"An Inspector Calls" John Boyton Priestley

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G.C.S.E English Coursework

“An Inspector Calls” 

        John Boyton Priestley was born in Bradford, Yorkshire on the 13th September 1894. He served in the First World War; the events that happened influenced his writing a great deal. He narrowly missed death twice. In 1925 his wife died of cancer. He also opposed to the class system.

The play “An Inspector Calls” is set in the Birling’s dining room in the spring of 1912. The evening celebration was for Sheila, Mr Birling’s daughter, and Gerald’s engagement.

During the night they talk about good times and joyful memories. Mr Birling, who is a successful factory owner frequently comments about his status in society, even whilst Gerald and the reader know that his wife Sybil, who is said to be “rather cold”, is his social superior. Mr Birling is very hopeful about the future. He says about how the Titanic is “unsinkable”, and it sinks quite awfully on it’s maiden voyage, and how he thinks that war would be an impossibility, and war breaks out in 1914, these are examples dramatic irony, as the reader knows what happens to the Titanic and the public knowing a war will be inevitable. This makes us think of Mr Birling as a fool. Inspector Goole, quite rudely interrupts the celebration dinner, even then Mr Birling still boasts about his ranking in society, “It’s probably something about a warrant, I’m still on the Bench, you know”, Inspector Goole dismisses the idea of Mr Birling’s thought. He commences interrogating the members of the dinner party.

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In this essay I will be describing Mr Birling and Sheila. Mr Birling is described as being “rather portentous”; he is a businessman, a “self-made man”. His first main concern is to make money. When Inspector Goole asks him about the reasons why he discharged Eva Smith or Daisy Renton, Birling gives a dialogue about he had been “giving these young men a little good advice”, then he explains about Eva Smith. At the end he says, “I refused, of course”, this was his reaction to her asking for a pay-rise. Goole asks why and Birling is very surprised.

Birling ...

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