J.B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls "An inspector calls" was written around 1944 and is set around 1912. Arthur Birling, used to show the capitalist view, is self-indulged and says; "A man has to look after himself" when they are talking about a community, showing he is selfish and only cares about his family and himself. He is also shown as a fool who thinks he knows everything about anything but clearly doesn't. When he talks about the "unsinkable Titanic" and that "there isn't a chance of war" shows he doesn't know much because there were two wars between the setting of the play and the date it was written, and the Titanic also sunk. When the family learn about the death of Eva, Mr Birling is the first to be questioned by the inspector. He resists questions from the inspector; "I can't think they can be of any great consequence." He also uses his authority to try and avoid interrogation; "Perhaps I'd ought to warn you [Chief Constable Colonel Roberts] is an old friend of mine" demonstrating his power and showing he is an upper class man. I don't think Eva Smiths death affected Mr Birling much because he didn't really know her. He does remember her as being a; "Lively, good looking girl… a good worker too… ready for promotion." But after the workers came back from holiday they went on strike for more money and because Mr Birling is selfish, he told her and a few others to; "clear out" because he is more interested in; "[keeping] labour costs down." He doesn't accept any responsibility because he was just doing what was best for the business. When the inspector has left and Gerald fathoms that the inspector was a hoax, Mr Birling his and his family's reputation stays as intact as it can. He shields the truth from Gerald so his parents, Sir George and Lady Croft, who are of higher status than the Birlings don't find out about the details of the night. When Sheila says; "Gerald might as well know," Birling hastily replies;
After Inspector Goole enters the house, he informs the Birling’s about the death of a lower class woman who had died due to swallowing a disinfectant. Afterwards, Arthur Birling admits he had sacked the girl after remembering what had happened two years ago due to her being one of the ring leaders in strike demanding higher wages.
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.
J. B. Priestly was born in 1894 in Bradford and he died on the 14th of
event yet he chose to put his business first. This should be a part in
J.B. Priestley's Motives Behind An Inspector Calls J.B. Priestley was born in Bradford, Yorkshire in 1894. His mother
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.
technology and how a man should live. He says 'A man has to make his
Priestley's Social Message in An Inspector Calls The play an Inspector Call’s was written at the time of 1945 but is set in 1912. Priestley conveys a lot of social and important messages in this play. He conveys the messages through the character of Inspector Goole. One most important message that Priestley conveys is about Socialism.
satisfied. He talks a lot and likes the sound of his own voice. He's a
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.
in jeopardy than how he may have driven a young girl down a spiral to
Birlings, as they find out that they have all played a part in a young
J.B. Priestley wrote the play "An Inspector Calls" in 1945 and set it in 1912. These dates are both relevant because he wrote his play in a world emerging from the Second World War, at a time when people were getting nostalgic about pre-world war one. Priestley used his play to try and show people that the idea of a community in 1912 was gradually being washed away by the upper classes and that the world needed to change rather than return to the egotistical society that existed in pre war England.
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.
The story of Eva Smith is a dramatic one. JB Priestley is full of good