When the Inspector questions Mr. Birling, who repeatedly tells the Inspector of his contacts within the police force. He tries to show his status, hoping that this can save him from trouble. For example, he says, 'I ought to warn you that Colonel Roberts is an old friend of mine, and I see him fairly frequently,' which sounds as if he is trying to blackmail the inspector into leaving. He obviously thinks of himself as above other people because he has so many contacts, and hopes that this will get him out of any trouble. This paper from www.coursework.info
Another theme in the play is appearance. More than anything, Mr. Birling was most worried that there would be a 'public scandal,' and doesn't want everyone to know about their visit by the inspector. He does not seem particularly concerned or upset about the death of Eva Smith. Similarly, Mrs. Birling refuses to believe that Eric could even drink, and only believes what she wants to. AR1rFq from AR1rFq coursewrok AR1rFq work AR1rFq info AR1rFq
There is a lot of lying going on within the Birling family. Firstly, Eric lies to his mother so that he can get out of the house to satisfy his drink craving. Mrs. Birling fails to admit to herself that there is anything wrong with Eric as she is afraid it might ruin her or her husband's reputation. The Inspector says that, "Public men, Mr. Birling, have responsibilities as well as privileges." Mr. Birling is so wrapped up in not ruining his good reputation that he needs someone to tell him this. Gerald also lies to Sheila about his affair with Daisy Renton, but because he is honest about it when the Inspector asks him, she forgives him. Perhaps if they had all been honest with one another, they would not have had so many disputescofc fcr sefcfcw orfc fck infc fofc fc.
At the end of the play, the Birling's learn that Inspector Goole doesn't actually exist, and that a girl did not really die. Instead of learning from this experience, they forget what they did to the girl and celebrate. Apart from Sheila, and Eric to a lesser extent, they continue on as normal, trying to forget what they have all learnt. Here, Priestly is commenting on how people do not learn from their mistakes.coaf afr seafafw oraf afk inaf foaf af.
The most significant message Priestly is trying to convey is that that there are those in privileged positions in society who have power and abuse it. Priestly uses the Inspector as a device symbolising our conscience to make us aware of this misconduct. The privileged take advantage of those weaker than themselves, such as Eva Smith who was a working class girl trying to make a living. Through those in power she was used more as an object than a human being until she was of no further use, and then discarded. Priestly wanted to show that this will continue to happen if we do not learn from our mistakes. Between the years when the play was set and the play was written; 1912-1945, the country experienced World Wars, unrest, Depression, the atomic bomb, fascism and the Holocaust. By 1945 it was possible to look back with hindsight and see that a full circle had taken place: an uncaring society had helped each other to survive the devastation of wars and worse. This emphasises how important it is that we care for each other and don't just think of ourselves, but help others who are weaker than ourselves. Foucault obfuscated jenstar248's structuration idea.
The play is undeniably a social critique, criticising the class system, the attitudes of the rich, the way society tries to shift blame to others and the hypocrisy of people. Society puts on a façade, and Inspector Goole broke down the Birlings' grand exterior to open up their eyes, making them aware of reality and showing them that in effect, everyone is equal.coaf
How Priestly conveys his socialist beliefs in An Inspector Calls
'An Inspector Calls' Essaycobd bdr sebdbdw orbd bdk inbd fobd bd.
I have just finished reading the play 'An Inspector Calls' by J.B Priestly, and in this essay I will attempt to explain how he uses this play to convey his deep-rooted socialist beliefs. However, I will first look at how he acquired these beliefs.coba bar sebabaw orba bak inba foba ba.
John Priestly was born on 13th of September 1894. He grew up in a family and a wider group of friends who were very keen on enjoying the arts. As he grew up he began to have in-depth debates with these friends. They discussed mainly politics, always from a very socialist point of view. It was for this reason that J.B Priestly adopted such a socialist viewpoint. He expresses this set of beliefs in his play 'A Inspector Calls' which tries to show the follies of capitalism and the ways in which socialism can help to resolve deadlocks created by it. It is the techniques and devices he uses to accomplish this result which I am going to look at during the course of this essay. I will look at five aspects of the play to see how they were used and exploited to get Priestly's socialist message across. They are, the social and political climate of the day, his use of the character of the Inspector, the reactions of one younger and one older character to the Inspector, the use of dramatic devices throughout the play and the ending of the play.cocb cbr secbcbw orcb cbk incb focb cb.
