An Inspector Calls By J. B. Priestley
How does J.B. Priestley use language and dramatic devices to shape the audience’s view of social change in Britain?
'An Inspector Calls' by J. B. Priestley is a play constructed in 1945, focusing on the need for social change in Britain. Priestley wrote the play for a contemporary audience that had just suffered the horrors of two major world wars. The traditional class systems were already beginning to erode. Therefore, Priestley takes advantage of this climate of change, promoting collectivism: working together for the common good, and prioritising group cohesion over individual pursuit. In doing so, he hoped to challenge class division further . Although society had begun to change, the Second World War was seen by some as the great
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The Inspector, in many ways, is the most significant dramatic device in the play. Representing Priestley’s voice, the Inspector is acts as a foil to Mr Birling. This juxtaposition is established early on, when the Inspector arrives, Birling claims that his family were ‘having a nice little family celebration before’ the Inspector came and made ‘a nasty mess’ of the evening. Birling euphemistically refers to the violent suicide of a young woman as a ‘nasty mess’, implying it is something that needs to be cleaned away. Showing how it is an inconvenience to him, rather than a devastating social tragedy. His comments reflect his short-sightedness, he is only thinking about the impact on himself and the family party. The Inspector then echoes the words of Mr Birling, mocking him. Saying that is also what he thought when he saw Eva’s body, or ‘what was left’ of it, a ‘nice little promising life there, and a nasty mess somebody’s made of it.’ The Inspector uses Birling’s juxtaposition: ‘nice’ and ‘nasty’. He echoes his words but inverts the meaning. The adjective ‘promising’ suggests Eva’s life was likely to achieve success, but the Birling’s ravaged it. The noun phrase – ‘nasty mess’ – now becomes deeply ironic. It is almost as if the Inspector is repeating Mr Birling’s words back to him so that he can hear how absurd they sound. The vague pronoun ‘somebody’ is not vague at all. In fact, the audience know exactly who the Inspector is talking about. He is standing dramatically before him on stage. The Inspector’s speech has an accusatory and bitter tone, mirroring the anger of the
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Connotative Diction In Mary Roach's Stiff
1004 Words | 5 PagesAlthough several words in this passage may be spelt differently, they can be closely read as the same meaning. To show this, Roach uses connotative diction within the passage and the whole novel. The reader often can be found interpreting words connotatively rather than reading the text through a dictionary meaning. “ But H is different. She has made three sick people well.
J. B Priestley's Use Of The Inspector In The Crucible
1359 Words | 6 PagesThrough the character of the Inspector, Priestley advocates for the lower class and their welfare; a change in society’s attitude,
How Does Priestley Present The Theme Of Power In An Inspector Calls
1519 Words | 7 PagesHow does Priestley use language and structure to present the theme of power in “An Inspector Calls”? JB Priestley’s “An Inspector Calls” uses numerous literary and structural techniques to convey the theme of power within London in 1912, when the play is set (shortly before the end of the Edwardian era). During this period, capitalism within Britain led to the division of the upper class and the working class. Throughout the play, the struggle for ‘Power’ can be represented through the characters of Arthur and Sybil Birling, who represent the capitalist beliefs, while the inspector who represents the socialist members of society and tries to challenge the Birling family's selfish attitudes and shows them how their actions have contributed
How Is Sheila Presented In An Inspector Calls
1046 Words | 5 PagesPriestley wrote his polemical morality play ‘An Inspector Calls’ in 1946 shortly after the end of WW2. As a socialist Priestley was concerned that the rigid class system of Edwardian Britain would continue to limit and restrict women’s rights. tends for the play to assist people in their understanding of social responsibility. The didactic play takes place in Brumley, a microcosm of Edwardian Britain, and centres on the actions of the wealthy middle-class Birlings and Mr Croft and how their actions impact a working-class girl called Eva Smith. Throughout the play the audience see the transformation of Sheila’s character through which Priestley explores his underlying message of social responsibility.
Inspector Calls Individualism
2983 Words | 12 PagesFurthermore, the inspector’s aggressive and accusatory tone does not allow Mr. Birlings role in Eva smiths death to go unnoticed. The inspector continues to tell the family "We have to share something. If there's nothing else, we’ll have to share our guilt." The plural pronouns of "we" and “we’ll” rather than "you" or "I" demonstrates a sense of comfort that cannot be found anywhere else is brought about by showing how expressing our accountability and sharing our vulnerabilities unites communities. Additionally, Priestley utilises
How Is The Inspector Presented In An Inspector Calls
1396 Words | 6 PagesHe says that "blood," "fire," and "anguish" will be "taught" to us. The two world wars are represented metaphorically by the triadic structure. The message of the entire play is that if society doesn't make changes, warfare will continue indefinitely. This also makes references to the Bible and implies that the inspector is a representative of a higher authority who is teaching the audience about morality, ethics, and the repercussions of their choices. This is related to Nietzsche's philosophy, according to which the inspector is comparable to the ubermensch, a strong, omnipotent entity who will take any risks to advance society.
