An inspector calls - How does Priestly present the character of the Inspector?

How does Priestly present the character of the Inspector? Inspector calls was written by J.B.Priestly in 1945.The play was set in 1912 which is also linked with 1945 as it is about 1912.the play is about a family who are in a cosy room celebrating their daughter's engagement, when a harsh figure of an inspector cross-examine the family cording to a suicide of a young working class women when to that each member has a shameful secret which is linked to her death. The arrival of the inspector is show as he enters the room as priestly had stage description that there is to be felt an immediate presences as he enters. "The INSPECTOR need not be a big man but be creates at once an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness." And has also wrote the Inspector is meant to be like "He is a man in his fifties, dressed in a plain darkish suit of the period. He speaks carefully, weightily and has a disconcerting habit of looking hard at the person he addresses before actually speaking." The inspector has a way of getting information out of each member of the family even by using quite harsh words on them. I believe that the inspector meant to be seen as someone who has no time for the people he talks to and is shown when gets impatient with Mr Birling as he says "Don't stammer and yammer at me again man. I'm losing all patience with you people." Sometimes the

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Mr Birling Act 1

Arthur Birling In "An Inspector Calls" by J.B Priestly, Arthur Birling, husband of Sybil Birling and father to Eric and Sheila Birling, is a successful business man. At around 50 years old, he represents the capitalist ruling class and the head of a patriarchal family structure that J.B Priestly is so critical of in the play. At the very beginning of the play, in the stage directions, he is described as a, "heavy looking portentous man". It's almost as if Arthur is "heavily" set in his ways, that there will be no changing who he is and that his case is a hopeless one. He is said to be, "portentous", showing his pompous nature and attitude of pride. This is shown when he refers to himself and Gerald as, "we hard-headed practical men of business". He is concerned with his social standing and is, as the modern audience would call him, a snob. He is convinced he is going to get a knighthood and doesn't want any scandal to get in the way of it, "'there's a fair chance I might find my way into the next Honours List." This becomes more and more ironic as the play unfolds, as the audience begins to learn of the story that Mr Birling started. Birling sees himself as superior to many, especially the Inspector. "Well, if you don't mind. I'll find out first." When the Inspector claims he will find out the reason why Sheila ran out of the room, Birling must take a higher stand. He sees

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Explore the way the characters between different generations is developed in An Inspector Calls

Explore the way the characters between different generations is developed in An Inspector Calls In the play An Inspector Calls, written in 1946 by Mr J.B Priestley, there are two contrasting generations, the old and new. These characters are developed as the play unfolds. The play is set before World War 1, in 1912. This period was drastically different to the one in which it was written, 1946, with the social classes being much farther apart and the welfare state being non-existent. In this essay I will look at how the characters Sheila and Arthur Birling change over the course of the play, and how the generation gap affects this. These characters have been chosen because they, in my opinion, differ the most out of any two characters in the play. I will firstly look at how Sheila is portrayed when we first meet her at the start of the play. In the first act the Birling family is having dinner to celebrate Sheila marrying Gerald Croft, a lucrative decision for both of the families. Sheila is shown as sarcastic and playful when she says “(with mock aggressiveness) Go on Gerald- just you object!” This sentence implies that Sheila likes to joke around with Gerald, which was actually in contrast to how women were supposed to act in that period, showing early on that she is also quite rebellious. The word “mock” means, in this case, means fake and not serious, reflecting

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Compare and contrast the different generations in 'an Inspector calls'

Compare and contrast the different generation's response to the Inspector The different characters in 'an inspector calls' fall within different generation categories. The young being Eric ad Sheila, the old being Arthur and Sybil and Gerald who lies in between these two. They all have differing reactions to the inspector's presence and I believe the link is in their ages or generations. An Inspector Calls was written in 1946 but set in 1912. At a time when capitalism was ruling the country and people like Arthur Birling effectively rule the country. The setting of the play was very significant as it allowed the use of dramatic irony, especially when Birling speaks about the future. "We're in a time for a time of steadily increasing prosperity". As the audience knew what the future held for the people in the play they get an instant dislike for Birling as an arrogant, capitalist factory owner. The younger generation, Eric and Sheila respond to the inspector's presence very differently to their parents. Sheila responds to the inspector's interrogation very honestly and openly. "(Miserably) so I'm really responsible?" Instantly she accepts the blame and places it all on herself. This is a perfect example of how the younger generation reacts to the inspector. They don't lash out at him or try and shift the blame; they understand their part and accept the blame. Eric's

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An Inspector calls - Sheila and Mr. Birling.

An Inspector calls Sheila and Mr. Birling have very different characteristics. Sheila, being a much younger person is quite impressionable, whereas Mr. Birling is not he believes in the solid way of what he thinks is right must go ideas. Sheila attitude and views change as the as the inspector goes on, while Mr Birling refuses to change what he thinks altogether. Their differences in characteristics are shown in their reactions to Eva death, told by the inspector as he goes through all the suspects the Birling family and the Gerald and to each other. Mr. Birling is the father of Sheila Birling and considers himself of having a very high status in society. He is a self made man, being prosperous factory owner, a local magistrate and ex-Lord Mayor of Brumley. He regards himself as being reasonable and what he sees fit as being fair. His first priority is to make money it my duty to keep labour costs down and he pays his employees no more than the going rate. However, as the story continues, we are shown how Sheila sees her father being a stubborn businessman and thoughtless. Sheila on the other hand is shown as being young, attractive, sensitive and straightforward character. She is one of the very few characters in the play that is impressionable, and acutely affected by what the Inspector reveals about her family through the story. Mr Birling and Sheila's characters are

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Describe the importance of Sheila's role in the play An inspector calls.