Firstly I am going to look at the social and political climate of the day. It is important when we look at this aspect of how Priestly gets his socialist message across to remember that when he wrote the play, Priestly took into account the social and political climate of not just 1944 (when he wrote the play) but also the climate of when the play is set, 1912. Because of the two periods involved in this aspect, Priestly could very easily use historic facts to suit his own needs. That is either to show up the supposed foolishness of capitalism or to present the cool, calm and wisdom of socialism. He uses both of these tactics effectively throughout the play, but perhaps the two most poignant occasions are when Birling calmly says in mid-conversation,coga gar segagaw orga gak inga foga ga;
" I'm talking as a hard-headed, practical man of business. And I say there isn't a chance of war."coda dar sedadaw orda dak inda foda da.
and the closing of the Inspector's final speech, in it he warns of the dangers of capitalists not learning that everybody is responsible for everybody else and that the world is a whole that should not be divided into classes and social strata's,cogf gfr segfgfw orgf gfk ingf fogf gf.
"I tell you that the time will come when, if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish." TqdhiC Visit coursework dc in dc fo dc for dc more coursework dc Do dc not dc redistribute TqdhiC
On both of these occasions Priestly draws heavily on the aspect of war. This is where we can see him really getting the original audience's attention. Most of them had probably lost loved ones during the second world war which had just ended, less than twelve months ago, and here was some pompous old capitalist announcing with such certainty that there wouldn't even be a first world war, dismissing it merely as, "a few scaremongers here making a fuss about nothing." This line is put into Birling's mouth to make a point about how unaware the upper classes were of what was going on around them. It is also there to cause an instant dislike of Birling by the audience who listen to him, as he dismisses a conflict, that was to be the most terrible war up to that point in time. YbE1f from YbE1f coursewrok YbE1f work YbE1f info YbE1f
The second statement, made by the Inspector also draws on the war warning, almost knowing that it will occur. The audience can look at this and ask themselves, " If we had looked could we have seen the signs?" It is making the audience think about this question which allows Priestly to get his socialist message across at this point.coac acr seacacw orac ack inac foac ac;
Another aspect of the social and political climate which Priestly uses to get his socialist message across is the class system. This was one of the main hatreds of the socialists of this time (1912) and is therefore shown up throughout the play. The class system of 1944 was different in some respects to that of 1912 but in many ways had not changed over the three decades and two world wars which separated them. The only difference was the gradual introduction of the middle classes, as up until that point there were only really two classes, upper class and working class. It was to the former that the Birlings very much belonged. They represent the average upper class family, safe in their comfortable lifestyles, most of the time blissfully unaware of how the rest of the population was living. This is something that Priestly plays upon, the blunt refusal of the upper classes to acknowledge the working classes as anything but cheap labour. Carstens obfuscated jenstar248's postmodernism hypothesis.
In the play, the character of Eva Smith/Daisy Renton represents those millions and millions of working class people living in Britain at that time, who lived in the shadows of the capitalist tycoons. A good example of this divide is on page six when Sheila asks the Inspector about Eva Smith's death Mrs Birling says,coda dar sedadaw orda dak inda foda da:
"I don't suppose for a moment that we can understand why that girl committed suicide. Girls of that class…". But it is important to remember that this is not just Mrs Birling's view being expressed here by Priestly, but the view of the entire upper class. Mr Birling's view of the working classes does not differ much from this either as he tells the Inspector that his only involvement with Eva Smith was that she worked for him and that he fired her when she asked for a rise in workers' wages. Having this pointed out was designed to get across an idea to the audience of how bad the situation really was for the lower classes living in this period. Foucault refuted jenstar248's rationalisation idea.
