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Dramatic conventions in an inspector calls
Dramatic conventions in an inspector calls
Essay on the inspector Inspector calls
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An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley
"An Inspector calls," by J. B. Priestley was written in 1946 and set
in 1912. Priestley was a politician and a socialist who believed in
equality and equilibrium for all, sex, race and class. Priestley had a
long but arduous life, 1894-1984. He lived through both world wars,
the unsinkable Titanic sank in 1912, the general strike in 1926,
labour government resigning in 1931, and the two destructive atom
bombs dropped on Japan in 1945. Priestley deliberately set the play in
1912 because the audience watching the play had to have lived through
all of this and would have empathised with him. Priestly tried to put
his non-capitalist views across to the public through different
mediums giving 10 minute radio broadcasts and writing articles in the
news papers, however using these means, he could never be sure of his
audience. He couldn't know if they were paying their full attention
listening, or if they were just skimming his articles or even if they
were being read or listened. Hence Priestley decided to use the
theatre for his plays, where he had the full undisrupted attention of
his audience.
"An Inspector calls," is a play which highlights the importance and
relevance of equality and social respect in the community, the story
is interesting and gripping with a twist. Priestley is trying to show
us how a moneyed, status freak middle class family of the Edwardian
Society of 1912 acted, upon their values and their morals. The
mysterious Inspector Goole reveals by his interrogation how all of the
different Birling family members contributed to the suicide of a low
classed, unsupported, innocent, y...
... middle of paper ...
...n his or hers own
time and home. The Inspector is very persuasive, manipulative and
intelligent. He has a good intellect, uses various clever tactics for
solving the case and influencing the characters and the audience.
Personally the Inspector had a great affect on me and I'm sure he
would have the same impact on the rest of the audience. Throughout the
play the Inspectors ploys, attitude and behaviour created and
maintained a lot of drama and made the drama exciting and engrossing.
The moral of the play is to treat everyone, whether they're poor, of a
different gender, of a different race, or diverse to you with equal
respect. Be polite, modest and generous towards all humans even if
they are a complete stranger. Never judge people by their first
expression and be prejudice. Never be stereotype. Never discriminate.
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.
and say and do. We don't live alone. We are members of a body. We are
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.
This coursework focuses on how each character contributes to the suicide of a poor girl Eva Smith/Daisy Renton.
A Comparison of Characters of Mr. Birling and Inspector Goole in J.B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls
An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley In the introduction of Act One, we are given a few brief details about
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.
or two, or a few German officers have too much to drink and begin to
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.
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.
JB Priestley uses dramatic devices to make An inspector calls a modern day morality play, to do this he uses dramatic devices, such as dramatic irony and tension in order to convey the message through the entire play. They are used accurately considering the time in which the play is set. Priestley also uses the characters as dramatic devices, they symbolise the dramatic devices, an example of this is Priestley makes us hate Mr. Birling because he symbolises capitalism, and in Priestley’s eyes capitalism is wrong. Throughout the pl...
...’s role within the play, and how it relates to his character, themes of the play, dramatic effects and J.B. Priestley’s intentions. I have found out that Inspector Goole's role contributes massively to the ending of the play. When speaking, Inspector Goole displays J.B. Priestley's opinions through his speech. From writing this essay, I have learnt that we as people “are all members of one body”, and that we must look after each other. I have learnt that we must not be selfish and that we must treat each other the same. The Inspector sends out a message, Priestley’s message. After writing this essay, I think that An Inspector Calls is an extraordinary play, based on old morality plays. I think that as Inspector Goole is the central protagonist, he is momentous in the growth of the play, and with him in the play, he makes An Inspector Calls exhilarating.
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.