The Inspector is an interpretation of Priestley and the Socialist views he held. He was sent to the Birling household to interrogate the family about their involvement with Eva Smith. When the Inspector makes his speech, the Birling family secrets are all out in the open and there is a clear rift between the older and younger generation. The point about responsibility that is made in the Inspector’s speech was that we are a community so therefore, we are responsible for each other. We know the Inspector is well informed due to the tone of voice he spoke in and how he knew what happened before any of the Birlings had confessed yet.
Birling gets interrupted at the end of the speech by the Inspector, therefore leaving no time for the characters to respond, and there is no evidence that they felt the same as Birling. This makes us think that if a member of his family does not agree with his views then neither does Priestley. During the Inspector’s speech, the characters present in the room respond with utter silence and awe. The silence and awe transcends to the audience as respect, which gives off the idea that we should agree with the Inspector.
Arthur Birling uses personal pronouns like ‘I’ and ’he’. Using these kinds of pronouns portrays Birling as selfish. His argument seems limited as Birling is only making one point of view. The Inspector also uses personal pronouns but to refer to a group of people. By using these pronouns, the impression you receive is that he is talking about society. Also, it creates a direct response to the audience. The Inspector’s use of these personal pronouns links to Priestley’s message of that we don’t live alone, we live in a community.
Arthur Birling ridicules others during his speech. He criticises Socialists like the Inspector and Priestley. This language technique puts Birling in a weak position; it seems that all he can do is argue. The audience would take an instant dislike to Birling as he would be seen as a self-centered argumentative figure. A 1945 audience would also take a dislike to Birling, as due to the World Wars many of the younger generation died at the hands of the older generation. So, Birling would have been portrayed as egotistical, careless and selfish.
Birling gets interrupted during his speech by the Inspector at an ironic time. It is ironic because the audience get the feeling Birling is to be contradicted by someone who is viewed by the audience as his inferior. Being interrupted by the Inspector gives the Inspector the higher edge. It gives the impression that the Inspector is about to contradict Birling. The Inspector is not interrupted, giving him the power and respect from the characters and from the audience. Priestley uses interruptions to make the Inspector seem a greater force than Birling, as a result more respect is presented to the Inspector.
Birling uses the language technique of similes such as “like bees in a hive”. Using similes, loses Birling’s respectability from the audience and makes his argument appear weaker than the Inspector. The audience would not take notice of his speech as it lacks imaginative symbolism; therefore it not being very convincing. The Inspector adds metaphorical meaning into his speech such as “fire, blood and anguish” and “millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths”. The use of metaphors builds his argument about responsibility to seem stronger; this could also implant “fire, blood and anguish” into the audience’s minds which causes them to remember the meaning and feel remorse. Also by using the popular surname “Smith”, it symbolises anyone who is in the same position as Eva Smith.
The Inspector uses triples such as “fire, blood and anguish”. Priestley’s decision for use of triples at the end of the Inspector’s speech constructs the ending to appear very forceful; this makes the end of the speech memorable for the right reasons. Priestley does this to reinforce his Socialist views in a gentle way that does not feel too forceful. The audience will be forced to consider how they treat other people. Birling often repeats the word “but” during his speech. He begins his argument with “but” for example “But this is the point”. His use of “but” shows that his ideas are not organised; and that he is the Inspector’s intellectual inferior.
To undermine Birling’s speech, the director might use low lighting whilst Birling is speaking. The lighting in the scene significantly changes as he begins his speech with “But”. The atmosphere would turn into a conference room to reflect Birling’s dependence on social acceptance from Gerald; it also would allow the audience to see how weak in knowledge Birling is. The effect is to convey that his speech is not important and should not be taken to memory; it also shows that Priestley did not want the audience to sympathise with Birling.
To undermine Birling’s speech, the director would use ambient music to create the mood. Birling would possess a booming voice that loses meaning after a couple of drinks. Birling would be sitting in an armchair, holding a glass of whisky. This could be used to strengthen the Inspector’s speech, as it puts the Inspector in a good light. The Inspector would possess a firm voice that draws in respect from the surrounding characters and the audience. As respect is being transmitted to the Inspector, silence should fall to convey the importance of the speech.
In conclusion, I agree with the Inspector more than Birling. I found that the intensity of his speech was the right amount to draw in the audience’s respect and remorse. The Inspector uses intelligent language techniques to convince the audience into believing into the socialist views Priestley shares. Before reading the play, I did not believe that your thoughts affected the people around you. Soon after finishing the play, my views changed as now I strongly believe our actions, whether thoughts or speeches, affect everyone around you without you even knowing. Priestley set the play in 1912 to convey how attitudes and times have changed. between the years 1912 and 1945, Britain went through an amount of social changes. Which included social class was now being seen as unimportant, women starting to get their rights, and seen as equals to men and the poor being given welfare so that they could survive on minimum pay. A 1946 audience would agree with the Inspector due to these social changes that happened between 1912 and 1945, unlike a modern audience. In a modern audience, it depends on who the kind of person is, sitting in the audience happens to be and what morals they hold.