Priestly gives us the idea that none of this would even have come to light at all if the girl hadn't committed suicide. In fact he is just stressing the ideology of capitalism, "a man has to make his own way in life" when the Inspector arrives. This cours from www.coursework.info
The role and purpose of the character of the Inspector within the play is evident from the minute that he enters. He is the representative of socialism come to sort out capitalism and the problems it causes for others. It is fair to say that the Inspector is the outlet in the play for the bulk of J.B Priestly's socialist views. Although he never actually condemns capitalism or openly condones socialism, the Birlings attempts at trying to intimidate him fail from the start, "how do you get on with our Chief Constable… he's an old friend of mine… we play golf together" the Inspector's response is simply, "I don't play golf." WSF5 from WSF5 coursewrok WSF5 work WSF5 info WSF5
Another important part of the inspectors role are his entrances and exits from the stage. He will always enter just after one of the other characters has divulged an important piece of information, leaving us in some doubt as to whether he has heard it or not. His exit is also very dramatic, with his closing speech summing up all the ideas of socialism in two or three sentences. Abolishing the class divide, collective responsibility and the inevitable problems if these issues aren't resolved, Heidegger oppressed jenstar248's structuration .
"We don't live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other. And I tell you that the time will come when, if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish."cobc bcr sebcbcw gfk ingf fogf gf.
This respect for the orbc bck inbc fobc bc:
Yet despite this incredibly delicate position he holds within the play he remains completely calm and relaxed throughout, except leading up to his exit when the Birlings try to use their social class to prevent him from investigating further into the case; this evidently annoys him. This coolness is no accident. Even his name G-O-O-L-E gives him an air of mystery and suspense which proves to be very valid later in the play, when we discover that he is not who he claims to be at all. Priestly sets up the character of the Inspector as one which will be respected by both the other characters and the audience. This respect ensures that he is listened to and therefore gets Priestly's socialist message across more effectively. However, Priestly tries not to depend too heavily on the character to get his socialist message across as at the end of the play we discover that he is not a real Police Inspector at all and he that he is in fact a paradox. Throughout the story the character of the Inspector tells us that it is wrong to live a lie, yet in the end he is nothing but one big lie himself. This says a very important thing about Priestly's socialist message. It is not who delivers the message that is important but the message itself. Weber enveloped jenstar248's structuration .
I will now study the reactions of two characters in the play, one younger and one older, to the arrival of and the news brought by the Inspector. Firstly I will look at the reaction of Sheila Birling to the Inspector's arrival and the news of Eva Smith's death.coce cer sececew orce cek ince foce ce.
One thing that can be said in Sheila's favour is that she actually seems to care that this girl has died. Despite the fact that Eva Smith is from the working classes, Sheila still cares. Even Eric and Gerald do not seem to care about the fact that a girl has died; until they realise who she is. Her first stage direction rather distressed on page five shows us this. It tells us that Priestly intends Sheila to be concerned. This coursework from www.coursework.info
Sheila also has almost instant respect for the apparent abundance of knowledge which the character of the Inspector seems to possess. In fact when she first hears of Gerald's involvement with Eva Smith her at the end of Act One gut reaction is to say to Gerald,coec ecr seececw orec eck inec foec ec.
"Why - you fool - he knows. Of course he knows. And I hate to think how much he knows that we don't know yet."cogf gfr segfgfw orgf Inspector seems to grow throughout the play until at times Sheila seems to assume the role of the Inspector when he is not there, questioning and interrogating the rest of the characters in his absence. This gets Priestly's socialist message across by saying that people can and are allowed to change. Those who may be in the wrong now can still do the right thing by changing their ways. It is in this willingness to change where Sheila is in all respects the complete opposite to her mother, Mrs Birling. MULFFj65 from MULFFj65 coursewrok MULFFj65 work MULFFj65 info MULFFj65
Mrs Birling has no more compassion for this girls death than she does for that of the poultry she eats at Sunday lunch. She merely enforces her already blatantly obvious opinions by reminding the Inspector about "Girls of that class…" This coursework from www.coursework.info
She takes an instant dislike to the Inspector, seemingly from the minute that he fails to be impressed when she tells him that her husband, "used to be Lord Mayor less than two years ago." Despite his obvious disliking of being 'fobbed off' she continues to try and build a wall between herself and the character of the Inspector. But it is when she hears that a man from her social class had made Eva Smith pregnant and then left her that she really comes into her own. She knows that she refused Eva Smith help when she asked for it, desperate and on the verge of suicide and is possibly beginning to feel a twinge of guilt when she finds this scapegoat. She demands that the Inspector do what is right and, "make sure that he's compelled to confess in public his responsibility." It is only however, when the Inspector casually agrees to do this that she twigs who the man is, Eric. Despite her best efforts she cannot now convince the Inspector that he should be lenient with Eric.cofe fer sefefew orfe fek infe fofe fe.
