Explore the ways in which JB. Priestly Presents the Theme of responsibility in ‘An inspector Calls’.
Arthur Birling says, “If we were all responsible for everything that happened to everybody we’d had anything to do with, it would be very awkward, wouldn’t it?”
The story line of ‘An Inspector Calls’ holds a substantial amount of importance that addresses so many of humanities problems such as morals, prejudism, sexism, inequality between families, wealth and general class, and also taking responsibility, all of which are depicted through each of the characters, linking them in some way with Eva’s death, they are all in some respect responsible for it; this is the main theme that Priestly tries to portray using the Inspector as his mouthpiece. JB Priestly was a strong political
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This leads to them having false hope that this tragedy was really just a sick joke and that the inspector was a fraud; shortly after celebrating and falling back into their old ways “By jingo! A fake!” Mr Birling expresses his relief in the most insensitive way possible, Mrs Birling just acts as if she knew all along and accused the other of ‘giving in’ to the Inspectors pressure; Mr Birling to make certain that this theory was right, phoned up the hospital asking if a suicide had taken place concerning a young woman who had drunk strong disinfectant. They are assured and told that there had been no such thing, and of course this meant for
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
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.
...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.
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.
Socialism is one of the greatest messages that Priestley conveys. This message is spoken through the inspector. The Inspector represents Priestley’s strong moral views. Through the play, the Inspector’s character is shown as if he is Priestley’s image, and also shows that he is no ordinary Inspector. His character is shown as if he is more concerned with morality than legality, other than that of an ordinary Policeman/Inspector.
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.
The play is the tale of a rich family, that are accosted by a man
Through his play Priestley endeavoured to convey a message to the audiences, that we could not go on being self obsessed and that we had to change our political views. He used the Birling family as an example of the Capitalist family that was common amongst the higher classes in 1912, who took no responsibility for other people and he showed this with the power of Socialism, represented by the inspector; the uneasy facade put on by the Birling family to cover up their real flaws and how they have treated those whom they considered to be lower class could not stand up to any scrutiny without shame for what had happened, showing that they know they have been wrong.
Blaming Someone for the Death of Eva Smith in An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley
He wanted to give everyone a choice. Should we go back to the way it
This simplistic appearance accentuated by the basic adjective ‘plain’ that mirrors how the Inspector believes that appearance and materialistic value is less significant than moral value of a person, which is a stark contrast to the airs and duplicitous nature the Birlings incorporate into their personalities. Furthermore, the fact that he doesn’t wear a police uniform of the time, causes suspicion in the Birlings later, when they are desperate to exonerate their faults. Priestly uses a variety of stage directions to enhance the Inspectors speech and overall influence over the Birlings. He often speaks ‘impressively’ or ‘weightily’ with confidence, displaying his implacable nature which is useful for exposing their faults, constantly giving him the upper hand in interrogations. The Playwright presents Inspector Goole as a strong-minded socialist, that detests the common capitalist beliefs of 1912, hence his reasoning for interrupting Birlings speech, and the overall communal morals he conveys in his speech. Birling claims he was prejudiced from the start, ‘probably a Socialist or some sort of crank’, which portrays the fact that although it is clear to him the Inspector has come to present the socialist ideals, he still refuses to accept any moral value and change his ways, writing off the communal and fair man as a ‘crank’. Despite being constantly undermined by the Birlings, in addition to Birling trying to intimidate him, the Inspector remains implacable and an authoritative figure throughout the
“An Inspector Calls”, is a play written in 1912 Edwardian England, by J.B. Priestly. It is a philosophical play about social conscience and the crumbling of middle-class values. In this time period there was a large social divide between the upper and lower class. This play is about a higher class family who having a strong connection with a young woman who has committed suicide, with a suspicious Inspector uncovering the plot throughout the play. Priestly presents Mr Birling as a “Portentous” man, with capitalistic views, and his daughter Sheila Birling, is portrayed as a naïve young girl, but as the act goes on she begins to become more independent, but also becomes more aware about society.
In this essay I will discuss why Priestley’s play ‘An Inspector Calls’ is effective, focusing on characterisation, dramatic devices and themes.
The title of the play has a lot of significance, because, from the moment that ‘An Inspector Calls’, the Birlings’ lives change suddenly and they are all faced, from this point onwards, with a moral issue and a guilt which shadows their whole evening. The Inspector has the power to impact a whole family by disrupting their situation, but also by psychological means. The title is the first thing that someone will see or hear, and by having it symbolise the most significant event of the play, Priestley is already starting to put forward many of the themes brought about by the arrival of the Inspector. In this way the title is not only appropriate but also shows that the Inspector is very central indeed to the play, and even before he first arrives at the Birling household, it is obvious that he is going to have a big role to play in the events that will unfold.