Priestley's Techniques to Engage the Audience in An Inspector Calls

Priestley's Techniques to Engage the Audience in An Inspector Calls

Introduction

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An Inspector Calls is a play that was written in 1946 but was set in

1912. The play is written about the Birlings, they are a middle class

family. Mr. Birling is a successful businessman. The play shows

differences between capitalists and socialists. Mr. Birling was a

capitalist that thinks everyone should take care of themselves and

that rich should not have to take care of the poor. The play

criticizes capitalists like the Birlings who think that everybody has

their place in life. Mr. Birling predicts in the play that the world

would progress and there wouldn't be war. The audience knows is wrong

because the play is written in 1946. Techniques like these engage the

audience are a part of the plays criticisms of capitalists. The play

breaks down class distinctions where privilege and responsibility are

being challenged by the inspector. The play is written to be provoking

and is asking for a change in attitudes; this helps draw the

audience's attention. What I will be doing is showing the techniques

Priestly uses to engage the audience and keep the play appealing to

the audience.

Priestly uses dramatic irony

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Priestly uses dramatic irony, this means that the full meaning of a

comment or event is understood by the audience but not by the

characters, for example the play was set in 1912 and Birling talks

about how the march of progress is unstoppable and that the war will

not happen. His expectations are proved wrong. "The Germans wont go to

war". He says everything is going to turn out well ...

... middle of paper ...

...ote It also showed that workers had no rights because after the

strike Eva was fired. Also, it showed that in those times if a woman

got pregnant and she was not married she would most likely be left on

her own.

Conclusion

In the essay I was finding out the techniques that Priestly uses to

engage the audience. Priestly uses the characters well and keep's the

play controversial and provoking to engage the audience he highlights

the class barriers and he always made the play dramatic to engage the

audience. He uses history well and there was the play could change

suddenly because he made the play go in different directions. For

example Dramatic Device. I found out that there were many techniques

that can be used to engage an audience and that you could use

different characters in different ways to make them work.