An Inspector Calls is a play that was written in 1994 by John Boynton Priestly. He deliberately set his play in 1912 because the date represented an era when all was very different from the time he was writing. In 1912, rigid class seemed to ensure that nothing would change, yet by 1945 most of the class divisions had been breached. Priestly wanted to make the most of these changes.
The Birling family are spending a happy evening celebrating the engagement of Sheila Birling to Gerald Croft; a marriage that will result in the merging of two successful local businesses. Yet, just when everything seems to be going so well, they receive a surprise visit from an Inspector Goole who is investigating the suicide of an unemployed and destitute woman; Eva Smith. Throughout the play J.B Priestley encourages people to seize the opportunity the end of the war had given them to build a better, more caring society.
Socially, the Edwardian era was a period during which the British class system was very rigid. It is seen as the last period of the English country house. Economic and social changes created an environment in which there was more social mobility. Such changes included rising interest in socialism, attention to the plight of the poor and the status of women, including the issue of women’s suffrage, together with increased economic opportunities as a result of rapid industrialisation. These changes were to be hastened in the aftermath of the First World War.
The Essay on Changing Your Social Class
Changing your Social Class The process by which individuals and groups are ranked in a more or less enduring hierarchy of status is known as stratification. According to Raymond Murray social stratification is a horizontal division of society in to higher and lower social units. Every society is divided into more or less distinct groups. Even the most primitive societies had some form of social ...
The play is a morality play, as Priestly teaches us right from wrong and that we should all accept responsibilities. Each character is guilty of committing a sin: Mr Birling is guilty of greed as he sacked one of his employees: Eva Smith, just to save money. He is perceived as rather selfish as he only cares about the engagement because of the prospect of both companies joining together, meaning more success for him and increased wealth. He is not actually concerned of his daughter’s happiness or well being. He is also guilty of pride, because he didn’t want his name and business being ruined because of one girl.
I believe Priestly really appreciated life. After narrowly escaping being killed when a German shell exploded no more than two or three yards away from him, and also was a victim of a gas attack. These experiences were to have an indirectly influential effect upon his writing. However it wasn’t these experiences alone that influenced Priestley’s socialist views as he grew up around his father’s circle of socialist friends, and he found himself joining in with their political arguments. He then used ‘An Inspector Calls’ as a vehicle to express social and moral concerns.
The lighting is presented as ‘pink and intimate’ Pink symbolizes love, which is what the young couple are experiencing and it gives an impression of a romantic, celebratory casual atmosphere for the engagement of Shelia Birling and Gerald Croft and instantly gives an insight to how he wanted to portray the Birlings family; Innocent. This is supported by his choice of characters: mother, father, one son and one daughter, which is stereotypically seen as a perfect family. However the stage direction ‘no cloth’, contradicts this as is gives a feeling of un-homeliness creating a sense of false security. This inclines that Priestley is conveying the Birling family are hiding something or they are only pretending to be a ‘perfect’ family.
The layout of the dining table is described to be ‘centre stage’, this implies that Priestly is ensuring that the audience can have a clear view of each character; each suspect. With the dining table traditionally set out with the wife opposite husband at each heads of the table it signifies where the authority lies. Gerald and Shelia are both positioned upstage whilst Eric is seated downstage. This gives the audience an idea of the bonds Mr Birling feels towards the two characters and his preference towards Gerald. It is also showing Mr Birlings committing the sin of avarice.
The Essay on Younger Michael Audience Character Boy
How, as a director, would you present the role of Michael in Friel's 'Dancing At Lughnasa' What theatrical impact would you hope to achieve for the audience AS with every character, a director must analyse and interpret Michael as they see him and then try to get this across to the audience without making him stand up stage and give them a profile of his and his aunts lives. As a director, I think ...
In act one, Birling indulges in speeches and we hear his capitalist political views and is giving his philosophy of life: ‘you’d think everybody has to look after everybody else, as if we were all mixed up together like bees in a hive – community and all that nonsense’ which conveys his selfish attitude which is purely capitalism. The use of simile conveys Birlings feeling towards socialist views of community ‘and all that nonsense’ as it creates a negative image of crowded bees, whereas usually we would view ‘busy bees’ as a positive.
He then continues his speech ‘a man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own– and- we hear a sharp ring of a front door bell.’ The interruption of speech Priestly purposely did indicates how Birlings capitalist views are wrong, and shown this through the stage direction. The lighting then changes to ‘brighter and harder’ which changes the loving atmosphere to serious and intense, for the inspector’s interrogation.
The inspector is describes as not a big man, yet creates an impression of ‘massiveness, solidity and purposefulness’ and wearing a darkish suit for that period, which contracts to how Mr. Birling is described, and his physical appearance does not reflect upon his attitude throughout the play.
There is dramatic irony, for instance, as Mr Birling makes confident predictions about there not being war ‘you’ll here some people say that war’s inevitable. And to that I say – fiddlesticks! Nobody wants war… there isn’t a chance of war’ the way priestly has used a short sentence, brings the audience’s attention, and the audience will be laughing as two wars have happened since. He is dismissive to the idea of war even with all the evidence infront of him that war is brewing. He uses quite a childish word ‘fiddlesticks’ instead of using a more powerful word which shows Mr. Birling is trying to reassure himself by undermining war with such a weak word. He also refers to the ship ‘Titanic’ stating how it is ‘unsinkable absolutely unsinkable’ this repetition shows he is absolutely certain and he just wants to make sure the rest of the people understand. Mr Birling also repeats ‘forty six thousand eight hundred tons’ which implicates that he can not believe it and emphasises it to his family and Gerald.
The Essay on Cold War A Post revisioninst View Of The Origins
Sorry no bib on this; it was an in-class handout. This got me a 40/40 in AP History. There are three main schools of thought that trace the origins of the Cold War. The Orthodox view is that the intransigence of Leninist ideology, the sinister dynamics of a totalitarian society, and the madness of Stalin (Doc 1) cause the Cold War. The Revisionists claim that American policy offered the Russians ...
Mrs Birling is guilty of wrath, as she is angry at Eva Smith for using her name, in what she thinks is a spiteful way. Also pride, because she is proud of her name and does not want anyone else using her name without good reason. Mr Birling is guilty of Greed, because he sacked one of his employees, Eva Smith, just to save a few shillings and he is also guilty of pride, because he didnt want his name and business being ruined because of one girl. Mr Birling sees his daughter Shelia as innocent and naïve which is her way of speaking ‘I think it was a mean thing to do’ exposes her innocence as the childish adjective ‘mean’ comes across emotionless and passionless, whereas you would usually be more aggressive and show more enthusiasm. Shelia is guilty of envy, because she is angry at Eva Smith for laughing at her at Milwards. Eric is guilty of gluttony, as he has become an alcoholic; he is drinking far too much however it seems that everyone else has noticed apart from his parents, including Gerald a non-family member ‘I have gathered that he does drink pretty hard’ indicating the lack of interest. Also he is guilty of sloth, as he does not work for the money he gives to Eva Smith, and instead resorts to stealing it from his father’s business. Gerald is guilty of lust, as he fancies Eva Smith, and although he is in a relationship with Sheila, he still embarks on a sexual relationship with another woman, being Eva Smith.