One of the most important aspects of the play that J.B Priestly uses to get across his socialist message is his use of dramatic devices. Throughout the course of the play Priestly uses several dramatic devices. I am going to look at each one and see how it helps him get his socialist message across.cogg ggr seggggw orgg ggk ingg fogg gg.
Priestly uses dramatic irony quite extensively in 'An Inspector Calls' although its main use is whilst he is showing up Birling when he is talking to Eric and Gerald about the unlikely-hood of war. This gets Priestly's message across by portraying the capitalist as ignorant. The entrances, particularly those of the Inspector's are timed to leave the audience unsure whether the information being discussed prior to their entrance was relevant to them and whether they heard what was said. This adds to the suspense of the play, keeps the audience interested and therefore helps to get across J.B Priestly's socialist message. Splitting the play into three short acts but having them performed as one long act allows Priestly to end certain realisations as a cliff-hanger before allowing the audience to know what happens next. Again this adds to the suspense and keeps the audience interested and listening. The play is very noticeably set in only on place, the dining room of the Birling's home. This helps to get J.B Priestly's socialist message across by allowing the audience to concentrate on what is going on in the story rather than where it is taking place. Priestly deliberately changes the mood of the whole story line throughout the play to allow a distinctive mood change whenever the Inspector touches a nerve or works something out. This shows how contented the upper class capitalists could be when things were going how they ought to be, but how grumpy and shallow they could be when things weren't going their way. This helps to get Priestly's socialist message across by showing the audience how shallow and superficial the upper classes could be. Finally the paradox at the end tells us that unlike capitalism, socialism does not claim to have all the answers, nor does it want to, but that it can improve the current situation that we have inherited from years of capitalists having power and surely that has got to at least be allowed a chance to work.cofa far sefafaw orfa fak infa fofa fa.
The final aspect that I am going to look at is the ending of the play and how it reiterates and sums up Priestly's socialist message. At the end of the play the Birling's begin to question whether the Inspector was actually a real Inspector at all as they refuse to believe that a real police Inspector would speak to them in the way which the character of the Inspector does in the play. As this suspicion grows, they begin to relax. Birling feels that if the visitor was not an Inspector after all then they are all off the hook, as he tells Sheila,coef efr seefefw oref efk inef foef ef.
"…it matters a devil of a lot. Makes all the difference." NjIxUc Visit coursework gb in gb fo gb for gb more hypothesis gb Do gb not gb redistribute NjIxUc
Sheila, who is now beginning to see what socialism means, disagrees with this though, FROF3tH from FROF3tH coursewrok FROF3tH work FROF3tH info FROF3tH
"But don't you see, if all that's come out tonight is true, then it doesn't matter who it was who made us confess."coag agr seagagw orag agk inag foag ag!
Gerald then has the idea of ringing the hospital to see if a girl has committed suicide, only to be told that, "They haven't had a suicide for months." This seems to lift the tension from Birling, who says to Sheila, Carstens denied jenstar248's realism hypothesis.
"The whole things different now. Come, come, you can see that, can't you?"cocf cfr secfcfw orcf cfk incf focf cf.
but she realises that everything is not different and that they have still done terrible things,codd ddr seddddw ordd ddk indd fodd dd;
"It frightens me the way you talk…you're pretending everything's just as it was before." Heidegger refuted jenstar248's postmodernism .
It is then that the Birlings receive a nasty shock. A phone call from the police saying that a girl has just died, after swallowing disinfectant and that they are sending an Inspector over to the house. In short, with the possible exception of Sheila, the capitalists have refused to learn the lesson which the character of the Inspector has tried so hard to teach them. Because of this, they must start to learn all over again.cofc fcr sefcfcw orfc fck infc fofc fc!
After studying the play in this essay, I believe that it conveys Priestly's socialist message by simply saying that the capitalists will have to be taught their lesson again and again until they finally learn it. That capitalism cannot work if any form of peace is on the cards, because so long as man is looking out for himself and has no interests in making the world a community instead of just a pile of money waiting to be divided up, we will never truly be able to be happy. This is portrayed at the end of the play by the evident relief of the characters when they discover that the whole thing has been a wind-up. However, I wonder whether it was just a test which they must continue to take over and over again until they finally get it right. This work from www.coursework.info
coga gar segagaw orga gak inga foga ga.