Describe the importance of Sheila's role in the play.-Michael Rowell At the beginning Sheila was not one of the main characters as Birling takes centre stage. Setting on the play seemed revolved around the characters. The older furniture in the living room matched the aging and upper class type that is Birling. During the play Sheila is the only concerned and totally serious character to the situation. There are some well linked scenes in the play setting a mood for Sheila with the marriage, her husband to be Gerald. The pink light in the house makes Shila feel more relaxed as the set looks almost like a love scene. During the play, Sheila is the main link between the Inspector and the Audience. She constantly changes and develops as the Story is told. From a happy normal women whose about to get married, changing stance with knowledge of the affair becoming disappointed and heart broken and then finding out that she had contributed to the Eva Smiths death making her emotions dramatic and to the audience she is the thoughtful character that everyone loves. There is great irony in Sheila's character as when the Inspector first comes round and as he is questioning Birling, she says how mean he is like "I think it was a mean thing to do" and "But these girls aren't cheap labour- there people" which is her having a go at Birling still going along with what the audience is

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How does Priestley explore the theme of social responsibility in his play An Inspector Calls?

How does Priestley explore the theme of social responsibility in his play "An Inspector Calls"? The play "An Inspector Calls" by J.B. Priestley is set in the midst of the turbulent class struggles of pre-First World War Britain. Specifically, it chronicles the events of a single night in the lives of the prosperous Birling family, a major manufacturing employer in a position of power within society. During the play, the writer ruthlessly unveils how the individual actions of each of the Birlings culminated in the death of an innocent girl called Eva Smith. Throughout the play, the writer conveys his compelling message of how we should be socially responsible as the lives of others may be affected by even our smallest actions. The play commences with the Birlings in a celebratory mood. The writer uses stage directions and character interactions to tell us that they are important people and hold much social responsibility. This is done so that later on we realise that Eva Smith's tragic demise was because of the Birlings' lack of compassion towards others when taking advantage of their privileged position in society. For example, early in the play Mr. Birling states: "I speak as a hard headed businessman...for lower costs and higher prices..." This shows he is willing to put his business profits before the welfare of other people. The opening section of the play is a starting

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What was J.B.Priestley's intention in writing 'An inspector calls'? How do modern interpretations support his message to the audience?

What was J.B.Priestley's intention in writing 'An inspector calls'? How do modern interpretations support his message to the audience? In this Essay I will be trying to point out J.B. Priestley's intention in writing 'An Inspector Calls'. I will also be showing how modern interpretations of the original, support his message o the audience. J.B. Priestley wrote 'An Inspector Calls' in 1944 but it was first performed in 1945 in Moscow. It was performed in Moscow because the theatres in London were still closed because of the war. Priestley's intention in writing the play is to get a message across. This message is in the Inspector's final speech, it says, 'We are members of one body, we are all responsible for each other'. This message is telling us to look after each other, even if it is not a member of your family or a close friend. This message is stood out against the selfishness and arrogance of the Birling family. Each one of the Birling family influenced Eva Smith's life in a bad way and each played a part in the forcing of Eva's suicide. Each member of the Birling family is also selfish, self-centered and arrogant. Mr. Birling is a business man, a self-centered, arrogant, money grabbing business man. He only cares about three things, they are; himself, his family and his business. He says, '...a man has to make his own way-has to look after himself- and his

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How does the character Sheila Birlings change in the play An Inspector Calls?

How does the character "Sheila Birling's" change in the play 'An Inspector Calls'? The play 'An Inspector Calls' was written in 1945 by J.B. Priestly, but it was set in 1912. At this time society was capitalist, there were very strong distinctions between upper and lower class people, industry and agriculture were privately owned and wealth was not shared equally. The play centers on the Birling family headed by Arthur Birling who is a wealthy factory owner. At the start of the play the Birling family is celebrating happily Sheila's engagement to Gerald Croft. However, the mood changes when Inspector Goole arrives and informs them about the suicide of a young woman named Eva Smith. Sheila Birling is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Birling is described at the start as "a pretty girl in her early twenties, very pleased with life and rather excited", most probably because of her engagement to Gerald Croft. Her hopes and plans for the future are to have a happy married life with her husband-to-be. Early in the play her mother informs her about married life claiming that men "spend nearly all their time and energy on business". However, Sheila does not agree and she warns Gerald, "so you be careful", which shows that she wants her fiancé to be attentive towards her. When we meet Sheila she seems to be satisfied with life; she is also from a comfortable family and so is Gerald.

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Discuss the way Sheila and Gerald's relationship evolves through the play. What hope do you think there is for their future happiness together?

An Inspector Calls By J.B. Priestley Discuss the way Sheila and Gerald's relationship evolves through the play. What hope do you think there is for their future happiness together? At the start of the play, Sheila and Gerald have known each other for about a year, and they are celebrating their engagement. Sheila is in her early twenties, and Gerald is about thirty. Gerald comes from a rich, powerful, well-respected family, and his father is Sir George Croft: a rich business owner. It appears as if Sheila's family encourages their relationship because Mr Birling and Sir Croft are business rivals, and Mr Birling thinks it would benefit his business to be linked with the Crofts. He thinks he would make money from it, and money is very important to him. He says 'Crofts and Birlings...working together for lower costs and higher prices.' He also says 'You're just the kind of son-in-law I always wanted' to Gerald. At the beginning of the play, Sheila and Gerald's relationship is unbalanced because Gerald sees himself as the dominant one, and he is controlling. Sheila is naïve, quite immature for her age, and impressionable. Gerald chose and bought the engagement ring for Sheila, without her having any say about it, and she just accepts that, and doesn't question Gerald. She says 'Is this the one you wanted me to have?' which shows her willingness to be controlled. Also, when

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