The Dramatic Importance of Arthur Burling's Speech in J.B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls

The Dramatic Importance of Arthur Burling's Speech in J.B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls

For my English coursework I shall write about the dramatic importance

of Arthur Burling's speech after dinner.

An Inspectors Calls was written by J.B Priestley in 1945 however it

was set in a pre-first world war setting (1912) in the fictional town

of Brumley. J.B priestly uses this difference of 33 years to create

dramatic importance as the audience would know about the outcomes of

historical events which the characters in the play had no knowledge

of. This allows Priestley to make the characters sometimes look quite

naive and silly especially Arthur Burling. The play is mainly about

how a rich upper middle class family are all made to confess about the

major parts they played in the events leading up to the suicide of a

lower class girl by a rather odd police inspector.

In the play Arthur burling can be viewed as a traditionalist who

preaches and practice the values of Edwardian Britain. He is a

prosperous business man who has worked very hard for his money, and is

very pleased with himself. He has also been active in local politics

and in the past has been the lord mayor of Brumley, however at present

Mr Burling is a magistrate.

The play starts with the Burling family celebrating Shelia Birling's

engagement to Gerald Croft. Mr Burling speaks on this happy occasion

about his daughter's engagement although he only touches upon the

topic of his daughter's future and happiness he seems more interested

in the business side of his daughter's engagement. This shows that he

is money orientated as he talks about his daughters future as though

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...an see that J.B. Priestly was a very political writer

who had very strong socialist views. His political and socialist views

were undoubtedly influenced by what happened to him during World War

One these experiences caused him to become a pacifist, which is

somebody who strongly believes in world peace.

The play 'An Inspector Calls' is a channel for Priestley's views and

criticisms on the social mores of the time. The message of the play

would have been particularly effective to the audience of 1946. J.B.

Priestley knew that the message of his play would reach the war-weary

audience of 1946 more effectively than it would reach the audience in

a different period of time. I believe that Priestley is trying to tell

the audience that they must learn from the harsh lessons of war and do

not repeat the mistakes of the past