An Inspector Calls: Set In 1912; written 1940's but a play for the millennium. What important issues are raised by the play? How does Priestly use the Settings, Characters and Events to convey? I've been studying the play 'An Inspector Calls' that is concerned about problems and issues of year 1912 and used the characters of the play to allow his feelings of the time to be put across to others, in 1912 and now. Many of the problems faced then are still around today and will be probably will be in years to come, despite him trying to make changes in the way we think. However the play was wrote in 1946, just after the Second World War, he was trying to make people aware of what was going on and how this shouldn't happen again. At the time there were a lot of coal miners on strike for having low wages, working, living and conditions also Dockers for the same reasons nothing was done. The poor were manipulated by the rich into what they wanted, for instance take the World War Two Germany the much stronger, powerful and richer country, against poorer countries such as Poland and there was many more countries in similar situations. The play was attempting to get across, that we need to look after the people and things around us no matter how small, as it's not acceptable to use them to our advantages: Remember this. One Eva Smith has gone but there are millions and millions of Eva Smith and John Smiths still left with us. There were always people there to look after or at least realise about the 'Eva Smiths' in the world. In a world scale other countries came into help the poorer countries but notice its always too late in a way, people have already been hurt, In the play there was Sheila and Eric Birling and of course the inspector. A more recent event like this took place in 1982, the Falklands. Argentina invaded the Islands, thinking nothing would be done because they're so small. The British advanced to help their fellow men, and stopped the conflict in its tracks. They made Argentina pay for it, in the death of their own men, 'then they will be taught in fire and blood and anguish', The Inspector (page 56). I think the ideas of Priestly were heard by the people, but still have not embedded themselves into today's society: Nonsense! You'll have a good laugh over it yet. We've been had, that's all. Birling(both p70) This is only Mr Birling's general opinion but this could also be the
This coursework focuses on how each character contributes to the suicide of a poor girl Eva Smith/Daisy Renton.
An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley In the introduction of Act One, we are given a few brief details about
eager and keen to find out who is at the door and what they want. The
to say for herself she gets the sack. And this is what the author is
one – and so long as he does that he won’t come to much harm. But the
or two, or a few German officers have too much to drink and begin to
talks with. He is a man who has come to the Birling's house to do his
The theme of this play is centered around time; the value of the little time we have been given and how that time should be used to live for what is right and what truly matters.
The play is the tale of a rich family, that are accosted by a man
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.
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.
in jeopardy than how he may have driven a young girl down a spiral to
and say and do. We don't live alone. We are members of a body. We are
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.
make him a better writer, and he felt that he 'must spend at least the