheila has been presented so that she understands consequences of what might happen if we don’t pull ourselves together.
An Inspector Calls' is primarily focused on he attitudes surrounding the higher classes in 1912, and how these attitudes can lead to actions with potentially devastating consequences. The attitudes are particularly aimed at women, especially those of working class status. In the play women are portrayed as second class citizens, after men. However the difference (e.g. in independence) between upper class men and women is greater than that of working class men and women.
In the play “An inspector calls” by J.B priestly, Mr Birling and Shelia Birling have contrasting attitudes to social issues. The author uses this to difference to highlight the diversity between generations and their reaction to situations faced. Arthur Birling is the father to Shelia Birling and is presented as the old fashion generation whereas Shelia is the young generation, who is more aware of the responsibility she has towards other people.The play begins with Mr birling and his family celebrating the engagement of Shelia and Gerald. The atmosphere is happy and light-hearted. Before the inspector arrives, Mr Birling is happy with life and himself “It’s one of the happiest nights of my life.” This shows that Mr Birling is quire selfish because he only thinks that it is one of the happiest nights of his life and not of Shelia and Gerald.
In the beginning of the book it states, “He wasn’t like them” by the use of short phases such as this, sets the pessimistic mood of the story that is reinforced by the illustrations. By placing such a line in the beginning of the book sets the theme of the story that the stranger does not belong on the island. The crispness of this phrase works to have a larger impact on the audience that initiates their sympathy for the man rather than the islanders. This connects to our today’s society due to, if you are different from everyone else in our society, either in looks, weight, mind set or even personality wise it is immediately picked up on and stated. In today’s society, just like the strange man in ‘The Island’ we are too isolated and excluded due to our differences. The people who are different are pushed to the side and locked away, just like when the man in ‘The Island’ was placed into the goat pen to never be dealt or heard of
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.
Trifles by Susan Glaspell is a one-act play centered around a woman, Mrs. Wright, who allegedly murdered her husband, Mr. Wright, in the night. There are no witnesses of his death; only unofficial confessions and he-said she-said talk. Without viable evidence and information (and the absence of Mrs. Wright altogether), the play soon focuses on a group of people who gather at the Wrights’ home the day after the murder. These characters include a male sheriff, county attorney, and neighboring farmer and their two wives. It is their job to determine what truly happened to Mr. Wright and piece together any evidence that would enable the conviction of Mrs. Wright. It is with the plot, setting, and overall use of symbolism that Glaspell communicates her message and themes. These messages and themes, which are the glue to the play, allow the audience to understand how unhappy of a life Mrs. Wright lived and how men viewed women’s roles as unimportant.
The theme of the play has to do with the way that life is an endless cycle. You're born, you have some happy times, you have some bad times, and then you die. As the years pass by, everything seems to change. But all in all there is little change. The sun always rises in the early morning, and sets in the evening. The seasons always rotate like they always have. The birds are always chirping. And there is always somebody that has life a little bit worse than your own.
...ut the play, is a symbol of strength. It serves as an escape from the reality of a masochist society. Apart, the women must face the hardships alone, but together, they are able to find their humanity by becoming “an ocean of strength” (321).
When the children become stranded on the island, the rules of society no longer apply to them. Without the supervision of their parents or of the law, the primitive nature of the boys surfaces, and their lives begin to fall apart. The downfall starts with their refusal to gather things for survival. The initial reaction of the boys is to swim, run, jump, and play. They do not wish to build shelters, gather food, or keep a signal fire going. Consequently, the boys live without luxury that could have been obtained had they maintained a society on the island. Instead, these young boys take advantage of their freedom and life as they knew it deteriorates.
With each analysis the reader gets a greater understanding of suicide and the mental state of those who commit it, as well as some of their motives. One could read only a single chapter of this book and gain a greater understanding than they previously had on the topic of suicide, but when one brings all the chapters together as a whole a much deeper understanding is obtained. Lester’s analyses start with diaries, using that of a girl he has called Katie as his first example. In this 14 page chapter he analyses her diary, not only comparing her to Ophelia from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, but using that comparison to show some of her motives and to make sense of them. It is this astute analysis that sets the tone for the rest of the similar chapters, in a way that is not boring but is not lighthearted in the slightest. The way that the whole book works together to give one insight on the topic of suicide makes it a useful resource for those who wish to understand it in a more in-depth way.
The Message of An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley An Inspector CallsA moral crime has been committed against a girl