Time and the Conways Essays

The play An Inspector Calls written by J.B. Priestley explores the beliefs and values. Priestley’s believes that people should take responsibility for their actions. The play is set in 1912 before World War I, centering on the upper class Birling family. Priestley’s views were to encourage people to take responsibility for their actions, and not to shift blame onto others. The Birling family and Gerald Croft contacted Eva Smith; all characters were unaware of the part they playe in the tragic end

In ‘An Inspector Calls’ the theme of blame and responsibility is explored. The characters conflict with each other as to who was to blame for Eva Smith’s death. Some characters believe that they were fully to blame, and others believe that they are innocent. This is a useful theme as we can compare two characters specifically and how they conflict and change throughout the play. The characters in question are Arthur Birling and Sheila Birling; father and daughter. The plot of the play is as follows;

He knows how to make people talk like what Sheila said “he’s giving us the rope so that we’ll hang ourselves”. He stated what he likes “one person and one line enquiry at a time”. They take turns talking to him and everyone was completely honest in front of everyone. He knows how to cover himself up in any situation like when Mr. Birling talked about other inspectors he just declined and completed inspecting. He was always

an eager socialist and by using ‘An Inspector Calls’ as his vehicle to coax the audience about the importance of socialism, he would meet the demands of that changed society, that had just gone through a world war, and as a consequence of such hard times, they were more united than ever. Ultimately, Priestley’s main objective with the drama was to raise awareness and move away from such avarice that comes with capitalism. The characters Sheila and Arthur Birling represent those opposite worlds, not

J.B. Priestley's play "An Inspector Calls" explores the importance of social class through various literary techniques and the interactions between the characters. The play is set in 1912, just before the First World War, and centres around the wealthy Birling family, who represent the upper class, and their involvement in the death of a working-class girl named Eva Smith. One way Priestley explores social class is by contrasting the attitudes and behaviours of the Birlings with those of Eva Smith

Discuss the significance of money in An Inspector Calls. You must consider language, form and structure in your answer. In the play ‘An Inspector calls’ J.B. Priestley utilises the significance of money and its effects on varying classes by emphasising how money can corrupt and distort societies priorities and sense of moral character in order to prove money is the root of society's problems. His characterisation of the Birlings and how they affected Eva Smith highlights the detrimental effects

audience in a contemporary society to look at themselves with an inverted eye and strive for equality. In Gerald, an 'easy well-bred young man-about-town', we see a wealthy aristocrat who perpetuates the patriarchal ideology followed by many in 1912, the time in which play was

“An Inspector Calls” is a didactic play which was written by JB Priestly in 1945, after WW2 and was set in spring 1912. The plot of this morality play primarily revolves around the Birlings and an Inspector revealing their involvement in Eva Smith’s death. The role of the Inspector is a mysterious one as he is described as all-knowing as he seems to know what the characters responses will be. It’s important to take in account the fact that J.B. Priestley wrote an Inspector Calls to convey his socialist

handle money is affected. Priestley exhibits how the level of maturity someone has affects how they handle money. This is portrayed through the characterisation of Eric as he lacks financial literacy. Mr Birling states Eric has 'more money to spend and time to spare than I had’ demonstrating his inability to appreciate the significance of money and his obliviousness of how individuals in the lower class, such as Eva, live in poverty struggling to make enough money

He does this by using a didactic style whilst talking to the Birlings; “You’re offering money at the wrong time, Mr Birling.” The word ‘wrong’ suggests to the audience that there was a correct time to be offering money, for instance when Eva Smith was protesting for a higher salary when working for Mr Birling. However this quote also shows us that the Inspector isn’t looking to punish the Birlings in

In "An Inspector Calls," Inspector Goole is used as a dramatic device; the inspector is presented as a moral mouthpiece for J.B. Priestley to convey the main themes of social responsibility, age, gender, and class. This play was written in 1945 in Britain (post-World War II). However, this play was set in 1912 in the Birlings house in the industrial heavy town of Brumley in the north midlands. Priestley deliberately set this play in 1912 due to the Edwardian era, an era where there is a hierarchy

J.B Priestley, dramatist of the Play ‘An inspector calls’ written in 1945, portrays the story of a wealthy family in the industrial city of Brumley during 1912. They were holding an engagement party, until it was interrupted by a police inspector, who was investigating the suicide of a young woman named Eva smith. Lies reveal the series of events that lead her to take that decision. Priestly during the whole play makes the inspector’s presence powerful and dominant. The inspector is used to communicate

“An Inspector Calls” is a play written by J.B. Priestly, in which a mysterious inspector interrogates a wealthy, upper-middle class English family about their responsibility for the death of a young girl. The play itself was first premiered in the United Kingdom in 1946, a crucial point in the history of the country. Following the trauma of the Second World War, and the incredible damage suffered as a result of the Blitz, the nation’s political situation was beginning to shift massively towards socialist

This can be seen on page (Act 3) where the Inspector says, ’And I tell you that the time will soon come when, if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught in fire and blood and anguish’. The usage of strong nouns such as ‘blood’ and ’anguish’ give the audience the impression that the Inspector already knows about World War

He is only interested in the present, and does not look to the future, Mr Birling does not have a open mind. Like most men at that time, they believed that nothing could change. They believed that the rich would always rule over the poor, that the labor ''cranks'' could never be a ruling government, and Arthur Birling represents these views. Moreover, Priestly use of repetition on

In J.B Priestley’s didactic play ‘an inspector calls’ responsibility is a theme shown throughout the play, as Priestley believed society needed to take on more social responsibility, this is shown through the inspector who acts as Priestley’s mouthpiece in the play, for his socialist message; with the play first being premiered in socialist Russia in 1945 it is clear to see Priestley wanted to teach an audience about socialism through the importance of responsibility. At the the start of the play

In the morality play, “An Inspector Calls”, Priestley employs the concept of responsibility to express the haunting effects of individualism on people’s lives. Priestley introduces the theme of responsibility by utilizing the omniscient inspector Goole to advance the socialist viewpoint that each of us must be accountable for both our own deeds and the way we treat others. However, he contrasts this philosophy with the usage of figures like Mr. and Mrs. Birling, who are the complete antitheses of

In the play An Inspector Calls, Priestley fundamentally presents a class ridden society through the characters attitudes and behaviour's within the play. The Birling family is seen to be attentive towards their class in society, especially Mr and Mrs Birling. Priestley uses the Birling family and The Inspector to imply how an arrogant and conceited mindset can destroy the lives of the less privileged through actions and words. Mr Birling is shown to be an extremely selfish, arrogant and stubborn

J.B. Priestly's play, 'An Inspector Calls' explores the theme of responsibility using effective use of characterisation and dramatic structure. The play revolves around the upper-class Birling family and their involvement in the suicide of a young working-class woman. Through their actions, Priestly demonstrates that everybody has a responsibility to look out for each other and that we must consider the consequences of our actions. The play is set in 1912, just before the events of the first world

How 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