'An Inspector Calls' Essay In Act One of 'An Inspector Calls' how does J.B. Priestley use dramatic devices to convey his concerns and ideas to the members of the audience, as well as interest and involve them in his play? 'An Inspector Calls' is a morality play - a form of play developed in the late middle ages in which a Christian moral lesson was brought out through the struggle between the forces of good and evil - set in 1912, and revolves around the questioning of a family by Inspector Goole about the suicide of a young woman (Eva Smith) that the family knew.The author, J.B. Priestley is trying to show us what some people's arrogance and selfishness can cause without them even noticing. Priestley was a socialist, therefore by writing this play he was drawing attention to the bad things about capitalism. The Inspector was intending to teach the Birlings that ?...we have to share something. If there?s nothing else, we?ll have to share our guilt? Act One. By saying this, he is telling them they are all as guilty as each other of the suicide of Eva Smith, this also links to Priestley being a socialist because he is putting the Birlings to shame. The doorbell ringing appears to separate the two moods (before and after the Inspector arrives). Priestley has used dramatic irony by making the doorbell ring to interrupt Birling?s speech, just as he is talking about looking after ?...yourself and your own? Act One, by saying this before the doorbell rings, Birling is already digging himself into a hole before he even knows it. It is ironic because the Inspector is here to teach him his responsibilities for other people, when he is saying you should only look after your self and your family. As the Inspector enters the ch... ... middle of paper ... ...y guilty and sympathetic for what she has done, whereas Mr and Mrs Birling couldn?t care less and remain unsympathetic throughout. The way Mr and Mrs Birling don?t care makes the play interesting for the audience, as they are waiting for them to crack, the Inspector also helps maintain the audiences concentration by the way he slowly unravels the story and the way he interrogates people in the order that they met the girl. I think the playwright hopes to teach people that money isn?t everything and that people who are arrogant and selfish will get their comeuppances eventually. The moral of the play still, applies to today?s society because it makes us think about the things we do that involve ignoring people less fortunate than us when we realise that there are Eva Smiths all around us just waiting for a chance to make it through the cruel world we live in.
An Inspector Calls was written in 1945 but set in 1912. The play shows the stark difference between 1912 and 1945. J. B. Priestley reveals the errors of society and the faults of capitalism as well as the bias of the upper class and social status. As a firm believer in the concepts of socialism, he uses this play to expose society’s poor attitudes to the working class of the period. The way they treat Eva Smith reflects on how many of the working class may have been treated by their social superiors. Eva was a victim in society as she was very low in the financial hierarchy as well as in reality where she was at the bottom of the classes. Women at that time were seen as being delicate, obedient to their husbands. The inspector is used to correct the
A Comparison of Characters of Mr. Birling and Inspector Goole in J.B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls
Drama in J.B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls J.B. Priestley is the author of 'An Inspector Calls', he wrote and published the play in 1945. The play he created was set in an industrial town called 'Brumley'. In 'An Inspector Calls' there are six main characters, one being an inspector who goes by the name of Goole. Inspector Goole questions the five other characters about a young working-class woman's, named Eva, death. During questioning, each of the Birling family, Sheila, Eric, Sybil and Arthur, all reveal that they have a secret connection with Eva, along with Gerald Croft, who is engaged to Sheila Birling.
The play shows how Eva Smith is a victim of the attitude of society in
How Priestley Presents His Ideas To An Audience In Act One Of An Inspector Calls
An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley In the introduction of Act One, we are given a few brief details about
Discuss the presentation of the character Arthur Birling in Act One of ‘An Inspector Calls’.
Birling is the man of the house, and in the setting of the play, 1912,
In Act 1, the Birling’s are celebrating their daughter’s engagement to Gerald Croft, which would merge two business competitors (the Birling’s and the Croft’s), which would result in higher profits - being the most beneficial to Mr Birling. In Act 1, Priestley heavily relies on the audience’s knowledge of past events for dramatic irony - Priestley uses Birling’s optimism as he raves about Titanic: “the Titanic - she sails next week - forty-six thousand eight hundred tons - New York in five days - and every luxury, and unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable.” which is about go into a world that will avoid conflict. Ironically, Priestley already introduced conflict as Birling’s views conflict with the reality of what is about to cause unease in Britain.
The Inspector, straight form his introduction, is commanding and authoritative. Upon his entrance he creates, “…at once an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness.”(PG.11) The Inspector continues to create this impression as he progresses through his speeches and through his interrogation of the family. The Inspector remains confident, sturdy and composed, while people around him crumble and fall to pieces. His ‘solidity’ is proven by the fact he remains on task despite numerous attempts from Birling to digress from the points he is making. The Inspector is told to appear ‘purposeful’; this is shown where he explains to Birling that Birlings way of thinking “Every man must only look out for himself,” is not the case, and all warps of society are interlinked. The view is best illustrated in the Inspectors final speech, where he says, “We don't live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other.”(p.56). This idea is one that Priestley, himself believed in deeply, and many of Priestleys writing shared this very theme.
Provided that when the play was introduced, it can be seen as that Mrs. Birling
At this point everyone is in a happy mood, however their mood soon changes when the inspector arrives, the play shows Mr Birling as an inpatient powerful businessman, the play also shows that Mr Birling is a really proud man he is proud of himself and what he has accomplished. Almost the first thing Mr birling says to the inspector is “I was a alderman for years-and lord mayor two years ago-and I’m still on the bench-so I think I know Bromley police officers pretty well.” Mr Birling is trying to emphasise his status and how important he is to the inspector. His first intention is to make a good impression rather than finding out why the inspector has called; when Mr Birling does ask why the inspector has called Mr Birling soon becomes impatient when the inspector does not fully answer the question. This shows that Mr Birling is an impatient man and it also shows that Mr Birling thinks he is...
Priestley is attempting to convey to his audience that Mr Birling needs to change, and not only Mr Birling, but the rest of the society that is comparable to him.
In the beginning, Priestley describes the Birlings’ house as ‘a fairly large suburban house’ with ‘good solid furniture of the period’, showing they are upper-middle class and that they have money. They also have servants such as a maid and a cook. Priestley wants to give us an idea that the Birlings are upper class both in possessions and attitudes.
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.