A Good Man Is Hard To Find Manipulation
1385 Words | 6 PagesDespite the fact that the criminals are somewhat gentle and misleading, they show no mercy in their actions, but enjoy their victims’ agony and horror instead with no regrets, suggesting that the nature of evil is extremely cruel, ignorant of human life and that the human capacity for manipulation has no limits. In “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” The Misfit, identified as an escapee and criminal, appears, at first, as a stranger with friends helping a family that just got into an accident: “ ‘Good
The Role Of Lighting In J. B Priestley's An Inspector Calls
928 Words | 4 PagesThe characters entrances and exits all throughout the play are essential to show how the Inspector develops his interrogation and indicate its role in the play. The fact that the Inspector arrives for the first time in the perfect timing just after Mr. Birling says "a man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own" and then the door bell rings creating tension in the room tells that the Inspector 's visit is foreshadowing a big contradiction to what Mr. Birling is trying to imply and what the Inspector is going to show them. This also displays social responsibility and the different views of it; Mr.Birling is selfish and believes everyone is responsible for themselves and not for others and that foreshadows The Inspectors point of view that we don 't live
Just Walk On By Brent Staples Analysis
707 Words | 3 PagesBy specifically choosing to identify this woman as his “first victim”, he makes himself out to be a villain at first glance. He takes on the perspective of something much more dangerous than the simple street-walking insomniac he actually was. If he had introduced this paragraph using different or more mild word choice, it would lose its initial threatening impression and fail to hold any proper significance to his claim. The first impression of the essay disguises the truth; his appearance, character. No sooner than in the second paragraph do we get a glimpse of his personality in actuality: “[I’m] a softy who is scarcely able to take a knife to a raw chicken-let alone hold it to a person’s throat” (Staples 542).
Exposure And Poppies Comparison
931 Words | 4 PagesPriestley's play "An Inspector Calls" is a complex one, and opinions differ on whether or not he is a hypocrite. Some argue that he is inconsistent in his behavior and actions, while others believe that his actions are justified by his overarching mission to expose the hypocrisy of the Birling family. In this essay, we will explore the evidence for and against the idea that Inspector Goole is a hypocrite. On the one hand, there are several instances in the play where Inspector Goole's actions could be seen as hypocritical.
The Judge Pyncheon Character Analysis
975 Words | 4 PagesThe first paragraph, which displays the corrupted morality of the judge, establishes these descriptions as false, indicating the sarcastic tone of the narrator. Addressing the audience, the narrator implores his readers to recognize the true character of Pyncheon, rather than accepting the facade of morality, indicated by the use of “you” in question form. This sarcastic question, emphasize by the use of exclamation, reveals the narrator’s point as obvious. After spending the entire opening
How Does Priestley Present The Inspector In An Inspector Calls
1316 Words | 6 PagesAn Inspector Calls Explore how Priestley presents the character of the Inspector in this text. Priestley presents the Inspector as working class through the Inspector’s use of language. This can be seen on page 184 (Act One), where the Inspector says, ‘...never did anybody no harm.’ The Inspector’s use of a double negative implies he had a bad quality of education, something which was common among working class families in the early 20th century.
How Does Priestley Present The Inspector In An Inspector Calls
1733 Words | 7 PagesPriestley portrays the Inspector as an antithesis to Mr Birling since his socialist ideals foster sympathy for individuals of all backgrounds, directly juxtaposing the capitalist views of Mr Birling. The Inspector demonstrates that everyone in society is equally valued by viewing Eva, while she is never physically on stage, as an individual with a "promising little existence" and serving as her voice to represent the problems of the working class. The need for socialist change is established by the fact that only the inspector cares about the lower classes. This highlights the gap between the Inspector and Mr and Mrs Birling, who regarded Eva as unimportant due to her inferior social status as a member of the working class. The Inspector states that "public men, Mr Birling, have responsibilities as well as privileges," emphasising the incapacity of Mr Birling to grasp how a position of power comes with taking responsibility and how class has no influence on the degree of responsibility.
Morality And Double Standards In J. B Priestley's An Inspector Calls
504 Words | 3 PagesIn the play An Inspector Calls written by J.B Priestley, the use of morality and double standards gives us an insight into the society of the early 1900s; which remains relevant in social stratification, cultural and deviance aspects. Through the story of Arthur Birling, Mrs. Sybil Birling and their children Eric and Sheila. The upper-class family, with untouchable reputation, enjoy of an intimate party soiree in honour of Sheila's engagement to Gerald Croft. Son of a well-known business man, Sir George Croft from Crofts Limited. When Inspector Goole pays a mood-changing visit, resulting in the systematic manipulation of the presumably respectable characters.
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