In this essay, I’ll write about how Priestly has presented the character Mr.B (the father, who fired Eva Smith due to her asking for a small pay rise) on pages 6-7, in the play “An Inspector calls” (first performed in 1945). It was set in a Midland Industrial town in 1912. The plot of this dramatic play is based around a visit by an inspector to an ostensibly normal and well-respected family. He’s come to investigate the suspicious death of a girl named Eva Smith. On pages 6-7, Mr. Birling’s character is depicted as a stubborn, obnoxious and self-obsessed man. As if rather than celebrating the engagement of Gerald and Mr Birling’s daughter, Sheila, he is celebrating the merge of Mr Birling’s and Gerald's fathers businesses. You can see
He was particularly scathing about the class system and the extreme contrasts of wealth and poverty prevalent at that time. He also disapproved of the selfishness within the individual and the fact that many people were only concerned with their own power, profit and gain. Priestley powerfully highlighted the exploitation of women and through the character of Eva Smith, he illustrated the rights that women were beginning to voice in society. Finally, Priestley used the different characters in his play to show the how the sins of greed, pride and selfishness have so corrupted society that the individual has become oblivious to the consequences of their actions, in this case culminating in the death of Eva Smith. Although 'Inspector Calls' is set in 1912, it was first written in 1945 and produced on the lst October 1946, just after World War 11.
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.
Eva and his son Eric is annoyed by this. He seems to be a very hard
she needed more money. So she said to him give me 25/6 because of that
was on his way and that a girl was on her way to the hospital after
I am so glad that I have time to think now. I cannot get over all that
Do you agree that Eva Smith is presented as a victim in the play ‘An
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.
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.
tells a speech about how it is the best day of his life, "Gerald, I'm
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.
shop on a day when she was clearly not in a very good mood and claimed
An Inspector Calls was written by J.B. Priestley after the Second World War. Written in 1945, however set in 1912, the purpose was to challenge the ideals of the general public of Great Britain and to convey Priestley’s own social and political message through the contrasting characters of Mr. Birling and Inspector Goole who hold capitalist and socialist beliefs respectively. The date the play was set, 1912 represented an era that was largely controlled by capitalist principles and the mistreatment of the working class. By 1945 many of the class and gender boundaries central in the play were being questioned and partially addressed. Being a socialist, Priestley believed in responsibility, both individually and collectively. He wrote this play
The play is written in 1945, after the end of Second World War but the play was set on a spring evening in 1912, which is two years before the World War One. J.B. Priestly have set the play 35 years in past so that he can involve the audience in the play. The play is about social responsibility. Priestley uses the play to present his ideas on responsibility and society. He uses the character of the Inspector as a mouth-piece for his ideas. For example the Inspector exclaims ‘We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other’. Priestley is suggesting that we should all look after one another, and that those who have power over others should use it for the common good, not just for their own benefit. It is clear by the end of the
At the start of the play she was described as a girl who is very