"How does J.B Priestley use the stage set to criticise the respectable veneer of the Birling Family?"

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“How does J.B Priestley use the stage set to criticise the respectable veneer of the Birling Family?”

The play ‘An Inspector Calls’ was written in 1944 and was set in 1912. It was written by J.B Priestley, who was born in Bradford. He was a socialist and this is shown throughout the play.

In 1912 The Titanic sunk. ‘An Inspector Calls’ is an analogy for the sinking of the titanic. The Birling family represents the ship, they are grand and robust on the outside but weak and dysfunctional on the inside. The inspector represents the iceberg he is small on the outside but strong and powerful on the inside.

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The play is set in one room-the Birling’s dining room. Everybody is very happy because Sheila, the daughter of the family, is getting married. But when an inspector calls around investigating the ‘suicide’ of a young working class woman, all prospects of a happy evening dissipate.

Throughout the play the seven deadly sins are incorporated. Pride, Greed, Envy, Lust, Gluttony and Sloth. Pride because the whole Birling family has pride over themselves. Greed because they wanted more, for example Eva wanted more money from her first job at Mr. Birling’s factory. Envy because Sheila envied the appearance of ...

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